Introduction to Geocaching Sam Drake, Park Liason, Geocachers of the Bay Area (aka "sammydee")

Geocaching Geocaching is... o "The game where YOU are the search engine" o A way to turn hiking into a game o A way to get your kids away from the computer o A way to meet lots of interesting people! o "A hobby using billions of dollars of military hardware to find tupperware hidden in the woods"

History of Geocaching GPS was developed and is run by the US Military Initially consumer GPS receivers weren't very accurate (200 feet) On May this was changed, so consumer GPSes were as accurate as military ones (20 feet) On May someone hid a bucket of stuff in the woods and posted the coordinates on the Internet Today there are 578,177 active caches worldwide. In the last 7 days, there have been 450,702 "finds" by 61,434 geocachers!

How do I play? Go to and register Get information about caches in your area Enter cache coordinates into your GPS Find the cache Sign the log Trade items from the cache Rehide the cache as you found it Go find more! When you get home, log your finds at

What sort of GPS do I need? Almost any hiking-oriented GPS will work for Geocaching Desirable (NOT required) features: o Ability to connect to a PC or Mac o Color display o GPSes made in last 18 months have MUCH better reception than older models Some representative prices (as of 6/2008): Etrex Legend "Blue" under $100 at Amazon Etrex Legend Cx $149 at Amazon 60CSx $309 at Amazon

List of geocaches in 95119

A Cache Listing

Cache Logs

Geocachers of the Bay Area... thegba.net

Geocaching and Safety Natural hazards o Poison Oak o Ticks o Rattlesnakes o Dehydration Let someone know where you're going Carry plenty of water Don't reach where you can't see Use a hiking pole, not your hand, to reach for things Consider wearing long pants, sleeves

Geocaching and our Parks Geocaching is allowed in most parks and open spaces Rules vary by park district Santa Clara County Parks: Caches allowed with a few restrictions o Must be within 20 feet of trail o Must be labelled Please respect the park, don't do any damage, stay on trail as much as practical "Cache In, Trash Out"...please pick up any trash you find!

Types of Geocaches Traditional. A container hidden in the woods. Multi-cache. One cache leads to another [to another...] Puzzle. You have to solve a puzzle or riddle to get the coordinates. Event. A party or clean-up event organized for geocachers. Virtual. There's no container, just something special to see. (Grandfathered.) Webcam. Go to the coordinates and get your picture taken! (Grandfathered.)

Games within the Game Different people play the game with different goals o Trade items o Geocoins o First To Find o Numbers o Challenges and Statistics

Where do caches come from? Anyone can place a cache! Must meet a set of guidelines set by geocaching.com o Not on private property (without permission) o Safe o Not commercial o Not scary. No visits from the bomb squad! o No digging! o Must be 0.1 miles from any other cache Must meet any rules set by land owner o Santa Clara County Parks rules: 20 feet from trail Reviewed by a volunteer at geocaching.com, then listed

GPS Display and Controls

Finding a Geocache Enter coordinates, OR select pre-entered waypoint Follow the GPS arrow o The arrow is only accurate when you're moving! When you get close (10-20 feet), put away the GPS. Think like a spy! Where would you hide something? Check the cache page for info (cache size, etc.) Stumped? Decode the hint Success! Sign the log, make a trade, replace the cache Don't let muggles see the cache location!

Go Outside And Play!