Autumn Years Summer 2023

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

What’s Up with Apps By Luke Yeagley

LOGAN BARONE

T his summer I thought I would break the mold and rather than offer a descrip tion of several apps, I would take a slightly deeper dive into just one app that could make you and your family’s sum mer more fun and more of an adventure. And that is geocaching, a treasure hunting app that has been around for more than 20 years. National Geographic has many resources on geocaching, which it defines as “a type of global scavenger hunt for people looking for caches or hidden stashes of objects.” One of the most appealing things about creating a geocache is that it allows users to highlight places that are special to them, while also allowing them to express their creativity as they plan what objects to place, where to hide them and what clues to of fer. While hunting for geocaches, you can create new experiences either in your own neck of the woods or elsewhere in this world. Below is an overview of what makes a geocache a geocache, how to hunt for them, how to place one and some common vocabulary you will see while using the app or the website. A geocache usually has two or three parts: • A waterproof container: any container that can hold a log book (e.g., a film canis ter, Tupperware container or water bottle). It can be painted to disguise it in the environment in which it is hidden, covered with leaves, grass, etc., or squeezed into a pre-existing hole. • A log book : a notebook or a rolled up piece of paper that fits in the container, so that finders can write their username in the book to mark that they have “found” the geocache.

• An item of little or no value that can be taken by the visitor (e.g., foreign cur rency, marbles or key chains). GEOCACHING To geocache all you have to do is get the free app, create a free account and search on the Home Screen map for caches. The most important step is to have your GPS on, otherwise it would not be “GEO”caching. The GPS aspect of geocaching is important to help you find the location of the cache. When you select a cache on the app you can see the clues and whether it is part of a multi-cache (some caches take you on multi-part jour neys). Be sure to check the activity section of the cache to see comments from other users on whether a cache is still there or has been archived or disabled. Caches will usually highlight parks or landmarks that you may not know about, and usually they teach you something interesting about the area. Once you get to the GPS coordinate listed, there will be a riddle listed on the app to help you find the cache. Some are harder than others but remember to check to see if someone

has recently found the cache. If no one has found it in a while, it might have been removed. PLACING A GEOCACHE Someone may prefer to be a game maker rather than a game player. If that sounds like something you would enjoy, consider making your own geocache. Go to Geo caching.com for an up-to-date rules list. Your cache must follow the guidelines for the container and log book but also must adhere to rules about safety. The loca tion of your geocache must be approved by the owners of the land on which it resides. It also should not be damaging to nature or to people and their property (no hole digging). These rules are there to make sure everyone can explore the world safely without damaging it. Once you have found a location and hiding place, you must submit the details to the Geocaching Community Review Board, led by volunteer geocachers that govern the placement of geocaches to ensure the beautiful game stays alive. For more information about geocach ing, go to www.geocaching.com or to Geocaching (nationalgeographic.org).

• Muggles : someone who is not geocaching or is unaware of what it is or how much fun it is. • Muggled : when a geocache is stolen or damaged and is no longer there. • TFTC : a commonly used phrase meaning “Thanks for the Cache,” when it is a fun and interesting find. • DNF : “Did Not Find,” if you see many of these in the activity comments it probably means the cache is no longer active or potentially very difficult to find. • CITO : “Cache In, Trash Out,” an initiative to clean up areas along cache routes to make them more accessible and enjoyable for the next geocacher. SOME GEOCACHING VOCABULARY D

62 AUTUMN YEARS I SUMMER 2023