Hi-tech hunt has Lockportians ‘cache-ing’ in

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Examples of Geocaching items. Items can be as tricky to find as false bubble gum, or as simple as trail way boxes. Jim and Alyssa Hooper provided a presentation and lesson on how to Geocache on Saturday at Lockport City Hall. Heather Grimmer/Contributor
Using a GPS device a person can locate a set of coordinates, that mark the location of a hidden cashes. A presentation and lesson on how to Geocache was provided by Jim and Alyssa Hooper on Saturday at Lockport City Hall. Heather Grimmer/Contributor
Using a GPS device a person can locate a set of coordinates, that mark the location of a hidden cashes. A presentation and lesson on how to Geocache was provided by Jim and Alyssa Hooper on Saturday at Lockport City Hall. Heather Grimmer/Contributor
Looking for the cashe, Carol Schmelz uses a GPS device that helps locate a set of coordinates, that mark the location of a hidden cashe. The cashe was hidden in the back of the flower garden. A presentation and lesson on how to Geocache was provided on Saturday at Lockport City Hall. Heather Grimmer/Contributor
Examples of Geocaching items. Items can be as tricky to find as false bubble gum, or as simple as trail way boxes. Jim and Alyssa Hooper provided a presentation and lesson on how to Geocache on Saturday at Lockport City Hall. Heather Grimmer/Contributor
Kelsi Linton learned how to use a GPS device that that helps to locate a set of coordinates, that mark the location of a hidden cashe. A presentation and lesson on how to Geocache was provided by Jim and Alyssa Hooper on Saturday at Lockport City Hall. Heather Grimmer/Contributor
Looking for the cashe, Father and son Scott and Brett Kane used a GPS device that helped locate a set of coordinates, that marked the location of a hidden cashe. The cashe was hidden in the reflector. A presentation and lesson on how to Geocache was provided on Saturday at Lockport City Hall. Heather Grimmer/Contributor
Looking for the cashe, Justin Handley uses a GPS device that helps locate a set of coordinates that mark the location of a hidden cashe. The cashe was hidden in the reflector right in front of him. A presentation and lesson on how to Geocache was provided on Saturday at Lockport City Hall. Heather Grimmer/Contributor

July 17, 2010

By Britney Milazzo Lockport Union-Sun & Journal The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Sat Jul 17, 2010, 11:15 PM EDT

LOCKPORT — A new kind of treasure hunt was introduced to Lockport on Saturday.

About 20 residents gathered Saturday afternoon for a dose of geocaching — a high-tech hide-and-seek that uses a GPS to plug in coordinates in search of a “cache,” or treasure.

Geocache expert Jim “Boots” Hooper of Rochester helped educate the group on how and where they could find the five caches he hid around the outside of the Lockport Police Department and surrounding areas, all the way to the Erie Canal.

The caches are made of an environmentally sturdy box — large or small — with trading gadgets and trinkets in them, hidden in a place that cannot be found accidentally.

“If you find the cache and take an item in the box, you should always replace it with another trinket,” Hooper said.

Hooper, who has been a geocacher for four years, said he has found 1,000 caches around the country — his latest, in San Diego.

“As geeky and dorky as it may seem, it’s actually really neat and stress relieving,” Hooper said.

Geocachers hide their caches around the country, then log the coordinate information online for other geocachers to find.

These hiding places can be anywhere from on trees in the woods, or on the side of mountains to under park benches, Hooper said.

“If you have to scale the side of a mountain or through a waterfall, like I did in south Rochester last year in search of the cache, it’s obviously ranked as the toughest level,” Hooper said. “The easiest would be a cache hidden in a place that is easily accessible for handicapped, then depending on the terrain, it gets higher in level, topped at a five-star rank.”

Jean Delaro, project manager of the Western Erie Canal Alliance, said the game attracts people from around the country and internationally.

“It attracts people from everywhere,” she said.

“When people find these caches, they log their finds and note where they’re from or who they are, in the cache for others to see when they find the same cache.”

On Saturday, residents paired up with each other and found all different caches.

“It’s a great family-friendly hobby, and especially fun for outdoor enthusiasts,” Hooper said.

For more information, go to www.geocaching.com.

Contact reporter Britney Milazzo at 439-9222, ext. 6251.

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Hi-tech hunt has Lockportians ‘cache-ing’ in
A new kind of treasure hunt was introduced to Lockport on Saturday.
About 20 residents gathered Saturday afternoon for a dose of geocaching — a high-tech hide-and-seek that uses a GPS to plug in coordinates in search of a “cache,” or treasure.

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Hi-tech hunt has Lockportians ‘cache-ing’ in

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