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Geocaching Merit Badge

The Plan for Today

What is Geocaching?

Safety

How to Find a Geocache

Mapping: GPS, UTM, Compass

How to Hide a Geocache

Geocaching Terms

CITO

Leave no Trace

Geocaching Game

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What is Geocaching?

“Geocaching is a sport where you use a multi billion

dollar satellite system to locate a rubbermaid

containers in middle of the woods.”

~~ Anonymous

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What is Geocaching?

• Nature meets Technology

– GPS (Global Positioning Device)

– Maps

– Hidden Containers

– Latitude/Longitude

– Friends and Family Time

– geocaching.com

– Adventures

– Slideshow: geocachinpictures.ppt

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History of Geocaching

• GPS was developed by the US Dept of Defense

• May 1st, 2000 the Government made these GPS

signals available to the public

– Removing “Selective Availability”

• On May 3rd, Dave Ulmer hid a 5 gallon pail out in

woods in Oregon

– Called “The Great American Stash Hunt”

• The first finder, Jeremy Irish, created

geocaching.com to document geocaches

• Today over 1 Million are hidden around the world

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Global Positioning System (GPS)

• What does a GPS Do?

– Tells you where to go

– Tracks where you have been

– Stores maps: topo, trails, street

– Stores coordinates (waypoints, points of interest)

– Communicates with Satellites out in space

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How does it work?

• Three Segments

– Space

• 24-30 satellites orbit around the earth at an altitude of about 12,550

miles

• Transmits position, orbit and location, and altitude

– Control

• Satellites are tracked by US Air Force Monitoring Stations scattered

throughout the US.

• Ground stations will send navigation updates to the satellites

– User

• GPS

• Uses data from satellites to calculate user’s position, altitude and

other data

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How does it work?

• To sum it all up:

– The GPS uses the time it receives the signal from the satellites

to determine location and altitude

– The GPS only needs to receive data from 4 satellites to

determine location. The more received, the better the accuracy

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Interference and Accuracy

• Interference: Factors that prevent GPS from receiving information from satellites – Weather

– Buildings

– Trees

– Canyons

• Takes longer for GPS to receive satellite signal

• No GPS is 100% Accurate

• Most GPS units will get you within 20 feet of a Geocache – Use “Geosense” when hunting for a cache

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How to use a GPS

• Get to know your GPS before you head out

– Where is the Enter button, move up or down, zoom in or out, find

the menu, turn on backlight

• How to switch between the map and the compass

• Check battery levels

• “Mark” a Waypoint

– A waypoint is a location entered in your GPS

• “Find” a waypoint (location) or point of interest

• Edit/Change coordinates

• The Compass

– The arrow will not move until you begin to move

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GPSr

Demonstration

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GPS Safety

How to NOT get lost or run into barriers:

• GPS “where to crow flies”

– Always look at a map of area first to determine your best route

– Obstacles: rivers, streams, swamps, cliffs

• Always carry extra batteries

• Mark your car or trailhead

• Have map and compass

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Map and Compass

• Why should you bring a Map and Compass with

you?

– GPS batteries go dead

– Satellite signal is not good

– Accidently enter in the wrong coordinates

TIME FOR QUESTIONS….

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How to Determine Coordinates

• The globe is comprised of vertical and horizontal

lines called: Latitude and Longitude

• Latitude (parallels)

– Horizontal lines around the globe

– North to South position between the poles

– North Pole is 90 degrees north

– South Pole is 90 degrees south

• Longitude (meridians)

– Vertical lines around the globe

– East to West

– 0 degrees = Prime Meridian and goes through Greenwich

England.

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Latitude and Longitude

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Latitude and Longitude

• Each degree is divided into 60 minutes

• Each minute of latitude and longitude = 60 seconds

• Format used for Coordinates:

– Degrees, Minutes, Seconds

– Coordinates at Baldy Mountain at Philmont are

• N 360 37’ 45’’ W 1050 12’ 48’’

• Geocaching.com and most GPS uses different

format: Degrees and Decimal Minutes

– Coordinates above would read:

• N 36 37.750 W 105 12.800

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Universal Transverse Mercator

(UTM)

• Rectangular grid-based map overlay

• Divides Earth into 60 zones

– Each zone = 6 degrees of latitude

• 20 Latitude bands, each 8 degrees high

– Each band is lettered from C to X (no I or O)

– Ends at 84o N Latitude

• “Easting” – measured from central meridian

• “Northing” – measured from the equator

• Always read coordinates East and then North

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UTM

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UTM

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UTM Excercise

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Questions or Break…..

Types of Geocaches

• Traditional

• Multi-Cache

• Puzzle

• Virtual

• Earthcache

• Event

• Letterbox

• Wherigo

• Webcam

• Benchmarking

• Waymarking

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Geocache Sizes

• Micro

– Nano, film containers, magnetic key holder

– Typically only a logbook

• Small

– Sandwich size lock-n-lock, decon containers, small peanut butter

container

– Can fit logbook, pencil and small trade items

• Regular

– Ammo can, large lock-n-lock, think “shoebox size”

• Large

– 5 gallon pail, big wooden box

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Terrain and Difficulty

• Terrain Rating: 1-5 stars

– Steep terrain, water, cliffs

– Paved trail

– 1 star would be wheelchair accessible

– 5 star may require special equipment

• Difficulty Rating: 1-5 stars

– Nano up in a pine tree (5)

– 50 gallon garbage can (1)

– 1 star would be super easy, 5 star is evil

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Attributes

• What to expect at cache location

• Is parking available? Can you bring your dog?

• Do you need special equipment (boat, scuba gear)

• How long will it take? Is cache available at night?

• Kid Friendly?

• Stealth Required?

• Do I need to watch out for ticks or poisonous plants?

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Internet Safety

• Obtain parent permission and follow the rules

• Never give out your email, phone number or other

personal information

• Never open e-mail or files if you don’t know who sent

it

• Tell a parent if you see or receive anything that

makes you feel uncomfortable

• Never agree to meet with anybody you meet online

• Don’t share passwords

• Don’t believe everything you read online

• Obey the laws

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Getting Started

• Step 1: Research

• Step 2: Safety

• Step 3: The Hunt

• Step 4: The Actual Find

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Step 1: Research

• Sign up for free account on Geocaching.com

• Click “Hide and Seek a Cache”, enter a zip code

• Select the Geocache you want to find

– Pay attention to distance, difficulty, terrain, type and size

• Enter coordinates in your GPS device

• Look at map of area to determine your best approach

– In the city, use a city map

– In rural areas, use a topographic map

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Preparing to Geocache

What to take with you

– GPS

– Extra batteries

– Cache page

– Water

– A buddy

– Trinkets to trade with

– Pen/Pencil

– Bug Spray

– CITO bag

– Sense of Adventure

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Step 2: Safety

• Bring a buddy

• Tell someone where you are going and when you

expect to be back

• Carry a compass, whistle and first aid kit

• Dress for weather and terrain

• Be aware of your surroundings

• If it’s hunting season, wear blaze orange

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Step 3: The Hunt

• Mark your car and/or trailhead

• Stay on the trail

• Watch your Footing

• Use your GPS compass to lead you towards the

cache

• Slow down when you get to about 300 feet

• Once you get to about 30 feet, start your search

– Sometimes it helps to just put the GPS away and use your

“geosense”

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Step 4: The Actual Find

• Once you find it, write about it in logbook

– Use your geocaching name (handle) and date

• Take something, Leave something

• Only take a trackable if you intend on moving it

– Trackables are Geocoins, Travel Bugs and tracked on

Geocaching.com

• Put Geocache back, better than how you found it

– Many times, geocaches “move” or camo disappears

– Make sure lid is on tight

• Log it on Geocaching.com and share your

experience.

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Hazards

• Poisonous plants

• Sunburn

• Heatstroke

• Hypothermia

• Woodticks

• Mosquitoes

• Holes in the ground

• Uneven terrain

• Disorientation

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Hiding a Geocache

• Read the guidelines on Geocaching.com

• Many parks and cities have special rules

• Same steps as finding:

– Step 1: Research

– Step 2: Safety

– Step 3: The Hunt

– Step 4: The Actual Find

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Step 1: Research

• Where would be a good place to hide a

Geocache?

– Geocaches must be .10 miles (528 feet) away from

others.

– Think “Where would I like to FIND a Geocache?”

• Hide Geocache where there will be minimal

risk to the environment

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Step 2: Safety

• Geocaches must be safe to get to

• If on private property, obtain permission

• Geocaches are not allowed near railroads,

bridges, school property or military bases

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Step 3: The Hunt

• Make sure coordinates are accurate

• Supply a hint

• Write “Geocache” on outside of container

• You want to be sure Geocachers can find

your hide

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Step 4: The Actual Find

• Be sure to use a watertight container

– Lock N Locks

– Ammo Cans

– Decon containers

– Do not use: “gladware”, they do not hold up to Minnesota

winters

• Put a “Cache Note” in the geocache

– This can be printed off Geocaching.com

• Put logbook in a plastic baggie

– Leave the pencil out, they tend to poke holes in the baggie

• Load the cache up with swag

– Do not put in food, fireworks, or other dangerous materials

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Submitting your Geocache

• Go to Geocaching.com

• On “Hide and Seek” page, click on the Online Form

• Complete all information on the form and Submit

• Add Attributes

• Volunteer reviewers will review your listing

– If there are questions, they will email you

– If no questions and all guidelines were followed, they will publish

your new Geocache on Geocaching.com

• Wait for that first Geocacher to log the “FTF” (First to

Find)

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Maintain it!

• When you hide a Geocache, you are obligated to

maintain it

• Read the logs that geocachers will send you

– They will let you know if your Geocache is “wet” or the logbook is

full

– If you get a few “DNF” logs (Did Not Find), you may want to

check to see if the geocache has been “Muggled” (a non-

geocacher may have found it and removed it)

• When you visit the area, make sure environment

around isn’t being damaged in anyway

• If you can no longer maintain, you need to “archive”

and remove the geocache

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Leave No Trace

• Follow 7 Leave No Trace Principles

1. Plan Ahead and Prepare

• Check weather, be safe, follow land policies, know how to use

GPS

2. Travel and Cache on durable surfaces

• Stay on the trail, avoid creating new “geotrails”, avoid sensitive

areas

3. Dispose of Waste Properly

• Cache in, Trash Out

4. Leave What you Find

• “see it as it is, leave it as it was”

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Leave No Trace

5. Minimize Campfire Impacts

• Typically doesn’t apply with Geocaching, but know area

regulations

6. Respect Wildlife

• Never leave food in a geocache

• Dogs on a leash

• Observe wildlife from a distance

7. Be Considerate of other Visitors

• Yield to those on a trail

• Avoid loud noises

• Do not trespass

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CITO

• Cache In Trash Out

– Always carry a bag with you to pick up trash on your way out

– CITO Event: Group of geocachers getting together to clean up a

park or other geocaching friendly area

• DIPO

– Dog in Poop Out: make sure you clean up after the dogs

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Make CITO Containers

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Geocaching

Game!!

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Geocachers Creed

When placing or seeking geocaches, I will:

• Not endanger myself or others

• Observe all laws & rules of the area

• Respect property rights and seek permission where

appropriate

• Avoid causing disruptions or public alarm

• Minimize my and others' impact on the environment

• Be considerate of others

• Protect the integrity of the game pieces

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Resources

• www.geoscouting.com

• www.geocaching.com

• www.cacheintrashout.com

• www.mngca.org

• References:

– Geocaching Merit Badge Handbook

– http://geocaching.coollibrarian.com

– http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/factsheets/fs07701.html

– http://www.maptools.com/UsingUTM

– http://www.geocreed.info/index.html

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Contact Information

Melissa Portz, Assistant Scoutmaster

Delano Troop 273

612-590-3453

What to bring with to class

• GPS devices

• UTM mapping materials

• CITO stickers, containers and bags

• Presentation, binder stand, LCD, Laptop

• Geocaching Glossary and Handouts

• Geocaches, Travel Bugs, Geocoins, Pathtags

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