Written by Carrie Martin
In May of 2000, a game began making its way throughout the world and is rapidly becoming a new fad on Harding’s campus: geocaching.
According to www.geocaching.com, geocaching is a “high-tech treasure hunting game” played that can be played by anyone with a global positioning system.
The game is played by registering with the geocaching Web site and picking a set of GPS coordinates, which are given in latitude and longitude. The idea is to follow the coordinates to find hidden objects, usually small waterproof containers, called “caches.” The coordinates do not always mark the exact location of a cache, so hints on what to look for are given on the Web site.
After finding a cache, players often leave their name on a list included in the cache, then log the information they find on the Internet. However, one cannot reveal the location of a site to another individual.
“It’s like a secret; you don’t want to ruin it for anyone else,” said junior Calea Bakke, who recently started geocaching with her friends.
The man behind the geocaches on Harding’s campus is Wayne Westerholm, Deputy Director of Training and Support for Public Safety. Anyone wanting to plant a geocache at Harding must first see him. Sophomore Print Journalism major and geocaching enthusiast Amanda Hourt said she had not found any Harding sites yet, but has found some in the Searcy area.
Westerholm said that Searcy is a “Mecca” for geocaching.
Players can choose their level of difficulty, and excitement, in getting to and finding the specific treasure. Some caches are simple, while others involve strings of multiple caches that lead to a big one.
Not all caches are strictly signed logs, either. Some will contain an item, and the successful geocacher must remove the item and replace it with something for the next seeker to find.
Compared to other activities, geocaching can be extremely time consuming; Bakke said she spent four hours searching for four different caches. However, for individuals who really enjoy the game, the time it takes to search for the site is not a big issue.
“You know you’ll enjoy it if you just make yourself go out and do it,” Hourt said
According to Bakke, geocachers sometimes refer to non-participants as “muggles,” especially when they are searching for caches in a public place. In one instance, she said, onlookers were confused by her group’s search for a cache in a shopping mart parking lot.
“We were looking under things and in things and everywhere, and everyone in the parking lot is just giving us the weirdest look,” Bakke said. “After 10 or 12 minutes we just had to leave, because everyone was very suspicious.”
Though geocaching is not yet understood by everyone, it is something anyone can do, provided they have the right equipment and the right attitude.
“If you have a sense of adventure and want to find places in the world, geocaching can take you there,” Justin Gentry, 27, of Oklahoma City said. “Whether you’re handicapped, 90 years or 5 years old to do it; you can go from climbing mountains to just reaching out of your car window and even having to invest in diving equipment and boats to get to them.”
