Many people are discovering DeKalb County is full of hidden outdoor treasures. In fact, across the globe, the hi-tech, hide-and-seek game of “Geocaching” is spreading like wild mushrooms.

The sport began to take off in May of 2000, when the U.S. military unscrambled signals it previously used for satellite guided missiles. Today, Geocaching has evolved into a modern-day scavenger hunt.

Organizers hide a “treasure” – called a cache. Next, the coordinates for the Global Positioning System, or GPS, and clues to the cache location are posted on a handful of shared Web sites. After that, Geocache players have to get out into the real world and go on a “treasure hunt.”

The Internet plays a big role. That’s where cache coordinates are published, so participants know where to get started. You’ll also find posted comments from players about their search for a particular cache.

A Geocache is typically a weather-proof container that holds a log book – to remark on the adventure – and a few small trinkets. When someone discovers the cache, they can take one of the items; provided they leave something of equal or greater value and return the cache to its hiding place. In other words, the real challenge is finding the correct location – using a GPS unit – and enjoying the journey along the way.

 

The types of Geocaching adventures are only limited to the imaginations of those who participate. Geocaching is something the whole family can enjoy. There are already more than 400,000 active caches placed worldwide, and the number is increasing every day.

 

GPS devices range in price from about $100 to $500. You can get them at most sporting goods and electronic stores. Even some of the newer cell phones have Geocaching capability.

 

A great place to have your first (or 100^th) Geocaching experience in DeKalb County is at the beautiful Arabia Mountain. There are currently eleven caches hidden there (with varying degrees of difficulty) – plenty to keep expert and novice Geocachers quite busy. The park is open daily from 7:00 a.m. until dusk. For more information, call (770) 484 – 3060 or go to the Web site link below and search for caches in the zip code 30038. You can also search the Smoke Rise zip code for hundreds of other caches that are in our “back yard.”