Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 623.89
EAN: 9781592572359
ISBN: 1592572359
Label: Alpha
Languages: Array
Manufacturer: Alpha
MPN: geo711901
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 336
Publication Date: 2004-06-01
Publisher: Alpha
Release Date: 2004-06-01
Studio: Alpha

There are treasures to be found...

They're hidden in city and state parks, outside of nearby buildings, alongside hiking trails and exercise routes, and even in local neighborhoods. This is geocaching, an adventure-based game involving intentionally hidden treasures, i.e. caches, and a standard handheld global positioning system (GPS) unit. The idea behind geocaching is for people to set up caches all over the world, and to then share the GPS coordinates of the caches via the Internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches, and once found, a cache usually provides its visitor with a wide variety of rewards available for the taking. Authored by a renowned expert on GPS usage and the editors of Geocaching.com, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching is a comprehensive yet easy to understand guide for getting started and having fun with geocaching. AUTHORBIO: Jack W. Peters, a nationally recognized leader in GPS navigation training, has been an active participant and promoter of geocaching since its inception. Certified by the state of Oregon as a search and rescue officer, Jack is the co-founder and manager of an off-road vehicle search and rescue team for the Lane County Sheriff's Office known as the Special Vehicles Group, publisher of GPS Navigator Magazine.com, and the author of The GPS Navigation Guide and the soon-to-be published Off-Road Field Guide.

The Staff and Editors of Geocaching.com have been involved with geocaching since its inception, and are widely recognized as pioneers and custodians of this rapidly growing adventure-based activity.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great little start up book & a MUST Read!
Comment: Well written and gave me most info that was easy to follow. If you are starting out and want to have an educated start. Buy this book.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: New to geocaching
Comment: I bought the book knowing nothing about geocaching. It covered everything I needed to know to get started and was very helpful in finding what to look for in a GPS unit. The book is packed with information and will be useful as a reference in the future.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: New to the Geocaching? This is for you.
Comment: Comprehensive and easy to understand. This book will make your initial foray into geocaching a lot easier or will provide interesting insights for those who are more experienced at the sport. But mostly for the novice.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Geocaching 101
Comment: Geocaching 101

Arrggh, I'm tired of dragging my butt out of bed at 5:30AM, rushing to a thankless job, and punching a time clock. I want to sleep in, have exotic fruit for breakfast and wash it all down with rum. After lounging in my hammock, I'll head out with my crew, capture a ship, and finish in time to enjoy one of those cool, tropical drinks with the little umbrella. What other job can you hang around a boat all day with guns and booze, and make tons of money? I mean, other than war profiteering, or politics. I want to be a modern day pirate.

There are those who scour the globe today in search of treasure, using only a compass as their guide, in a hunt where X no longer marks the spot, but it seems they prefer the term Geocacher. Geocaching is a modern day treasure hunt in which participants search for hidden caches using coordinates and a GPS device. The caches can range from small to large, and the treasure found inside isn't in the form of doubloons or pieces of eight, but small trinkets like baseball cards, Matchbox cars, or prizes like gift certificates, event tickets, or even cash.

Geocaching combines "geo" for geography and "cache," a term used for both hidden provisions and in a more modern sense, data stored on a computer. Combine them and you have one of the newest and hottest outdoor activities around. Hey, how do you legally tap into an outdoor game that has a government budget of more than half a billion dollars? No, what your uncle is doing with that cable box and a coat hanger to get WrestleMania(tm) isn't legal.

The goal of geocaching is to locate hidden treasure from latitude/longitude coordinates found on websites such as Geocaching.com or handed out in passbooks at geocaching events like the one upcoming in Wellsboro on May 16th, 17th, and18th. While most caches are a hidden watertight box, this event sponsored by the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce* is set up with "Virtual Caches." It's the destination, not the booty, that's of interest, bringing you to historic sites, beautiful vistas, and a wonderful view of nature. Nothing is traded except photos and the experience. Each of the caches can be driven to, with some requiring only a brief walk.

I talked to Charlie Messina, the driving force behind Wellsboro's new event. Charlie began geocaching in 2003 as part of a Boy Scout camp program. He developed and ran orienteering events** and felt that geocaching would allow a new program to be added with minimal expense. "The program was a huge success, and added a new level of enjoyment as we searched for hidden caches and found great outdoor locations we would never have found. In basic terms geocaching is a high-tech hide & seek. Anyone with a GPS unit and a basic understanding of how to use it can enjoy an outdoors adventure. It is great fun for the entire family"

If you've recently received a GPS unit, and you've been wondering what to do with it, check out The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching by Jack W. Peters. The book is comprehensive. It covers what geocaching is (sport, hobby, excuse to go outdoors and play with electronics), what you need to have, what you need to bring, and techniques for geocaching. It covers a good bit more than the basics with tips on how to get more accurate measurements from your GPS unit, search techniques like the cloverleaf and triangulation, and how to speak the lingo.

If you are looking for adventure, a fun family activity, or just another way to appreciate and explore Tioga County, grab your GPS, a compass, some trail mix, and remember not to spend too much time staring into the receiver's screen. You'll miss the beauty of the natural surroundings, and you might crash and spill your tropical drink...

*Information on the Geocaching event is available on the chamber's website www.wellsboropa.com . Registration is only $3 and takes place on the Green.

**Orienteering is a competitive form of land navigation. The object of orienteering is to locate control points by using a map and compass to navigate through the woods.
Kevin Coolidge works at From My Shelf Books on Main St. in Wellsboro. Check it out at www.wellsborobookstore.com

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Exactly what we needed
Comment: Excellent book! Lots of information delivered in a very understandable way. If you're a novice to Geocaching and want to quickly get up to speed buy this book.

---