The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
When most people think of how to enjoy the recreational opportunities in the northern bush areas, they envision such activities as boating, fishing, hiking or even hunting. Now, in this ever increasing age of technology, you can add something else to your list. Geocaching. Geocaching is an activity that combines technology, a desire to get out into the bush, and plain obsessiveness. That's right, people can become "obsessed" with Geocaching, according to area resident Lannie Bosman. Lannie is part of the growing number of people in the local area who, using their Global Position System (GPS) devices, have joined in the fun of searching for hidden 'caches'. Hence the name Geocaching. People can either hide a cache and then announce it on the special website for game participants, or they can go to the website to find where caches have already been hidden. A typical cache is usually a watertight, transparent Tupperware container filled with items. The idea, is for a person with a GPS to find the cache, take something from it, leave something behind, and then sign the logbook. Lannie mentioned how, on a trip to Thompson, she hid something along the way and it was discovered by a person from Winnipeg. In the immediate area, she knows of hidden sites called Mechanical Special, Fox's Rest Stop, High Point and Old Post. Each of these sites have their own themes, regarding what is stashed in the cache. According to the geocaching.com website, thousands of people in over 200 countries have been bitten by the Geocaching bug, which can be described as an elaborate scavenger hunt. The website states that the first 'posting' of a Geocach took place in 2000 within days after the United States government officially removed 'selective availability' from its Global Positioning System satellites. This meant that civilian GPS units could now be much more accurate than they have previously had been. "Within days a GPS enthusiasts hid a container in the backcountry of Oregon, posted the coordinates on the Internet and told others to 'go find it'. The phenomenon of Geocaching sprang from this one simple posting!" states the geocaching.com information page. The brochure goes on to describe some variations of this very modern game: Micro-Caches These are small caches often hidden in 35mm film canisters, usually just a log-sheet. Very often these are hidden in urban settings with the challenge being finding them without being noticed. Multi-Caches This is a cache in which the finder must follow a set of instructions and go to several locations before finally finding the cache container. This is a great way to offer a guided tour of an area. Offset Caches This is where the posted coordinates take you to a location where you must continue by using a compass and map (and your wits) to find the final cache container. Event Caches A meeting is held where several Geocachers get together for a day of fun. These are usually held in parks or other public areas. Anyone in the local area with a GPS and a passion for searching, should check out geocaching.com to see what is posted in this region. Also, contact Lannie Boshman for more information about what is going on in this region. She can be reached at 472-3907 (home) or 687-1770 (work). Happy hunting.
