Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. If you're in to hiking or sightseeing, geocaching makes it more interesting than seeing nice sights.  

 

The basic idea of geocaching is to locate hidden containers called geocaches and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is an outdoor activity enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment. It's a great way to discover the natural beauty and history of Guam, get some exercise, and enjoy the thrill of finding hidden "treasure"!  

 

But what exactly are you looking for?  Caches come in different sizes, from the smallest "Nano" sized caches to Micro caches to large caches.  Local geocacher Bill Davis says you can get started by first logging on to Geocaching.com.  "It's a free service," he explained.  "Once you're in there you can put in the coordinates for your house if you want to find caches nearby where you live or you can just put in your zip code and it'll find all the caches basically around that zip code area."

 

Here's some of the basic things you will need to get started: a computer to access the website and a GPS receiver, when you locate the cache site you want to find from the website, you can input the GPS location into your GPS device and off you go.  These are some items that are normally included in a geocacher's bag:

 

A pen (some caches require you to bring your own pen to sign the log), a small notebook to write notes about the cache, your experience when finding the cache, trackable items.  Gloves, a small flashlight, a small first-aid kit, a pair of tweezers for those nasty nanos, mosquito repellant, Swag items for trade, plastic bag for picking up trash, extra batteries, camera, multi-tool, small mirror with extending handle to look behind and under potential hiding place and water. Some other items to bring along when caching are a cellphone, some snacks incase you get hungry, a compass and a map.

 

Once you reach your cache coordinates, be prepared to search because the cache won't always be right in front of you.  Said Davis, "Sometimes the GPS will tell you the cache is right in front of you, but if you look in front of you there might be a cliff line, so you have to figure out how to get on top of the cliff to go find the cache."

 

There are some rules for Geocachers to follow:

Now that you have an idea of what Geocaching is about, the next time you visit someplace you'll probably be wondering if there's a hidden cache near by.  The only way to find out the truth is to Geocache.