Different kind of sport gains local following

Geocaching, a family friendly outdoor game, combines technology with exploration and thanks to the ubiquitous GPS, players number over 1,100 in Michigan, according to Michael Spence.

"It's a high-tech hunting game," Spence told members of the Eastside Business Association at their May 26 meeting. Worldwide there are about 1.79 million players looking for hidden caches in parks, woodlands and the bottom of rivers," he said.

Michigan's brand of geocaching is managed by MIGO, a nonprofit organization that began in 2002 with a goal to serve as a forum for communication between Michigan geocachers, the general public and land management officials. MIGO promotes the sport where participants gain a renewed appreciation of the outdoors while learning about good stewardship of the land and environment.

So what is a geocache?

"It's a container as small as a 35mm film canister or as large as a Tupperware container. Inside is a log book and an assortment of trinkets for the finder," Spence said.

"The rule is when you find a geocache using your GPS you sign the log inside the container, take a trinket, leave something of equal or greater value in the cache and then return the container to its original hiding place," Spence explained.

Players all over the world hide geocaches. Here in the Flint area you'll find some in Kearsley Park, near the Farmers' Market, along the River Walk Trail, in cemeteries and in Richfield Park.

"There are about 500 caches in Genesee County," Spence said.

"Each cache has a difficulty rating — from one to five. A number one means that a person in a wheelchair could access the cache but a five is the most difficult. In some cases players kayaked down the Flint River to find a hidden cache," he said.

How does the game work? Something like hide-and-seek. Hiders list their hidden caches on an internet listing site. Finders log on to www.geocaching.com, click the Hide and Seek a Cache link and type in their zip code to find a list of caches in their area.  Each cache has its unique set of coordinates to enter into a GPS. At this point the GPS will lead the seeker to within 20 feet of the cache.

Go to www.mi-geocaching.org for more information or contact Spence at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .