Geocaching takes navigational gadget to next game level

Fred Peters has outgrown hide and seek.

An imposing man of more than 6 feet, he can’t hide very well behind a bush, but that doesn’t top him from playing an adult version of the game.

He calls it geocaching.

“Geo” is for geography. A “cache” is a hiding place for supplies for miners and hikers.

It’s pronounced “geo-cashing.” The reward is the thrill of finding a tiny object hidden by someone else.

It could also be compared to a treasure hunt. Instead of using an ancient, tattered map to find the cache, the player relies on a global positioning system unit. Players use location coordinates to find the caches.

Clues may help identify the cache, Fred said. Sometimes, they just confuse the player until he finds it and then it makes sense.

Fred and Vicky Tomlinson invite everyone interested in learning about GPS to attend a free workshop at 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library, 401 E. Cano in Edinburg. They will also talk about how to get involved in geocaching and help those interested in registering online.

Geocaching is an adventure game played all over the world by both children and adults. It has all the components for an entertaining family activity. Parents can be designated drivers while the kids use an electronic gadget to navigate. GPS units start in the price range of $100, the cost of a couple of dinners out for the family.

When the cache is found, there is a small trinket inside the container. Finders are asked to leave something in the container for the next finder. Players record their finds and hides on an Internet site: Geocaching.com.

Fred said the game is educational. He has been playing for almost three years. In that time he has racked up 850 finds in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Georgia. He said there are almost a thousands hides in the Valley, including an Earth cache, which is a natural phenomenon.

He has set Travel Bugs out into the world. This is an object that is similar to the garden gnome that travels and gets his picture taken next to famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower. The Travel Bug has a registration number and its journeys can be tracked on the Internet.

For the time being, set your GPS unit for the public library in Edinburg.

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Nora N. Garza is a County Extension Agent with Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Hidalgo County, a part of the Texas A&M University System. She can be reached at 383-1026.