Georgia Magazine - October 2016 - 27

What is geocaching? 'Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure-hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.' -geocaching.com/guide COURTESY TASHA SIMON 'But besides the exercise and the rejuvenation I find in nature, one of the best things about this hobby is the friends you make. Geocaching is very social.' "There were a handful of caches around Columbus when I started, and there are about 400 now," he says. Touted as a way to get people away from their screens and into the outdoors, many geocaches are hidden in state and city parks and public lands. They're along roadsides, at historic sites and, in urban areas, in local libraries, malls and parking lots. There are caches in national forests, such as Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina, and in resorts, like Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain. "State parks are a great place to get started," Bowden says. "They offer the best of both worlds. You can get out in the wilderness but know that there's a ranger station, restrooms and lodging-cabins, RV and camping sites-at hand. As you grow more comfortable, you can venture to more remote places." Want to see what it's all about? It's easy-and free-to start. Go to geocaching.com and register by choosing a geocaching name and password. Read the rules and learn about different kinds of caches. Type in a location (city, park, state), and the geocaches in that area will come up. Geocaches have names, descriptions and GPS coordinates. They are rated in difficulty and terrain from one star (easiest) to five (most difficult). Start with the easier ones, especially if you're taking children. Many one-star caches are wheelchair-accessible. October 2016 COURTESY PETER BOWDEN -Tasha Simon, at left, natural resources planner for Alabama State Parks Peter Bowden, left, and Lee Brantley went on a 48-state geocaching adventure to celebrate Bowden's 60th birthday. Bowden helped set up Columbus' RiverWalk GeoTour with 31 caches. You'll need a GPS device (about $40 to more than $300), or you can download a geocaching app to your smartphone to navigate to the coordinates listed. It will get you within about 10 to 20 feet. After that, you search. Inside tree stumps and under logs are likely places in the woods. In urban areas, they could be attached to signs or lamp posts, under benches or inside the base of a fountain. Once you find it, open it to see what it contains. If you take something, put something of equal value back in. Sign the log book. Return everything to the container and hide it as you found it. Log your find and More online at www.georgiamagazine.org experience online. Geocaching is a healthy, family-friendly, affordable activity. It's a great way to enhance a visit to a park or historic site. You'll soon discover that many states, cities or geocaching groups offer specific challenges, which you can find online at geocaching.com. Here are some places to explore in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Alabama "We call it 'Alabama the Beautiful' on our parks website, because our state is filled with natural beauty and variety," says Tasha Simon, natural resources planner for Alabama State Parks. The state's parks will take you to the ocean (Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores), waterfalls (DeSoto State Park in Fort Payne), caverns (Cathedral Caverns in Woodville and Rickwood Caverns in Warrior), lakes ( Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville and others), mountain views (Cheaha State Park in Delta) and streams and trails throughout the park system. "Oak Mountain State Park, just south of Birmingham, is our largest park [9,940 acres] and includes trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding," Simon says. "There's camping, fishing, golf, paddle-boating and, of course, geocaching. We have 300 to 350 caches there, (Continued on page 30) 27 http://www.geocaching.com/guide http://www.geocaching.com http://www.geocaching.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - October 2016