Reprinted with Permission from the Bernardsville News
High-tech Scavenger Hunt
By Elizabeth Homan
August 7th, 2009
BERNARDS TWP. - Walking casually through the center of town in Basking Ridge, Karen Trucco palms her hand-hel GPS system as she walks between the WWII plaque and the coordinates that should lead her to the Blue Star Memorial.
A few minutes later she locates two twin poles a hundred feet away. She circles four nearby trees, finds a small camouflaged container and twists it open. Inside is a slightly damp log that she adds her name to before re-hiding the container and returning home.
Trucco, a Basking Ridge resident, is one of many local residents who participate in "Geocaching," a relatively new activity that is growing quickly in the area.
Geocaching, which began in 2000 under the name of the "GPS Stash Hunt," is not a well-known pastime in Somerset County. However, there are so many of the scavenger hunts which make up this activity that locals are likely to pass at least one hidden "cache" every day on the way to school or work without even knowing it.
The items are placed in parks, camouflaged carefully within urban settings, and tucked away into the roots and branches of trees. Anyone can find one; all that is needed is a starting coordinate location and a GPS.
For each hunt, geocachers will go online to find coordinates and sometimes to crack a puzzle in order to locate a nearby cache. Geocaches range in size and content, but the most basic caches are small containers with a piece of paper inside where hunters can write their name to prove they completed the find.
After they have finished, they can return to the website and write a log describing their experiences.
Eco-Friendly Event
In the last few years, the Geocaching online network has promoted a movement called "cache in trash out."
The general idea is that whenever explorers are seeking a geocache, they are to pick up any non-biodegradable waste they find along the way.
"You're hiking along in these beautiful places and you find trash and it's sad to see, so you kind of feel obligated," explained Trucco the secretary of the Northern New Jersey Cachers (NNJC) organization.
In addition, special days are created specifically for geocachers to gather and clean parks and rivers. In this fashion, they create eco-friendly environments while encouraging people to enjoy the local parks and trails.
"It really gives you a reason to hike," Trucco added. "Hiking with a purpose, that's what I call it. If it weren't for Geocaching, I know I wouldn't be doing it."
Another aspect of Geocaching is its ability to attract individuals of all ages and physiques. Many caches are hidden along hiking paths in order to make the "find" a family activity, while others are cleverly concealed around town areas for the hunters who might want to go shopping or stay in work clothes.
Marc Blatchford, head of public relations for NNJC, is a resident of Matawan but has hunted both types of caches within Somerset County. He believes that "the sport is really tailored for everyone, so that everyone can participate and enjoy it."
Popular
Geocaching has grown considerably during the past nine years, and with it, the online community has flourished.
"You meet a group of people that, most likely, you would never have met before," Blatchford said.
Both Blatchford and Trucco attended a July 6 meet and greet at the Fuddruckers on Route 46 in Parsippany that the NNJC holds on the first Monday of every month for local geocachers to discuss their experiences and welcome newcomers.
"None of us ever had anything else in common, other than Geocaching, and that's how most of us met," Blatchford said. "We've actually all become pretty good friends."
Geocaching involves much stealth and mystery, but the coordinates of the hidden caches are not the only well-kept secrets. Caches are often hid at particularly significant sites - if not for their beauty, than for their historic importance - and many of these places are off the beaten track.
"I have gone and seen areas, not just in New Jersey, but all over various parts of the country that, most likely, I would never have gone to," Blatchford said. "Somebody put a cache there to put it to my attention and this may be a worthwhile area to see."
Trucco's husband, Felipe, known in the Geocaching community as "CondorTrax," has set up many of the hunts in Basking Ridge and Bernardsville. Using historic landmarks and family parks as hiding places, he raises awareness of the beauty of the areas.
Blatchford and the Truccos have "finds" in the thousands and plan to continue hunting in the future.
While they look forward to an increase in enthusiasm for the sport, they also hope that the respect geocachers have shown to each other and the environment continues as new people try it out.
