Globally positioned people close in on cache
By Chris Oliver
Advertiser Staff Writer
On a recent afternoon in Honolulu, DeerRidgeBoy ran off to find the King of Diamond, Paxwithlove and DaGeek went home to nap, BPer was diverted to the University of Hawai'i for a meeting, and "grand master" DadWrap headed out to 'Ewa Beach. The group had spent the morning searching a secret Kailua location for a geocache planted by Ceres, a newbie geocacher, and the group was spent. O'ahu's recent torrential rains had transformed a "moderate" trail into a challenging red mudslide.
A few days before, while having lunch at a Honolulu restaurant, 27Jools was discussing a geocache with her lunch partner. Unknown to them, Ceres was sitting at a nearby table, unable to concentrate on his lunch while listening to their conversation. His antennae were up.
Later that week, Ceres had arranged by e-mail to meet Paxwithlove early morning at a secret Honolulu location. Neither had a clue as to who the other was but were determined to join forces and track down an elusive geocache that had frustrated them for months.
Welcome to the curious, clandestine world of geocaching, a game of high-tech hide-and-seek where the cache is the prize but the reward is the hunt. Geocachers close in on a hidden "cache" using a hand-held global positioning system receiver with longitude and latitude readings and information they can access at www.geocaching.com. Cache information can be as simple as a set of GPS coordinates or as cryptic as a code embedded within a puzzle created by the person who plants the cache.
"Geocaching has all the characteristics of a good computer game," wrote Ceres ... "plus fresh air and mud."
O'ahu's globally positioned ones cite exercise, fresh air and a sense of adventure as the sport's big attractions. But let's not overlook the opportunity for a double life as "Jungleman," "Mr. Grubstake," "Red Dragon" or "Windward Willy," all names of O'ahu geocaching enthusiasts who will track a cache into the ground ... literally, and then post their comments at www.geocaching.com.
So, what's the catch, er, cache? Buried bones, election campaign secrets, a full case of Spam, perhaps?
More likely is an old ammo can containing a plastic key ring or a party favor, a notepad and pencil and, if you're really, really lucky, a picture of someone's pooch. A cache in the can, as one player said, is well worth hiding in the bush.
The Advertiser caught up with Paxwithlove, an avid geocacher, while taking a break from the trails by going to work. Paxwithlove lives and works as a health and fitness instructor in Kane'ohe.
So, how long have you been geocaching?
"Less than a year. I go just about every weekend, weather permitting."
Is O'ahu running out of caches?
"No. There's always a geocacher hiding another cache on the hiking trails. Every time I surf into www.geocaching.com there is a new cache hidden somewhere on O'ahu."
What do you like most?
"Besides the exercise, the best thing for me is being able to see the beautiful side of O'ahu. There are lush forests, awesome waterfalls, hidden valleys and unique historical sites."
What is the best cache you've found on O'ahu and why?
"Hmm. I have lots of favorite caches that I found, I enjoy all of them because most of the caches take me to places I would not have known to exist. There are puzzles and mysteries to solve before going on the treasure hunt. I seek adventure."
Does your spouse come along?
"My husband is 'Jungleman,' and he used to be kind of reluctant. I had to yank him away from football, baseball and basketball games on the tube to go geocaching but after finding his first cache he was smitten."
What would you say to anyone thinking about it?
"Go for it. Get a GPS (Global Positioning System) and go find the treasure. You meet great people. It's such good exercise for the body, mind and soul ... and most of all, it's fun."
