May 11, 2001--
The weather is just perfect to get out and take a hike!
And if you're looking to make your trek on the trails a little more fun, listen to this
Keith McCord spent the day in the hills and actually found some hidden treasure.
We found a web site that lists a bunch of hikes on it, where people have gone out and placed some objects in a container.
The key to finding that container is a GPS device.
Hikers all across the country are playing a new "game" lately. It's called "Geo-Caching."
And if you go to Geocaching.com, you can find hikes in your area, where someone has hidden a container of "gems."
So with GPS in hand, we went looking for the loot!
McCord: "SOME OF THESE HIKES ARE MORE DIFFICULT THAN OTHERS, MORE STEEP THAN OTHERS."
Once you select the hike you want, you enter the coordinates into the GPS unit, and it will more or less direct to you to where the hidden "cache" is. The web page also gives a few hints to help you along!
McCord: "THE DIRECTIONS I GOT OFF THE WEB SITE SAY, 'ONCE YOU LEAVE THE TRAIL, IT GETS VERY STEEP AND ROCKY.' AND THAT LOOK LIKE THAT'S THE PLACE TO GO. THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HEADED."
Scott Waldrop/Mgr. Kirkham's Outdoor Products: "IT'S INTERESTING. IT'S A NICE PRACTICE TOOL FOR PEOPLE WITH A GPS AND PRETTY FUN TO GO OUT AND TRY TO FIND THAT ONE CERTAIN SPOT."
We selected three hikes for this trip, and on this one, the container of goodies was supposed to be hidden near a big rock.
McCord: "THE WEB SITE DOES SAY THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES THAT YOU'LL ACTUALLY FIND THE CACHE THAT'S HIDDEN OUT HERE. WE'VE BEEN OUT ABOUT 30 MINUTES AND WE HAVEN'T FOUND ANYTHING YET."
So we gave up, reprogrammed the GPS, and searched an area on the east bench.
It was very steep, rocky, and all we got were a bunch of blisters.
So we headed for our last location!
We needed to find a telephone pole, next to an equipment shed.
With help from the GPS, we found it! A small Tupperware container, under some rocks!
Inside-- candy, a copper bracelet, and some other items. We signed our name. And then, according to the informal rules of the game, if you take something out, you have to put something in!
McCord: "SO I'M GOING TO PUT IN A KSL GOLF BALL, AND A KSL 2002 OLYMPIC PIN, AND A BUSINESS CARD."
We replaced the cache, and left it for the next hiker.
Not a bad way to spend a nice warm afternoon, and no, we're not telling where this cache is hidden!
Actually, I'm supposed to go to the web site, and post a note saying I've found it!
Once again that link is at www.geocaching.com.
