Eureka!: Geocaching in Lansdale

Among the on Aug. 27, the is going to try something new – geocaching.

For those who dream of treasure hunts and couldn’t get enough of scavenger hunts as a kid, geocaching is the ultimate game.

Geocaching Basics

“Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices,” according to the geocaching website.

Members of the geocaching network hide a cache somewhere in the world and list its coordinates on the website's “Hide & Seek a Cache” page.

To hide the cache, there are certain rules that participants must abide by.

The number one rule on the website is that all local laws apply, followed by making sure the landowner has given permission to place a cache on public or private property.

Also, caches cannot be buried and should be “at least 0.10 miles or 161 miles” from another cache, according to the website. The complete list of placement guidelines can be found on the geocaching website.

To find a cache, seekers also need to follow a few rules and make sure they have the right supplies to find the prize.  The only supply needed to hunt down a geocache is a handheld GPS or even a Smartphone with GPS capabilities.

After choosing a cache to hunt on the “Hide & Seek” page, seekers need to plug the coordinates into the GPS and off they go. When you’ve found a geocache, there are some proper etiquette rules to follow.

If you take something from the geocache box, you must put something back of equal or greater value, according to the guidelines on the geocaching website.

A cache can be anything but it is important to keep in mind that children also play the game so all caches should be child appropriate. The guidelines also ask that no food, alcohol or any dangerous materials be placed in caches.

Participants must also sign the logbook inside the geocache (some geocaches only consist of log books). Then, the finder can also write about the experience on geocaching’s website.

Our Hunt

Lansdale has a bunch of geocaches hidden in its parks so we decided to check out the caches hidden in on Hancock Street. We used a geocaching app for the iPhone and the geocaches hidden in the park popped up as options. One click and we were off hunting.

Sneakers are definitely a necessity when geocaching because multiple times we had to go off road a bit to find the cache. Bug spray definitely would have helped as well.

The app worked well and we were able to find both of the caches we searched for. It took a little while to locate the actual prize when we finally reached the area it was in but it’s like a big treasure hunt. It’s a lot of fun and definitely an activity that would be great for the whole family.

One of the caches we found was “muggled,” which meant that someone who doesn’t know the game found the cache and stole the prizes inside. That’s a real shame because it was supposed to have Silly Bandz inside.

Overall, it was a lot of fun and I definitely recommend it for anyone who likes the outdoors and hiking activities.

Founders Day Details

For Founders Day, the parks and recreation department has had coins made that will commemorate the day.

Department head Carl Saldutti said the medallions will say “Inaugural Founders Day, Aug. 27, 2011” on the front and “Lansdale, Pennsylvania 19446” on the back. Both sides will also have Lansdale’s “L” design emblazoned on them.

Coordinates for the geocaches will be released at the event, Saldutti said.

Saldutti said the department will hide the medallions around the town and one will have a travel bug attached to it. The medallion with the travel bug also has a mission, Saldutti said. He said they are asking that who ever finds the medallion with the travel bug takes the coin and takes it to another town that begins with the letter L.

Saldutti said the medallion can be buried in a park system in the town and hopes it will travel around the world.

Check out our video of our geocaching adventure, filmed and edited by local editor Tony Di Domizio.