Geocaching Books

As a long-time "geocacher", I have experienced many adventures in geocaching, both alone and with family and friends, all the while having fun without wondering why the sport is so appealing. This book answers that question by capturing the spirit of geocaching in a quiet, meaningful voice. The photographs are exquisite, finely textured and rich in detail. The accompanying text is multi-layered, giving a glimpse of the physical geocache while providing background into circumstances that led the author to that location. This makes for a warm, tender, deeply personal story that touches the heart.

This book would be well worth owning just as a gorgeous collection of American photos: Kelley's photographs capture the spirit of many places that most shots couldn't convey, often thanks to unusual perspectives and compositions. But Local Treasures also tells some interesting stories about the methods of geocaching--and how people use it as a both a hobby and a way to orient themselves to the places they occupy in the world. The photos and stories in this book really manage to invoke a sense of the diversity of places and people across the US, and to give the reader a brief sense of alignment with those places.
Overall, a beautiful array of photos stitched together with a great storytelling voice give a relaxing and worthwhile read.

Margot Anne Kelley reminds us of exactly why we started playing this game in the first place! It's not about the treasures you find in the boxes, it's about the treasures in the world around us. The pictures are beautiful and the stories really draw you to the locations. As an added bonus there's that great sense of camaraderie that we get through the shared experience of geocaching.

This is a great book for cachers (especially those dealing with cabin fever) and also a great way to introduce your non-geocaching friends to exactly what we see in this game.

This book is an exploration of a new-millennium game; which is to say, it's an exploration of new-millennium humans. And Margot Kelley explores her territory with grace and precision. The book fascinates whether or not the reader is a geocacher because Ms. Kelley so skillfully expresses her own fascination -- not only with geocaching but with the rapidly-changing world that engendered it. With arresting images and insightful stories, Ms. Kelley inspires and includes her readers in the gentle art of Paying Attention. The attention here is on intersections and the trajectories that create them -- the meeting place of latitude and longitude, image and experience, nature and technology, time and place, politics and play, the mundane and the mystical.

Deft mini-essays, a few hundred words each, face off with arresting full-page photographs of the locations that inspired them. Up in one corner, the mathematical analog, exact longitude and latitude of the place you are looking at, for that was how it was discovered, via a game played with hand-held global positioning satellite (GPS)units and the internet, a game called geocaching. Margot Kelley's essays are at once intimate and cosmic, playful and poignant. Highly personal, even confessional, they are interwoven with public policy comments, next-wave scientific facts, and speculative cultural theory. Each photograph is stunning composition in its own right that also speaks its side of a complex dialogue with text. If you are a geocacher, you will feel vindicated and fulfilled. If you are curious about geocaching, you will be educated and intrigued. If you know anyone who is into geocaching, you have found THE perfect gift. But, in truth, this would be a great book without a single reference to the game. This is place-writing at its wisest, each segment adroitly paired with a visual feast, so that the effect of the whole transcends the sum of the parts. LOCAL TREASURES speaks more truth about Americans and our relationship to our environment than any book since Walden Pond.

This book is perfect for people new to the hobbies of Geocaching and Letterboxing! We wish that we would have had this book when we began a few years ago. There is a ton of helpful information (to include acronyms, special types of hides, how to make a rubber stamp, etc.) all in a very easy to read format. In addition, there are areas to document your finds and other achievements. We bought a few copies of this book to give as presents, but will be keeping at least one and ordering more very soon. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! VERY PLEASED OVERALL!

Comprehensive and easy to understand. This book will make your initial foray into geocaching a lot easier or will provide interesting insights for those who are more experienced at the sport. But mostly for the novice.

Excellent book! Lots of information delivered in a very understandable way. If you're a novice to Geocaching and want to quickly get up to speed buy this book.

I'm going to get right to the point. This book is great. It does exactly what it claims, and nothing less. It's a perfect introductory guide to geocaching, but I'm sure experienced cachers can gain something from it also. It is informative, well written, and purposeful. I also would like to pmention that it is the official guide book of [...], the company that runs [...]. Lastly, I would like to point out that the only 2 bad reviews of this book that were posted at the time that I'm writing this are from someone that didn't receive the book in the mail and therefore is angry at amazon (why they take it out on THIS book, i have no idea), and some PhD in psych that cant even read a map (she admits this in her post)... go figure. In closing, I am very satisfied with this book and am glad that this is the guidebook I chose to help get me started with geocaching. Happy Hunting

Bought this as a present for my father who is a geography teacher and has just gotten into geocaching as a hobby. An excellent introductory guide to the hobby, easy to read and entertaining.

Geocaching 101

Arrggh, I'm tired of dragging my butt out of bed at 5:30AM, rushing to a thankless job, and punching a time clock. I want to sleep in, have exotic fruit for breakfast and wash it all down with rum. After lounging in my hammock, I'll head out with my crew, capture a ship, and finish in time to enjoy one of those cool, tropical drinks with the little umbrella. What other job can you hang around a boat all day with guns and booze, and make tons of money? I mean, other than war profiteering, or politics. I want to be a modern day pirate.

There are those who scour the globe today in search of treasure, using only a compass as their guide, in a hunt where X no longer marks the spot, but it seems they prefer the term Geocacher. Geocaching is a modern day treasure hunt in which participants search for hidden caches using coordinates and a GPS device. The caches can range from small to large, and the treasure found inside isn't in the form of doubloons or pieces of eight, but small trinkets like baseball cards, Matchbox cars, or prizes like gift certificates, event tickets, or even cash.

Geocaching combines "geo" for geography and "cache," a term used for both hidden provisions and in a more modern sense, data stored on a computer. Combine them and you have one of the newest and hottest outdoor activities around. Hey, how do you legally tap into an outdoor game that has a government budget of more than half a billion dollars? No, what your uncle is doing with that cable box and a coat hanger to get WrestleMania(tm) isn't legal.

The goal of geocaching is to locate hidden treasure from latitude/longitude coordinates found on websites such as Geocaching.com or handed out in passbooks at geocaching events like the one upcoming in Wellsboro on May 16th, 17th, and18th. While most caches are a hidden watertight box, this event sponsored by the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce* is set up with "Virtual Caches." It's the destination, not the booty, that's of interest, bringing you to historic sites, beautiful vistas, and a wonderful view of nature. Nothing is traded except photos and the experience. Each of the caches can be driven to, with some requiring only a brief walk.

I talked to Charlie Messina, the driving force behind Wellsboro's new event. Charlie began geocaching in 2003 as part of a Boy Scout camp program. He developed and ran orienteering events** and felt that geocaching would allow a new program to be added with minimal expense. "The program was a huge success, and added a new level of enjoyment as we searched for hidden caches and found great outdoor locations we would never have found. In basic terms geocaching is a high-tech hide & seek. Anyone with a GPS unit and a basic understanding of how to use it can enjoy an outdoors adventure. It is great fun for the entire family"

If you've recently received a GPS unit, and you've been wondering what to do with it, check out The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching by Jack W. Peters. The book is comprehensive. It covers what geocaching is (sport, hobby, excuse to go outdoors and play with electronics), what you need to have, what you need to bring, and techniques for geocaching. It covers a good bit more than the basics with tips on how to get more accurate measurements from your GPS unit, search techniques like the cloverleaf and triangulation, and how to speak the lingo.

If you are looking for adventure, a fun family activity, or just another way to appreciate and explore Tioga County, grab your GPS, a compass, some trail mix, and remember not to spend too much time staring into the receiver's screen. You'll miss the beauty of the natural surroundings, and you might crash and spill your tropical drink...

*Information on the Geocaching event is available on the chamber's website www.wellsboropa.com . Registration is only $3 and takes place on the Green.

**Orienteering is a competitive form of land navigation. The object of orienteering is to locate control points by using a map and compass to navigate through the woods.
Kevin Coolidge works at From My Shelf Books on Main St. in Wellsboro. Check it out at www.wellsborobookstore.com

With an interesting, believable cast of characters and a chilling plot, Abomination kept me guessing the whole way through! An awesome thriller from beginning to end! Mrs. Coble has created another keeper!

Back to Rock Harbor and back to Bree, Kade, Davey, and Samson. I love this series! This story was not a disappointment. Colleen Coble writes an enticing story that keeps you from putting the book down. Oftentimes, I read a story and I've figured it out before the write reveals the truth, not this story. When the "villain" is revealed I'm totally shocked and sad as well.

The only problem I had with the story was all the "disasters" that hit Eve and how they are all so neatly resolved before the story ends. But, it doesn't change how much I enjoyed the story and how I would love to see another story in Rock Harbor.
[...]

It's been a long time since I picked up a book that made me put off everything else I had to do. I started reading this book one day, finished the next, and everything go put off until it was done. If you're a suspense lover, "Abomination" is a book you'll love. It's well written, the characters are believable and very much real, and the story line will keep you guessing. I don't even remember the last time I was so surprised by an ending. Get the book. Read it. But be prepared to put everything else on hold until you're done.

In this stand alone novel author Colleen Coble takes her legion of fans back to a beloved place and characters: Rock Harbor, Bree Nichols and her rescue dog Samson.

A woman driving at night, toward Rock Harbor Michigan and away from . . . something or someone. She can't recall what or whom. Neither does she know the little girl in the backseat. It must be her daughter. Right? Even more troubling, the woman has no memory of who she is. She only knows she must flee. She abandons her car and begins to walk along the road, daughter in tow, when Bree Nichols comes along.

Meanwhile, out there somewhere is a serial killer who leaves clues to his crimes at geo-caching sites and Captain Nikos Andreakos is determined to bring the perp to justice. The secret to the madman's identity seems to be hidden behind his modus operandi, based on a Biblical passage from Proverbs 6 and other religious texts, as well as, swans.

What does all this have to do with one another?

You'll have to read Abomination to find out. :-)

Colleen Coble, long established as a force to reckoned with in romantic suspense, seems to stretch herself in this novel going for a story more suspenseful and less romantic than previous novels. Oh, there is romance and at times it's quite touching and engaging, but the real heart of this story is a serial killer and his capture before he can kill again and again and again. He won't stop until his end game goal is met.

As always the writing here is tight and easy to read. And one of the most fascinating things about Colleen's stories (all of them) is her knack for the unusual, whether that be an occupation or hobby, etc. In this novel, that little detail is geo-caching. I'd never heard of it before this novel. I've since done some research on the subject and find it extremely interesting.

Some of Colleen's fans may be taking back by this novel, but I'll ask them to give Abomination a chance. Yes, it is quite different from her previous novels. However, in this reviewers mind, growth is a good thing for an author and with this release Colleen Coble shows growth and fearlessness in attacking such a story.

Highly recommended! One of my Top 10 reads of 2007.

A woman is running away from a serial killer. She has no memory of who she is or who the young girl is beside her. All she knows is that she's escaping a man set on killing her. This is a serial killer, known as Gideon, who's determined to rid the world of abominations. He's killed several woman already, in gory ways as he tries to get his message across. Meanwhile a police captain is trying to find his wife who went missing and may be the next target of this deranged killer.

This was one of the best mystery thrillers I have ever read secular or Christian. The story is extremely well written, with edge on your seat suspense throughout. You have no idea who the killer is until the last few chapters and even then it's a shock to find out the identity. This book is not for the faint-heartened. If you don't like reading about subject matter that will make your stomach churn, stay away. I personally loved being creeped out silly by the story. The methods used by Gideon to inflict his judgment on tech women are quite gory and definately not for young readers. I would hope I never come across victims of sadistic people like Gideon. Let's also just say I never realize how scary swans can be. I loved seeing Bree and the others from the Rock Harbor series make another appearance in this book. It was nice to read about what the characters had been doing since the series had ended. My only complaint with the story is that we never find out the real reason about why Eve is targeted until the very end of the story. It is only hinted at throughout the story but the way the characters act, makes the reader feel as if it was accidentally overlooked in the writing. Otherwise, I think this book should be made into a movie. This is a book that you better not read at night, not only because it will make you scared to go to sleep but because it will keep you up all night trying to finish! I believe this is the best book that Collen Coble has written and I HIGHLY recommend it.

Just what I needed to get started with my Garmin 76csx. Good price and arrived on time.

This book was just what was needed to get going with a new geocaching device.

As a newhbie to GPs, I found this book, Outdoor Navigation With GPS: Hiking, Geocaching,etc. easy to read and understand.
All aspects of GPS useage are covered fully and concisely.

Now in an updated second edition, Outdoor Navigation with GPS is a no-nonsense guide to basic GPS navigation skills, useful for all kinds of outdoor activities ranging from hiking, mountain biking, and fishing to geocaching, outdoor photography, canoeing/kayaking, and any other activity involving the negotiation of wild terrain. Written in a jargon-free style accessible to readers of all backgrounds, chapters cover how to program waypoint coordinates and reach them, prepare for and recover from disaster, read topographic maps, and much more. Black-and-white photographs and diagrams illustrate this "must-have" for outdoorsmen in the modern age.

I've been a basic-feature gps user for several years, but decided it was time to figure out the 80% of the buttons/features which were greek to me. This book was perfect for the task. I read it cover to cover (simultaneous with testing features on my newly aquired rino) in just a few hours -- time well spent. Text is sufficiently technical and detailed to fully capture the information, but written in an interesting and simple manner. I especially appreciated the correlation with compass and paper mapping techniques and the information on what to do if/when the gps unit fails (batteries dead, dropped and broken, etc.). Also agree with the reminder to "put away the electronic toy" and watch where you're going! After all, we go into the wild in order to see the wild -- not view it on a 2 inch screen.

Only suggestion for future editions: some of the illustrations were too small to be maximally helpful. Since "the big picture" plus small details are both necessary to truly follow the examples related to paper mapping techniques, I would have preferred seeing the full map view (as is) plus a "blow up" illustration of the details.

Geocaching is a scavenger hunt for big kids like you, fast forwarded to a high tech gloss. Sherman shows how enthusiasts have coalesced into local groups, all over the globe, to dive into these outdoor activities, where each player carries her trusty GPS.

Most of the contests take part in rural areas and offer a nifty excuse for exercising and socialising. Sherman gives tips on how to best equip yourself, aside of course from that GPS. These are mostly traditional common sense guidelines for anyone hiking.

One thing you can get from the book is that aside from the geocaching, nowadays pure hiking has changed. Many hikers bring along GPS for safety and convenience. Some traditionalists look with askance on this, however.

Readers might recall how GPS was originally developed by the US military, and when GPS devices were heavy and expensive. Here is yet another instance of a military spinoff that followed Moore's Law and added on popular civilian usages.

I've been intrigued by geocaching since I got my new GPS with
geocaching features and being an avid hiker; I've always been looking for ways to enhance my hiking experience. Enter Erik Sherman's "Geocaching: Hide and Seek with your GPS" book. Sherman goes into the basics of geocaching including the types of events you may be likely to participate in, but goes into some good technical detail of GPS and compass theory. Although I'm quite up on my outdoor equipment, he goes into good explanation of the types of equipment and how to use it. Next there is explanation of various techniques and tips for geocaching. I'm impressed with his constant consideration of the environment and how the sport (or hobby) should be environmentally friendly. Throughout the book there are countless references to internet and resources in print. Reading this book I now have enough foundation and curiosity to go out and try my first geocaching event this spring. This book would be a welcome edition to anyone's hiking/outdoor library.

As someone just starting geocaching, I found Erik Sherman's book to be a fair introduction. The meat of the book is found in chapters 6 and 7, "On the Hunt" and "In Hiding". The tips and tricks discussed show the thoughts of an experienced geocacher. The specifics in earlier chapters such as how to fold a map are simple and very useful. The instructions on how to use a compass were limited and could use some specific examples. Chapter 5, "A Good Walk", could be useful for someone with no experience with the outdoors, but are of limited value for someone with experience. The photos that are included may date the book quickly.

Technology can be more than just practical-it can also be fun. And fun is exactly what you'll have when you try geocaching. It's a high-tech treasure-seeking game that uses the Global Positioning System (GPS).

Because geocaching combines the outdoors, puzzles, and adventure, everyone-from kids to kayakers, and retirees to rock climbers-can easily become involved. You'll join a rapidly expanding worldwide network of people who hide containers of "prizes" in the wilderness, suburbs, and even in the middle of cities, then provide clues for others to discover them.

Borrowing from the classic pursuits of orienteering and letterboxing, geocaching can be as easy as a walk in the park or as challenging as scuba diving to a hundred feet. You don't need to be an expert in electronics, navigation, or even hiking to start. With this book, you'll soon understand GPS technology, know how to find your way about, and be able to prepare for your next hike-and-seek adventure!

Author Sherman has dedicated this super book to all the people who realize that a technology developed for the military can be used peacefully when you are hiking a million miles from your nearest worldly care. This is one of the most useful books available to support the interests of the countless thousands of geocachers that criss-cross the globe finding and leaving their caches for others.

Kudos to Apress for publishing this fascinating book that reveals the ever-expanding world of geocaching. With today's GPS devices become more common, the exciting, fun world of geocaching will continue to grow, and this will stimulate more interest in author Sherman's intriguing, thorough book on this growing sport.

Erik has captured the essence of the geocaching experience with personal accounts of (mis)adventure and techie how-to's. "Geocaching: Hike and Seek..." is on my recommended reading list for those who Travel by GPS.

Geocaching? I had never heard of it until Jeannette introduced me to this creative way of exploring our world through her book, Open Your Heart with Geocaching. You can think of geocaching as a scavenger hunt that uses modern day technology (GPS) to find the "treasures." This fun book will introduce you to everything you need to know! You will listen in on conversations with devotees, you will learn about the different varieties of caches, be introduced to Geo-events, and even learn to create your own cache. This book is a must-read for lovers of Geocaching and anyone seeking to learn about it.

"Open your heart" not only introduces geocaching but it also asks the reader to consider that geocaching will refresh their view on life. Wandering down trails you have traveled before becomes all new again when you know there is a hidden treasure - the cache. The author captures the short history of geocaching, personal stories and explores the way this relatively new activity opens people up to the wonder of the world around them.

On a personal level, my girl scout troop is going on a hike in the woods with a whole new purpose besides being "tortured, and forced to exercise". They are excited to be going out there now. As they say in the Mastercard world: Priceless.

Jeannette Cezanne has combined spiritual wisdom with much practical advice. If you haven't cached, this will get you up and going; a thoroughly thought-full work, worth savoring slowly.

Geocaching is an interesting hobby and it is easy to see why people could become devoted to it. It is a sport where people will place a "treasure" at a location, note the location in GPS coordinates and then post the coordinates on a website devoted to geocaching. Practitioners check the site and then use GPS receivers to search for the "treasure." There are ego points for the cleverness of the hide and being First-To-Find (FTF) and there are guidelines for what locations are suitable for caching and what one can do when the "treasure" is found. A more extreme form of the sport involved placing the cache in a location that requires advanced techniques for access such as climbing a mountain, scuba diving or using a helicopter.
Cezanne describes the sport, points out some of the more obvious and realistic rules and interviews several people about the attraction they feel for geocaching. Since they are so rugged, old ammunition boxes are commonly used to store the cache. Clearly, carrying and then hiding an old ammunition box near a sensitive site such as a bridge will get the attention of law enforcement and should not be done.
While I will most likely never engage in this sport, it is easy to understand why there are people devoted to it and who consider it an uplifting experience. The explanations of the hows and joys of geocaching are well done, it offers the challenge of treasure hunting, the opportunity to interact with people of similar interests and a chance to commune with nature in a positive way.

For Christmas in 2003, a friend gave me a low-end (yet more than adequate) GPS receiver. I had been talking about wanting to get into this new geeky outdoor hobby called geocaching, but the cost of even a low-end GPS receiver was more than I could manage at the time. She took pity on me, and it has been a gift that keeps on giving.

Over the years since then, my enthusiasm has waned as the availability of accessible and not-found-by-me caches dwindled in my area. Also, other projects began consuming my "free" time, such as writing for Blogcritics, and it became more difficult for me to find the energy and time to get out into nature and hunt for elusive cache containers. However, I have since relocated, and after reading Jeannette Cézanne's book, I have a renewed sense of excitement and anticipation for the game.

The Open Your Heart series of books by DreamTime Publishing was started by Meg Bertini as a means of exploring a variety of interests and hobbies in a way that would connect individuals to the world around them and allow for deeper spiritual meaning. The series includes other topics such as specific sports, fine arts, pets, and other common activities. Judging by the submission guidelines, it looks like anyone who can write passionately and authoritatively about their interests, along with a proficient grasp of basic grammar rules, has a good chance of having their proposal accepted for publication, so it may be worth keeping a eye out for future titles in the series.

At first I scoffed at the idea that a game/hobby that uses high-tech satellites to find cheap plastic containers could also be a spiritual or centering activity. My experience with serious geocachers so far has made the activity more of a competition (both with others and with oneself) than anything that could enhance ones mental and spiritual wellbeing. However, I tried to set aside my prejudices and read the book for what it is, and I found myself surprised to realize that by the end, it had changed my outlook on geocaching.

Cézanne has poured herself and her world into this book. The language is conversational and flows easily from point to point. She approaches geocaching less from the geeky/techie perspective, and more from the outdoor enthusiast perspective. For her, caching is less about the destination as it is about the journey. I think this is a perspective that is often lost amid the crowing and strutting by those who play for the numbers.

This is a book I would recommend to new or potential geocachers who haven't yet been corrupted, or to those who are burnt out by the competition and arguments. It's just the sort of kick in the pants one needs to gain the perspective that will increase one's enjoyment of geocaching and simply exploring some place new.

Great book a "must read" for those into geocaching or want to know about it.

This is a pretty basic book. If you are thinking about geocaching or are brand new. If you have found a couple of caches using a GPS or if you have been in the military, you will probably not find anything of interest here.

Both beginning and experienced geocachers can learn the basics of navigation, outdoor safety and geocaching games through this survey of an outdoor activity all ages can enjoy. 'Geocaching' uses a GPS receiver and map, compass and computer access to locate a 'virtual cache'. The better you hone your GPS navigational skills, the more quickly a cache can be located. A 'cache' is a hidden location where players can leave a variety of 'treasure' and clues - geocaching is a fun concept and Mike Dyer's The Essential Guide To Geocaching: Tracking Treasure With Your GPS provides all the basics.

I found this book to be well-written and an easy to use guide on geo-caching. This book was clear and concise and made learning about this new sport easy to do. Geo-caching is a great activity to get the family outdoors and have fun altogether and this book certainily helped.

Since the way to get the Geocache locations is to go to the website and get them online, which also tells you everything else you need to know about the game, you don't really need this book at all.

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UPDATE:

I have just read THE COMPLETE IDIOTS GUIDE TO GEOCACHING (The ORANGE book, NOT the yellow book) and it is EXCELLENT!!

If you want a good book on Geocaching, get that one!

(The yellow "for dummies" book, which I also read, is not very good)

Excellent book for beginners...much better than most of the user manuals that come with GPS..

This text is divided into the following parts: Part 1 Getting Ready to Geocach, part 2: Let's Go Geacaching, Part 3 Advanced Geocaching and Part 4 The Part of Tens.

THe first part is focused on picking a GPS receiver and using it along with maps. The section on maps, I found particularly usefu. This information is not as easy as this book is to find out about on the premier web page for Geocaching

http://www.geocaching.com. Also, if you are not experienced with using maps, this text give you a nice overview about it.

The second part has information that is really readily available at the website above. The advantage to this book though, is that it is all laid out in a nice order and you do not have to sort through information piecemeal like you may have to do on geocaching websites.

The third part I found helpful as it pertains to more subtle aspects and/or advaced parts of geocaching such as benchmarks and there is a nice section on how to use geocaching with your students (if you are a teacher!).

The fourth part provides a nice list of websites, many of which I never found on my own just "browsing", and there is an annotated list of geocaching programs.

Overall, even if you have geocached already, this book will give you background information and resources that you likely do not already know about. I particularly enjoyed the "tips" on geocahing etiquette which I may not have understood without this book.

Good book for the beginner. Extra information a geocacher does not necessarily need, but the background information is nice to know.

This yellow book has nothing in it you can't figure out yourself.

The Orange "THE COMPLETE IDIOTS GUIDE TO GEOCACHING" is MUCH MUCH better! Everything from helpfull hints that even experienced geocachers can use, to the complete history of geocaching, how it started, and EVERYTHING you want to know about Latitude and Longitude and all the formats it is measured with and how they came about.

The other book is MUCH better than this one!

This is a super book. Concise, informative, fun, very well-edited, and honest (about the value of good map and compass skills, in addition to learning to use the GPS, for instance). I went from 0 - 60 in a few days. Bought the book a few weeks ago at lunch, and I've been geocaching ever since.

The book includes great websites links to resources such as waterproof logboks, and how to get a MapQuest map based on a latitude and longitude. (MapQuest has changed their method since the book was published, but I was able to find it easily, knowing it was possible.)

I recommend consulting his equipment and gear list. It does get dark, you will get stabbed by thorns, or sticks, you'll get hungry and thirsty... It sounds obvious, but in the rush of trying to find the nearest cache, it's easy to forget to bring such helpful items as a flashlight, a first aid kit, extra batteries, etc.

The book also includes a helpful list of U.S. geocaching clubs by state. I look forward to meeting other geocachers!

Kudos to the Dummies series (again) and to the author, for a terrific book.

I used to geocache and so I read this book with interest. The information is misleading ("GPSr: Slang of a GPS receiver." An initialism is hardly "slang") to slightly dangerous (the author recommends turning off the GPS for most of your trek to "save batteries." Instead of losing your breadcrumb trail back to your camp or car, why not just carry spare batteries?).

It appeared to me that the author had never really spent much time geocaching. Take his advice with a grain of salt.

I'd never heard of geocaching before so when I saw this interesting title I had to find out what it was about.

The idea is simple and sounds like a lot of fun, though, because basically, it's a game where people leave secret stashes of goodies hidden in places all over the world that you use your GPS system to find. The stashes typically contain things like CDs, DVDs, books, non-perishable food items, maps, inexpensive gifts and trinkets, and so on. Enthusiasts sometimes follow a trail of clues like an old treasure hunt to find the cache, in addition to using their GPS system. They can be buried in the ground in remote wilderness areas or left under a park bench in a city. There are caches in every U.S. state and many countries around the world, from England to Estonia. The book gives the GPS coordinates of each cache.

Since the game was invented a few years ago, it has rapidly evolved and many new variations have been invented, including geodashing, garmin games, geoteaming, hide and seek, just 4 openers, letterboxing, microcaching, minute war, multicaches, orienteering, poker run, project ape, tag, virtual caches, webcam caches, volksmarching, story cache, and something called the "stampin' fools game."

The book covers GPS basics as well as the history of the technology, and the chapters include GPS units, Creating Caches, Geo Games (which I just listed the names of above), Backcountry Safety and Etiquette, Geo Happenings, Clubs and Websites, and Cachinary 1.0.

The book has a forward by Dave Ulmer, the inventer of the sport, including the dramatic story of his snowmobile crash on Mt. St. Helens back in the days when the civilian GPS system accuracy was only 1/10 of what it is now--which was the reason for his crash. Because of that positioning error, he'd gotten into the chute right next to the one he was supposed to be in, which led to his crash.

Overall, this is an interesting, entertaining, and detailed introduction to the sport of geocaching that should be of interest to beginning and seasoned geocachers alike.

This is a good book for someone that is interested in or brand new to Geocaching. If you have found a couple of geocaches you will probably not find much of interest here.