On this date: the first geocache
BEAVERCREEK, Oregon (WHTM) – First, there was orienteering and letterboxing.
Orienteering involves following a course, finding waymarks called “control points” using just a map and compass. It can be anything from a casual stroll on level ground to a timed race on rough terrain.
Letterboxing is similar, but instead of control points, you look for hidden boxes using clues written by the person who hid it. (Clues may or may not include map and compass directions.)
Everything you need to get started letterboxing
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Then, in the 1990s, Global Positioning by Satellite (GPS) became a thing. On May 2, 2000, military restrictions on GPS (selective availability) were removed, making GPS far more accurate for public use.
On this date: Precision GPS for everybody!
On May, 3 a computer consultant in Oregon, Dave Ulmer, decided to test how accurate GPS had become. He hid a container in woods near his house, then posted the location on a website: 45°17.460′N, 122°24.800′W. Within a few days, the container had been found, and geocaching was born.
Geocaching combined elements of orienteering and letterboxing, with a little something extra. Part of Ulmer’s instructions was “Take some stuff, leave some stuff,” adding a treasure-hunt element to the new hobby. (In fact, before it was geocaching, it was known as “the Great American GPS Stash Hunt.”) Geocache boxes contain a logbook to sign (using your geocaching name). Some, but not all, boxes contain trinkets for those finding the box. (The take some stuff, leave some stuff caveat still applies.)
On this date: the first GPS signal
Geocaching has become more organized over the years. At first people would post geocache components anyoldwhere – web sites, message boards, or online forums. By the late 2000s, geocaching-specific websites were coming online, giving players centralized locations to share information.
Today geocaching is enjoyed around the world, and there are more than three million geocaches out there to find. And it all started with one guy who wanted to see how accurate GPS really was.
For more information about geocaching, visit geocaching.com or geocacheadventures.com .
What is geocaching, and how does it work?
Outdoor activities for the whole family
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