Geocaching garmin style
Thursday 8 February 2007Geocaching is the widely popular, high-tech game of treasure hunting, and Garmin is at the forefront with a host of products to ensure you find that big cache. With a Garmin in hand and an appetite for adventure, you’re sure to find hidden treasure and see the world.
Whether it’s finding caches, moving hitchhikers (or travel bugs), locating NGS benchmarks or more, Garmin has your unit. Garmin manufactures several lightweight, rugged, waterproof GPS handhelds perfect for geocaching. These units have long battery lives and lots of waypoint storage — some even come with built-in altimeters, compasses, mapping capabilities and more.Check out our geocaching product guide to find out which unit is best for you and read below for more information about geocaching. Get a Garmin and get geocaching!Basically, geocaching is a high-tech version of treasure hunting. Geocachers seek out hidden treasures utilizing GPS coordinates posted on the Internet by those hiding the cache. Using a Garmin® GPS unit, they then trek out into the backwoods or urban jungles to find the hiding spot of the cache. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. If the visitor takes something out of the cache, they are asked to leave something in return. For some, the biggest reward is the thrill of the search and the discovery of a place that they have never been.
The Rules:
This growing outdoor sport has a simple set of rules, making it easy for anyone to play. The challenging part is finding the cache. Some caches have even been planted on mountainsides and underwater!
Once geocachers find a cache, they follow these basic rules:
1. fill out the logbook
2. take something out of the cache
3. put something in the cache
4. return the cache to the exact position and condition in which it was found
Caches typically consist of a waterproof container discreetly placed within the local terrain. The container will include a logbook and any number of more or less valuable items such as toys, books, money, jewelry, trinkets, etc. You never know what the founder or other visitors of the cache may have left for you to enjoy. Be sure to fill out the logbook with the date and time you visit the cache and leave something in return.
Finding a Cache:
Once you have a GPS unit, you will need to go online to start finding cache locations or report a cache that you have created. Several geocaching web sites and clubs have sprouted on the Internet. To find a hidden cache near you or to plant a cache, you should start with www.geocaching.com — the first to bring geocaching to the masses and the most comprehensive site for this adventure-game. After you get the coordinates online and enter them into your GPS, you’re ready to get started on your adventure!
Geocaching Responsibly:
Garmin is committed to protecting the environment. We strive to make the safest, most planet-friendly products and encourage others to use our products responsibly. Please seek permission before geocaching on private or public lands. Geocaching can have an unintended impact on the earth’s natural resources and result in trampled vegetation, damaged habitats and destruction of parks’ historical and cultural resources.
Placing a cache on lands administered by the National Park Service (NPS) is illegal without first obtaining permission. Please contact your local park to obtain a special use permit or inquire about sites designated for geocaching on park property. Help make geocaching an educational and entertaining experience while preserving our environment for future generations of geocachers to come!
