GPS Devices and Geocaching
Take your portable GPS on your next vacation anywhere in the world.
Sep 5, 2006
Handheld Global Positioning Systems, or GPS devices, have many uses. A relative got me excited about her portable GPS, and I went with her to buy my own, a Garmin eTrex Legend. She then showed me how to use it for geocaching. The satellite technology allows geocachers to find containers hidden by other geocache hobbyists, throughout the entire world.
The geocaching website allows this hobby to be global as well, as you can download information about hidden geocaches before you travel to another city or country. All over the world, geocachers have hidden small, sealed containers (typically Tupperware, but I've found freezer-size Ziploc bags too), then uploaded the satellite directions and an encoded hint on to the geocaching website. As a geocacher on the prowl, you then can print out the web page, or enter the coordinates into your handheld GPS. Once you find a container, you can make an entry into the log (usually a small memo pad), take a little "treasure," and leave one of your own.
For me, the best thing about using my Garmin eTrex Legend portable GPS device, is that geocaching exposes me to locales I never would have been otherwise. For example, I geocached during a vacation in Maui, and at one point, found myself hiking into the arid, desertlike mid-island area. There, through some difficult terrain, up a rocky outcropping, was a partially hidden Tupperware container. Found it!
But even more interesting; the cliff walls in the area had ancient petroglyphs incised on them, dating back to a time long before the US was known as the US, let alone proclaimed the Hawaiian islands as the 50th state. Finding these Maui Paleolithic carvings was an incredible experience, and one I surely would have missed, had I not brought my portable GPS device along for this trip. Sure, I spent most of the rest of my vacation sipping tropical drinks by the pool, but that is not what I'll most remember. I'll remember the long, challenging hike, referencing my Garmin GPS, climbing up those dry boulders, and the dual discovery of Paleolithic petroglyphs and the geocache container.
So, if you have any plans to take a vacation in Hawaii, I strongly recommend experimenting with a GPS and geocaching. It will take you to parts of the islands you might not have gone otherwise. And if you're in Maui and you find the one near the petroplyphs, look for my name on the sign-in sheet. If the Spongebob Squarepants and Squidward temporary tattoos are still there, you can have them - from me.
World travel doesn't always have to mean staying in upscale resorts, with exposure to other cultures limited to the local cuisine. In fact, I believe a more worthwhile vacation is one that exposes luxury travelers to a variety of different experiences. Following your portable GPS to a geocached location is one way to expand your worldview, and enjoy the fun of discovery at the same time.
Related, on Suite 101:
Garmin GPSMAP 60Cx Product Review
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