WeekNIGHT Caching: Article in the Star Tribune; January 10th, 2006

January 10th, 2006 in Bars and Pubs, Geocaching

From the article in the Star Tribune, originally posted here (link will die and sometimes requires a password.)

Hide and seek by satellite

High-tech treasure hunting: Minnesotans discover geocaching, which uses GPS technology to help find objects hidden in outdoor settings.
Darlene Prois, Star Tribune

One by one, they gathered, head lamps shining and Global Positioning System units glowing. At the appointed hour, Silent Bob, Moe the Sleaze, Oneied Cooky and a dozen others slipped none too quietly down an icy path into the night forest, intent on discovering treasure.
Never mind that tonight’s “treasure” was little more than buttons and a painted screwdriver. The pleasure lies entirely in the hunt, according to this group, which like others who pursue this hobby give themselves inspired and unusual nicknames.

“I come out here with all these wonderful friends and explore the hidden treasures of the Twin Cities,” said Dave Ratischer, 41, a software consultant from Biloxi, Miss., who regularly geocaches with the group during weeklong stays in the area. “I could be the usual business traveler and go to restaurants or the Mall of America. Tell me this isn’t better.”

Silent Bob and friends are among the thousands in Minnesota and across the nation who have discovered geocaching, a high-tech adventure game in which players use GPS-satellite-locating technology to find something — known as a cache — hidden by other players.

The Minnesota Geocaching Association has about 600 members. There are 224,370 active caches hidden in 219 countries. There are 2,810 of them waiting to be found in Minnesota.

Minnesota’s climate makes it an ideal place for the high-tech hunt. Winter is prime time for playing because lack of foliage makes it easier to receive a GPS signal. It’s also easier to spot the cache once you’re close.

Geocaching can easily be done alone, but every Wednesday night, packs of passionate cachers gather in local parks and other public spaces. “There’s more camaraderie, especially if you don’t find it right away. It does tend to be more fun with the group,” said Shawn Halli, 31, a manufacturing engineer from Eagan.

Hunt begins on the Internet

Geocaching rules are simple: You enter your ZIP code on the official website (www.geo caching.com) and choose a cache to seek. If you locate it, you sign its logbook. If it contains treasures — usually inexpensive trinkets — you’re welcome to take one and leave another in its place. Finally, you log back onto the Internet to record the visit.

The cache’s longitude and latitude are entered into a handheld GPS unit. That’s enough to guide you to within 30 feet of the cache. The challenge is negotiating the terrain and figuring out what the cache is hidden in.

The game can be played by anyone, young or old. Ultraenthusiast Dave Dunn, 48, whose handle, Arcticabn, is a nod to his 22 years as an Army paratrooper, thought geocaching might coax his young sons to spend more time outside.

“They tire out quickly when you take them on a hike, so I asked them if they wanted to go treasure hunting one day,” said Dunn, who lives in Lakeville. “We went out and found two caches, and they each found trinkets that they wanted. The next morning they wanted to go treasure hunting again.”

Now, two years later, Dunn has logged 2,590 caches, more than all but one other person in Minnesota. For all his efforts, the only prize is bragging rights.

Dunn goes out every other week, and his routes are planned with military precision. On his most productive day, he found 57 caches, small stuff compared to his scheme for the three-day weekend trip he’s planning to take with other geocachers later this month.

“I hope to get over 100 in a day,” he said. “That’s my goal.”

And his kids? Robert, now 6, lost interest. Christopher, 8, still accompanies his dad about once a month, but only on easier hunts. Caches are rated according to the cleverness of the hide and the difficulty of the terrain. Dunn has waded through chest-high swamps and climbed steep rocks in his pursuits.

Other kids, like 7-year-old Maddie Sefton of Eagan, prefer hiding caches to finding them. She and her dad, attorney Kevin Sefton, have designed some pretty nifty caches, including one that looked “like dog poop,” Maddie said.

“You can do some creative things with polymer clay,” said her dad. “Lots of people have said it’s been their favorite.”

Treasure-hunting twosomes

Many couples enjoy the hobby together.

Kim and Bill Roehl, also known as Marsha and Silent Bob, have found more than 1,600 caches.

“Bill will leave at 5:30 in the morning with his friends and find 25 in a day,” said Kim Roehl. “That’s not my cup of tea. I like that it will take you some place you wouldn’t have known was there.”

Geocaching was a natural outgrowth of the couple’s interest in camping, hiking and other outdoor activities.

“It gives you a good sense of the state,” said Bill Roehl, who moved from Ohio in 2002 and is now president of the Minnesota Geocaching Association. “I feel I know as much as anyone within a couple years.”

What they’ve enjoyed most, however, are the friendships they’ve made. Said Bill Roehl: “My entire friendship base is somehow related to caching.”

Darlene Prois • 612-673-4280

©2006 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.