Geocaching or GPS started in May of 2000 by Dave Ulmer in Portland, Oregon when he placed the first cache in the woods. He then published it's coordinates on the Web and a new outdoor adventure game was started. Soon after this, Jeremy Irish established Geocaching.com, which is the official geocaching Web site.
So what exactly is “geocaching”? It is really just a 21st century high-tech treasure hunt. To start this treasure hunt you need a GPS receiver (Global Positioning System) which runs between $100 - $1000. This is a electronic device that determines your appreciate location on the planet. You then can navigate from your current location to another in your hunt for the cache.
Then go to www.geocaching.com and find a cache near you. There are thousands of these in the world so you should find one to appeal to you. Enter your coordinates into your GPS and off you go. You will find caches anywhere and everywhere, hidden in trees, under rocks, on a cliff, underwater, in a shopping center, in a desert wash and many other places.
Caches can come in many shapes. The smallest called micro caches just have a stub pencil and some paper (to log on), larger ones like a waterproof bucket and everything in between. The most typical cache is a small waterproof container.
There is always a logbook in them for the geocacher to sign. It also may have notes from other visitors, coordinates to to other caches, etc. They may also contain toys, trinkets, books, games, CD’s, maps, etc. You can take something out and keep it but the basic rule is to leave something else in the cache.
After you locate your caches, record your find on the web site. If you find a cache that is not in good condition or one that is missing let the cache owner know.
That is all there is to it so go out there and treasure hunt!
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