‘Geocacher’ enjoys thrill of the hunt

FORT FRANCES—Forget the treasure map because ‘X’ no longer marks the spot for people like Terry Newman.
The local “Geocacher” has scoured the district and beyond in search of that mystery location—all for the thrill of saying he’s been there.
“Geocaching” is a modern-day treasure hunt in which participants search for hidden caches using co-ordinates and GPS devices.
“The game really just gets you and takes you to places you’ve never been, and probably wouldn’t go if you weren’t on the hunt,” Newman admitted.
The caches range from small to large. And the treasure found inside isn’t in the form of gold coins and jewels, but rather small trinkets like buttons, magnets, and Matchbox cars.
“About a year ago, when my sister-in-law from B.C. was visiting last summer, she said there were caches in the area and suggested we find them,” Newman recalled.
“Before then I had a GPS and never used it, but since I’ve been hooked on the hunt,” he laughed.
In the past year, Newman has found several caches in the district, as well as in Minnesota and on his travels across the country. He’s also managed to encourage his eldest son, Ryan, to join him.
“These things are everywhere,” Newman said. “My son lives in Thunder Bay and he’s out almost every weekend looking there.”
To play, a Geocacher hides a log book and a small trinket hidden in a waterproof container, then posts it instructions and co-ordinates on the Geocaching website.
Seekers download the hints, along with the cache’s latitude and longitude. Once located, the finder can take the trinket and replace it with another, or simply sign the log book to describe how the cache was found.
“The game isn’t as easy as it sounds,” Newman stressed. “Some of the caches are really hidden and you could look for a while.”
Tucked into tree branches and cracks in walls—even right under your own nose—are hidden hundreds of thousands of caches all over the world.
According to Geocaching.com, there are six caches in Rainy River District, including one in Emo, one at Bears Pass, and four in Nestor Falls.
There are three caches in International Falls, 10 within five miles of the Falls, and more than 20 within 30 miles.
A membership at Geocaching.com is free.
Geocaching is an activity that appeals to individuals of all ages, and can be a fun way to turn a weekend into a family adventure in the bush around here.
In addition to harbouring little trinkets, some caches include “Travel Bugs,” which are small metal tags registered with a tracking number through the Geocaching website.
Many “Travel Bugs” have a specific mission or destination, and those Geocachers who find them have the option to go online and see where they’ve been as well as follow any specific instructions from the owner as to where it should travel next,
“I’ve found a ‘Travel Bug’ in my travels and its end mission was to make it to New York,” Newman noted. “I later tracked its progress and noticed it was on the West Coast, which is bad for where it needs to be.”
There also are a lot of rules Geocachers need to be aware of, including specifics as to how a cache must be placed—and look like—so it’s not mistaken as a explosive device.
In Ottawa just last month, the GPS game was blamed for a bomb scare that resulted in the four-hour closure of a major Ottawa road and an operation involving two dozen police officers, a Hazmat team, and the police explosives unit.
The scare was prompted by the discovery of a suspicious package under a transitway bridge that turned out to be part of a Geocache.
Explosives, ammunition, knives, drugs, and alcohol should not be placed in a cache. Food items always are a bad idea, too.
As well, before placing a cache, look into where they’re allowed. For instance, caches are banned from provincial and state parks.
“You can do this [almost] anywhere, in any season, and it’s always a good time,” Newman enthused.
Here are a few Geocaching terms:
•DNF (Did Not Find)—an acronym used by Geocachers to state they did not find a cache;
•FTF (First To Find)—an acronym written by Geocachers in physical cache logbooks or online when logging cache finds to denote being the first to find a new one;
•Ground Zero (GZ)—the point where your GPS device shows you have reached the cache location;
•Hitchhiker—an item that is placed in a cache and has instructions to travel to other caches; and
•Travel Bug—a trackable tag you attach to an item that allows you to track your item on Geocaching.com
(Fort Frances Times)