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Geocaching a Photographic story of the search for hidden treasure

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Geo caching. a Photographic story of the search for hidden treasure. geocaching. g eo ? …like in the words: geography, geology, geometry, geocentric, geode, geopolitics. It means “earth.”. caching ? …like in the word: cache. It means “a place to hide something.”. geocaching. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Geo caching

Geocachinga Photographic story of the search for hidden treasure

Page 2: Geo caching

geocaching

geo? …like in the words: geography, geology, geometry, geocentric, geode, geopolitics

caching? …like in the word: cache

It means “earth.”

It means “a place to hide something.”

Page 3: Geo caching

geocaching

geo? …like in the words: geography, geology, geometry, geocentric, geode, geopolitics

caching? …like in the word: cache

It means “a place to hide something.”

It means “earth.”

Page 4: Geo caching

to go to the next slide

Click on this triangle

geocaching

geo? …like in the words: geography, geology, geometry, geocentric, geode, geopolitics

caching? …like in the word: cache

It means “a place to hide something.”

It means “earth.”

Page 5: Geo caching

Hi there. I am a GPS-receiver. Global Positioning System.

Page 6: Geo caching

Think Earth. Think treasure hunting. Think satellites that orbit. Think silent signals that tell where you are and

where you would like to go. Think map.

Page 7: Geo caching

Garmin made me. I am the elite tool of the trade, used by geocachers worldwide.

Page 8: Geo caching

I am soooooo tiny. Itsy-bitsy. Teeny-weenie. Little.

Page 9: Geo caching

I am a Micro, the smallest of the geocaches out there. And I am magnetic.

Page 10: Geo caching

Can you guess where I like to hide?

Page 11: Geo caching

That is right, over there, on that black metal fence. I am soooooo difficult to find.

Page 12: Geo caching

If I was bright and flashy, then strangers would see me easily and take me away. But, I am not. I am tiny. I am

black. The guy who put me here knew that this would be an excellent place to hide me.

Page 13: Geo caching

The tiny log inside of me must be rolled very, very tightly in order to fit back inside. Put me back where I was so

that someone else can find me.

Page 14: Geo caching

Yay! I love being a cache. Come find me.

Page 15: Geo caching

BIG! So very, very big. And retired. I used to have a job, holding ammunition for soldiers.

Page 16: Geo caching

That was my duty and I did it well. I kept it safe. I kept it dry. But, a few years ago, someone realized that I could

serve another purpose. A fun purpose. Woo-hoo!

Page 17: Geo caching

Can you see me? I am hidden, out along a trail, back in the bushes. I hold a log, paper or a notebook, something

to sign your name onto. And, you will find some surprises within.

Page 18: Geo caching

I am big enough to hold key chains and wrist bands and marbles and toy soldiers and CDs and lanyards and gold (just kidding), stuff that you or your kids might want.

Page 19: Geo caching

And, I just might have something special, a Travel Bug or a Geo Coin, little travelers who move from cache to cache

around the world. Come. Find. Trade.

Page 20: Geo caching

I am here. No one else knows it because I am hidden. I have a cap, just like all the other poles, but mine isn’t

attached anymore. It is loose. And underneath the cap you will find me. Waiting.

Page 21: Geo caching

So many people walk by and don’t have any idea that I am here. They see a fence and think nothing of it, but

you know. Just reach up and give the cap a twist. Lots of geocachers use this trick in their hides.

Page 22: Geo caching

I smile when Muggles walk by and don’t notice my hiding spot. Muggles, the people who are out walking their dog or getting some exercise and just don’t know about this

game of hide and seek.

Page 23: Geo caching

Ha. I am here. Hidden. I have my thinking cap on. Do you?

Page 24: Geo caching

A rock? Really? Come on? Who would put a rock on top of a pole?

Page 25: Geo caching

I mean, think about it. This isn’t natural. Rocks don’t roll down a hill and bounce-bounce-bounce, then spring onto the top of a pole. There should be a round metal cap up

there.

Page 26: Geo caching

A rock? Ha! It is soooooo obvious. Any experienced geocacher would know this hide right off the bat. No

confusion. No frustration. Just easy finding, signing, and moving on to the next hidden cache.

Page 27: Geo caching

I am heeeeerrrrreeeee. Can you see me? Ignore the field full of weeds. You don’t need to go in there. I am

not there. I am down here, in the back.

Page 28: Geo caching

Your GPS led you to this electrical box. High voltage inside. Green. And me? Green. Round. Magnetic.

Page 29: Geo caching

Unattach me and pry off my lid. Sign the log. Ignore the cars as they drive by. Their drivers don’t care what you

are doing.

Page 30: Geo caching

Look like you belong here, a city worker just doing your job. Put your cell phone to your ear and pretend that you

are talking to your boss. Carry a clipboard or notebook and write on it as you search.

Page 31: Geo caching

Make it look official and no one will bother you.

Page 32: Geo caching

Guess where I am. Here is a clue: I am not magnetic.

Page 33: Geo caching

That rules out the metal fence. So, where am I? Where could I be?

Page 34: Geo caching

Look around, but be aware that if you are doing this during the week then this business will be active and workers inside may wonder what you are doing. They might come up to you and ask. What would you say?

Page 35: Geo caching

Would you tell them a lie? Would you walk away scared, worried that you might be arrested for trespassing?

Page 36: Geo caching

Relax. Tell them about this game. Show them your GPS or smart phone app. Invite them to help you find the

cache. Always smile and be ready to share the joy of the discovery in the game.

Page 37: Geo caching

And remember, some caches are best sought during the weekend or after hours. Okay, where am I?

Page 38: Geo caching

Ha! The geocacher who placed me here was quite ingenious. They did an incredible job of hiding me. I look

so real, yet I am not. I am fake.

Page 39: Geo caching

A thousand people a day drive by and never notice me. I love this game. Come and find me. I eagerly await your smile when you touch the little button on your phone’s

screen that says Found.

Page 40: Geo caching

Click. Add a comment about how cute I am, please. Clickity-click-click. And tell your friends about me.

Page 41: Geo caching

I am hiiidddiiinnnggg. Come find me. Step-step-step. I can hear you.

Page 42: Geo caching

You climb up the stairs and wonder where they lead. Nowhere. Except to me.

Page 43: Geo caching

Am I magnetic, tucked into the lower end of the hand rail, or am I at the top?

Page 44: Geo caching

Am I behind that concrete wall or in the tall grass?

Page 45: Geo caching

Am I in the bushes to the side or up the hill?

Page 46: Geo caching

Am I sitting under a rock or tucked beside a bush?

Page 47: Geo caching

How will you know? Well, you gotta come and find me. I am here. Waiting. Hidden.

Page 48: Geo caching

Where am I?

Page 49: Geo caching

Maybe I am magnetic, attached to the back of that electrical box.

Page 50: Geo caching

Or, maybe I am just on the other side of that cinderblock wall, covered with rocks.

Page 51: Geo caching

If you don’t find me there, then maybe I am up the hill. You might find me at the fence on top, or nestled against

the trunk of a tree, or handing from a branch.

Page 52: Geo caching

Many have found me so you can too, old and young, fat and skinny, solo-trekkers and families. They didn’t have

anything special, no scent-trained canine, no super-sleuth nephew detective.

Page 53: Geo caching

They just used their Geo-sense, that ability to find a geocache based on experience and predictability.

Page 54: Geo caching

Climb the hill and come look for me. Ignore the landscaper across the street and the cars as they drive by.

You just might find me before you get too nervous and scuttle back to your truck and drive away.

Page 55: Geo caching

You. Can’t. See. Me.

Page 56: Geo caching

Where am I? Am I in the corner? Am I on the roof? Am I in the handle? Am I behind the well? Where am I?

Page 57: Geo caching

Here is a clue: Make a wish.

Page 58: Geo caching

Ha, you got it now. Grab me, open me, sign my log, and leave me for someone else to discover.

Page 59: Geo caching

Maybe, if you wish, leave a coin. Others have. It is tradition. Have you made a wish lately?

Page 60: Geo caching

I won’t be easy. I take work. Maybe a tool will be necessary. Maybe dexterity and flexibility. Come and get

me. I am waiting.

Page 61: Geo caching

You look into a nearby bush, hoping to find me there. I am not. That is too easy.

Page 62: Geo caching

You walk onto the bridge and look down into the dry creek bed, hoping to see a cache among the rocks and bushes. Are you kidding? How long would I last down

there?

Page 63: Geo caching

Seasonal rain would send me far away from here. I am not a boat.

Page 64: Geo caching

See the bridge? I am a part of it. That is right. Do you hope to find me on the ends? Or on a rail? How about

underneath? What if I were hiding there?

Page 65: Geo caching

Could you get me? Are you strong enough, clever enough? Come on. This is a challenge.

Page 66: Geo caching

The local dogs have sighted you and they won’t shut up. Bark-barkity-bark.

Page 67: Geo caching

You climb up the hill, closer, closer, yet they keep up their racket. I can hear them. I hear them every time

someone ventures up this hill to find me.

Page 68: Geo caching

It doesn’t bother me, but I can see that it bothers you. You are worried that you will be noticed. Relax. Be calm.

Focus on finding me.

Page 69: Geo caching

I am here. I am magnetic. I should be easy.

Page 70: Geo caching

Stop looking toward the dogs. They are just bored. Focus. Find me.

Page 71: Geo caching

No, I am not over there. Come back.

Page 72: Geo caching

Are you going to look and look, and then return to each spot again just in case you missed it? Can’t you see me? I am over here. Duh! Take a few steps back and look at

the terrain.

Page 73: Geo caching

Nice to see you. Fortunately, this lot is empty today. It is Saturday. Those who work here are somewhere else.

Take your time. I am here.

Page 74: Geo caching

I see you looking at the sign. Am I behind it or on top? Take a look.

Page 75: Geo caching

Maybe I am in the tree? Can you climb?

Page 76: Geo caching

Or, I could be inside the water maintenance access in the ground. Watch out for black widows, ants, and wasps.

Page 77: Geo caching

Maybe I am attached to the side of this light post.

Page 78: Geo caching

Do you see that square metal at the base of the light pole? Try sliding it upward. Be aware, metal on metal

makes a loud and annoying screeching sound. You might invite attention. You also just might find me.

Page 79: Geo caching

Hee-hee. Have fun.

Page 80: Geo caching

A rock pile? OMG! There are thousands of rocks. I could be anywhere.

Page 81: Geo caching

Maybe a geocacher placed me in a nice little spot that is easy to see.

Page 82: Geo caching

Maybe rocks slid and moved with time and rain, and now I am not so easy to see.

Page 83: Geo caching

Maybe I am under a little pile of rocks.

Page 84: Geo caching

Maybe I am under one rock, small enough to lift, yet big enough to conceal my identity.

Page 85: Geo caching

Maybe I am lodged inside of a drilled hole, right there in front of you, but camouflaged, painted the same color as

the gray rocks.

Page 86: Geo caching

Good luck. Don’t give up. Spend some time looking for me. I often am disappointed when geocachers walk

away, giving up without really trying.

Page 87: Geo caching

Try. Change your perspective. Get close. Bend over. Then step back. Scan the area. Move around. Climb up. Climb down. Find me, please. I want to be found. That is

my purpose.

Page 88: Geo caching

I am here.

Page 89: Geo caching

Try the obvious places first, the easy ones. Then, try the harder ones.

Page 90: Geo caching

Climb up on the rocks. Look behind the boulders. Maybe I am there. Or maybe I am in the fence post. Be careful.

Page 91: Geo caching

Watch out for snakes and lizards too. This is their home as much as it is mine. They visit me occasionally, so

watch your step.

Page 92: Geo caching

Be careful. Use caution when climbing down this hill. Geocaching is fun, but I really don’t want to see you

injure yourself. This game is a treasure hunt, not a trip to the hospital.

Page 93: Geo caching

Don’t stand up there on the trail expecting to see me. Come down here and look around. Get a different perspective. You will find me. I am obvious. Bright

green.

Page 94: Geo caching

I could be hidden on a branch of one of those trees, but I am not there.

Page 95: Geo caching

I should be brown, like the dirt and rocks. Do you see me now?

Page 96: Geo caching

Are you starting to understand that geocachers follow patterns too?

Page 97: Geo caching

If you are on a trail and find one cache in a fence post, well, you are going to find others too.

Page 98: Geo caching

If you find little rock piles for one, expect to find more.

Page 99: Geo caching

And, if you find one cache tucked inside a square-drilled nook, then expect to find more.

Page 100: Geo caching

Geocaching. It is a game. Learn it. Enjoy it. Share your joy with others.

Page 101: Geo caching

Heeellloooooooo. Can you hear me? Can you see me? Hee-hee.

Page 102: Geo caching

I notice that you looked up when you arrived at this Geo-zone. Do you expect to find me in one of those fence

posts, up there? They are eight feet tall.

Page 103: Geo caching

Oh, now you are looking for rock piles around the base of each pole. No luck?

Page 104: Geo caching

Well, maybe I am under that slide, back there. No? You can’t find me? Well, I am here. Guess where? Hmmmm.

Have you figured it out yet?

Page 105: Geo caching

There is another place you haven’t explored. I am there. Here. Hee-hee. Heeellloooooooo.

Page 106: Geo caching

Ah, another seeker. I see you. Your feet make their way to me. Step, step, step. Then you stop and look. I am

here. Can you find me.

Page 107: Geo caching

I notice that you are carrying a notebook and a pen. Are you pretending to be an inspector? A worker? Ha, well, it is working. You look official. Now, if you can just find

me. It should be easy.

Page 108: Geo caching

I will give you ten seconds. That is all it should take. One. Two. Three. No, I am not over there. Four. Five. Not

inside there. Duh! Six. Seven. Eight. Hey, can’t you see me. You are squatting, looking up. Nine.

Page 109: Geo caching

Congratulations! You found me. Good job. Sign the log and get out of here before someone comes out of the

store and starts asking you questions, Mr. Inspector Guy.

Page 110: Geo caching

I know. I see him, the guy in the truck, sitting there, twenty feet away. Ignore him. Act like you know what

you are doing.

Page 111: Geo caching

Whoa! You found me, in what, two seconds. You are pretty good. How did you know I was here? Oh,

experience.

Page 112: Geo caching

Well, I have been here for a few years and no city worker has found me yet. You did, quickly. But, can you get me

out? I am wedged in here.

Page 113: Geo caching

Nice, you are using a stick to pry me out. That will work. I have pretty strong magnets that hold me firm.

Page 114: Geo caching

Hey, that tickles. Stop that.

Page 115: Geo caching

Park wherever you want. No one will care. Sure, cars pass every twenty seconds or so, but they are on their way somewhere. They don’t really care what you are

doing here. I do. I want to be found.

Page 116: Geo caching

Can you guess where I am? I could be under a rock, or behind the reflector, or in the handle, or attached to a

hole, or in the hinge, or under the outer casing.

Page 117: Geo caching

Where do you think I am?

Page 118: Geo caching

If you were the guy hiding this geocache, then where would you hide me? That is the secret to finding caches.

Ask yourself that question, and then go look there.

Page 119: Geo caching

I am soooooo obvious. Easy to find. Geocachers always find me. No one marks me DNF. Did Not Find. I am easy,

another cache to add to the numbers.

Page 120: Geo caching

Yet I wonder about all those people who drive by and never realize that I am here, just on the other side of the

guardrail.

Page 121: Geo caching

I sit, waiting, days at a time, weeks, with thousands of cars zooming by, yet they don’t even know that I am here.

They are oblivious to my existence.

Page 122: Geo caching

I smile, because that is a good thing. Geocachers, lots and lots. Muggles, zero.

Page 123: Geo caching

Just hanging around.

Page 124: Geo caching

That is me, easy to see when you are up close, but not so easy from the trail.

Page 125: Geo caching

Yesterday, dozens of walkers strolled right on by me, eyes downcast at the dirt while talking to a friend, getting their exercise but unaware that I hang here just a few

feet away.

Page 126: Geo caching

I shrug it off because I don’t mind not being noticed by them. It is your attention that I want to get. You, the

geocacher.

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I am not hidden too well. I am easy to see.

Page 128: Geo caching

B. I. G.

Page 129: Geo caching

Green among a lot of brown trunks.

Page 130: Geo caching

But only geocachers know that I am here. I am off the trail, about fifty steps.

Page 131: Geo caching

I wonder about the people in the houses below and whether they ever look up here and see me? Do they notice the seekers and wonder what they are doing on

this hill?

Page 132: Geo caching

I don’t know, but that is not my problem. I focus on standing upright when the winds blow. I try not to roll down the hill when the rain comes.

Page 133: Geo caching

I wait, for you.

Page 134: Geo caching

You see me, but you don’t really see me. I am naturally camouflaged.

Page 135: Geo caching

Think peanut butter plastic jar. Yep, that is what I used to be.

Page 136: Geo caching

Now, I hold little items for trade, and a pen, and a log. You won’t find Peter Pan on my outside. Or Jiffy. There is no smooth or crunchy label to let you know my contents.

Page 137: Geo caching

I have a new coat, rough, but appropriate for the environment, one that isn’t designed to keep me warm or dry, but to make me feel at home next to this tree.

Page 138: Geo caching

Can you see me?

Page 139: Geo caching

Don’t go barking up the wrong tree in your pursuit. Hee-hee. Me-so-punny.

Page 140: Geo caching

Okay. You have arrived. Don’t move. Just look. Where am I? It should be obvious. Look for a non-natural thing.

Page 141: Geo caching

Ignore the trash, for the wind blew that here.

Page 142: Geo caching

Ignore the carnage on the other side of the fence, for I am not over there.

Page 143: Geo caching

Rocks don’t magically pile themselves up in one spot. Someone must have piled them there to hide something.

Hmmmm. I wonder what that something could be.

Page 144: Geo caching

Yes, sometimes, it is that easy.

Page 145: Geo caching

We are the caches that you seek. Some of us are made of plastic and others are of metal. Some are green, some

are black, and others are transparent.

Page 146: Geo caching

We are the most common sizes that you will find, small.

Page 147: Geo caching

We can be found next to a road or beside a trail or against a fence.

Page 148: Geo caching

Often our tops are twist-on.

Page 149: Geo caching

If you find us, be sure you leave us as you found us, hidden and sealed.

Page 150: Geo caching

If you place us down sideways, then we might soak up the rainwater and ruin the log inside.

Page 151: Geo caching

Finding us is your goal, but leaving us safe and hidden is courteous for the next geocacher.

Page 152: Geo caching

Some geocachers use glue to attach magnets to us.

Page 153: Geo caching

You will find us on light poles and electrical boxes all over your city, especially in the warehouse district.

Page 154: Geo caching

Other geocachers buy cookie tins at WalMart or the Dollar Store.

Page 155: Geo caching

We can be hidden almost anywhere, as long as you provide us a little help, a rock, a branch, something.

Page 156: Geo caching

Some geocachers buy large containers and hide us along trails, ones for walkers or bikes, horses or jeeps.

Page 157: Geo caching

Look for us under bushes and trees, resting beneath boughs or branches. We are there.

Page 158: Geo caching

And we often hold SWAG, stuff we all get, loot or booty, tradables. Bring something with you to trade, something

that says you.

Page 159: Geo caching

Other geocachers hide us in places you might not expect, like a drain. They travel with supplies, string and tape,

and leave us hanging.

Page 160: Geo caching

It is okay. We don’t mind being hung out to dry, even in a storm drain. In fact, we like it.

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And sometimes you can find more than what you bargained for, as you see something that looks alive, at first noticing the eyes, then the head, then the body, and before your

brain can identify the mass as a harmless stuffed animal…

Page 170: Geo caching

You. See. A. Lion.

Page 171: Geo caching

Your heart races as adrenaline is pumped into the bloodstream. There is no fight or flight. There is only

flight.

Page 172: Geo caching

And, later, when logging this find on your GPS or smart phone, you notice the title of the cache and smile. Very

clever.

Page 173: Geo caching

TFTC. Thanks For The Cache.

Page 174: Geo caching

TFTH. Thanks For The Hide.

Page 175: Geo caching

TNLN. Took Nothing, Left Nothing.

Page 176: Geo caching

And on to the next cache you go, a smile on your face and happiness in your step. You are a geocacher.

Page 177: Geo caching

the END

Page 178: Geo caching

or is it?