The thrill of finding treasure is something that shouldn’t – and needn’t – be left in childhood. Modern day scavenger hunters take up geocaching – a game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The object is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share the experience online. In the decade since its beginnings, it’s estimated there are now over a million geocaches hidden around the world.
A Fremont geocaching company, Groundspeak, located in the Evanston building and celebrating its 10-year anniversary as a company and as a hobby, has organized a Lost & Found geocaching event for July 4 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Evanston Plaza adjacent to the Fremont Sunday Market (Evanston & North Northlake, Latitude 47.649605 Longitude 122.350445).
Visit Geocaching.com or call 206.633.0422 for event details and more information on the art of geocaching.
“We don’t have the final numbers but we expect at least 3,000-5,000 geocachers in attendance from around the U.S. and the world,” said Jeremy Irish, who began Geocaching.com as a listing site to support the hobby and went on to found Groundspeak Inc. with Elias Alvord and Bryan Roth to explore the matter of geocaching and manage Geocaching.com. “There’s also an event in Carnation, Washington on July 3.”
Groundspeak runs scavenger hunts throughout Fremont and renting out GPS units for free so people can try out geocaching.
At Groundspeak, beginners can visit the Introduction to Geocaching exhibit, while serious geocachers can dive right into the action with one of 10 expert geocaches, one for each of the 10 years of geocaching history. Guests can bring their own GPS device or rent one onsite for the full geocaching experience.
For Sunday’s event:
The Discover Fremont Scavenger Hunt is available for everyone to practice navigational skills through the Fremont neighborhood. Lost & Found team members will be stationed at iconic locations to hand out souvenir puzzle pieces to treasure hunters as they find each site. When participants complete their puzzle, they can exchange it for a limited edition Trackable.