“Going Green” is the theme for the GCP&T geocaching on Saturday, April 25, in honor of Earth Day, which was Wednesday, April 22. Participants are urged to “cache in and carry out” trash from the parks where the 50 caches will be hidden.
The cost is $10 per person and cache coordinates will be handed out during the 9-11 a.m. registration at the Narrows Reserve Nature Center, 2575 Indian Ripple Road in Beavercreek. The caches, which range in size from an adult fingertip to a five-gallon bucket, will be left out for a week.
Participants, armed with the longitude and latitude coordinates, use anything from high-tech GPS units to cellphone GPS apps to find the caches. The person or team finding the most caches within the week will win a rain barrel valued at $50.
Each cache includes a log sheet, said Ashlee Schmitt, a park naturalist. Many also include small trinkets, such as bookmarks, pins and magnets.
“You are supposed to take something and leave something of equal value … For this earth day geocache, they might even be lucky to find a few caches related to the theme “Going Green” — reusable bags donated from Kroger, seeds and some other fun items,” she said.
“I think this activity is popular because you get to be outside on a hunt … sometimes they take you off path and you just get to explore. Everyone can do this,” she said of the activity that has some people traveling to several cities, states or even countries to participate in geocaching.
Vista (Rich) Richey of Beavercreek got involved in 2003 when he bought his first GPS.
“At first I was just curious about finding caches hidden … then I found it was a good way to get out of the house and get a little exercise,” he said. “Geocaching takes you to places you probably would have never seen had it not been for the geocaching adventure. There are many parks, cemeteries, historical spots and many more places I have visited only because I geocache.”
Participants range from senior citizens, such as Richey, to teenagers like Lexi Grice. The Beavercreek 14-year-old got involved when invited by a friend to go geocaching last summer.
“You get a thrill of adventure,” she said, noting that there is also a feeling of accomplishment when you find a cache. “It is something that I enjoy doing with my friends because we can go out and have fun searching … It’s more than just going to someplace and looking for something. It’s about going somewhere where you may never have been before.”
To find out more about geocaching, check out www.geocaching.com.
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