Geocaching: A Modern-Day Treasure Hunt
CHICAGO (CBS) ― If you're looking for something to do this weekend, CBS 2's Don Schwenneker has an activity you can do with the whole family.
You can think of it as a modern-day hunt for treasure, but not the kind of treasure you might assume. It's not for cash. It's for a Geocache.
It all began with satellites above the earth. Using a GPS, they can tell you where you are within a few feet.
A few years back, someone took that technology and started hiding things to find throughout the world and posting those so-called treasure coordinates on the Internet. Now, anyone can search for these Geocaches.
A GPS system was once required to participate in a Geocache hunt. But now, your cell phones know where you are too.
With Geocaching, it's not always about the treasure; many times, it's just a piece of paper to sign. It's more about the hunt.
The caches can be all shapes and sizes, and difficulty also plays a factor. Some are easy to find and some can be more difficult. Don found one is cleverly disguised in a pipe.
And upon finding a Geocache, not only do you sign the registry, but you can leave a token behind to show you've been there or take one to leave at another cache.
And all the time you are finding one, you're watching for Muggles. Those are folks who aren't playing the geocaching game.
The one rule everyone should to follow – keep the caches on public property.
