Hunting for hidden treasure

The weather is warm again for February and we are searching for hidden treasure here in Michaux State Forest. My guide points out a spot underneath a small boulder where an ammunition box is placed out of site of any passersby. This is what we have come for.

We open the box to claim our booty. There is no gold or money in the box, only a log book and several small trinkets that have no real monetary value. But the object of the hunt wasn't to make millions, the reward was the actual search itself.

In a world in which new outdoor and extreme sports are coming to the forefront, the sport of geocaching is quickly gaining popularity.

Geocaching, which has just taken off in the last couple of years, involves getting latitude and longitude coordinates from a Web site and then using the Global Positioning System (GPS) to find a "treasure" hidden at those coordinates somewhere on the planet.

The GPS uses satellites in space, which are run by the U.S. government, that broadcast a signal to receiving units on the ground about the size of a large calculator.

The government uses the GPS to do things like guide airplanes to their destination and direct guided missiles to their targets. Geocachers use GPS to search for treasure.

When units that receive the signals were made available to the public in May of 2000, a man in Oregon hid a treasure and posted its coordinates on an Internet bulletin board. Several people started using their GPS devices to find the treasure, and a sport was born.

The latitude and longitude coordinates are punched into the GPS unit, which uses the signal to determine its exact spot on the planet to within 6-to-10 feet. The object of the game is to find the exact spot where the "cache" is located.

The sport, spread mainly by word of mouth, made huge advances with the opening of the Web site http://www.geocaching.com/ The site is very comprehensive and lists hundreds of caches in several countries around the world.

Each cache has details about what it is, where it is, what the theme of the cache is, and the level of difficulty assigned to the cache. People who use the site, which is free of charge, can hunt for any of those caches and are encouraged to develop and hide their own caches.

Greg Rotz of Fayetteville and his family have been geocaching for about a year and are hooked.

"I found my first cache in April of last year and have been able to locate 40 others since then,'' Rotz said. "My wife and son and myself all got involved in it and love to go whenever we can find the free time."

Rotz was my guide for this particular geocaching expedition, and he and his son Noah led us to it with relative ease.

"I had found this cache once before and it's easy compared to some of the others we've found," said Rotz, who has been stumped only one time. "There was one near Pittsburgh that I searched for an hour to find and was still unable to locate. I'll be going back there this summer to find it, though."

The Web site lists some caches as being extremely difficult to reach. There are caches that require hikes over rough terrain, some require rock-climbing equipment, some need rowboats, and there is even one that suggests that you bring scuba gear if you're going to find it.

The price of geocaching is also a bonus if you're looking to start out. The cost of a GPS unit is the biggest investment and they can be found for as low as $100. Other than the GPS, a compass and a good pair of hiking boots is all you need.

Topographic maps tend to be helpful in some areas, but the clues and directions on the Web site are all you really need to find most caches.

There are not many rules to the game yet, but there are organizations starting to develop it as a competition.

The main rule is: When you find a cache with items in it, fill out the logbook, take something from the cache and then leave something else behind.

In the cache we found, Noah left behind a pocket knife and took with him a little box of puzzles.

The only other rule -- the one considered most important when you talk to anyone involved in geocaching -- is to "Cache in and trash out."

All geocachers are expected to take a trash bag with them into the woods and haul out any trash they find along the way.

Rotz said, "We all feel really strongly about taking care of the environment and try to make sure we leave the area in better condition than we found it."