Worldwide Sport of Geocaching Comes to Delaware; Governor Markell Kicks off Delaware Geocaching Trail

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10/06/2009

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Dover, Del. (October 6, 2009) - Geocaching, a worldwide sports phenomenon, has been building momentum across the nation.  Today, the Delaware Tourism Office announced that Geocaching, a high-tech treasure hunt utilizing GPS technology, has come to Delaware.  "Delaware Geocaching was developed to entice tourists to follow a predetermined trail in search of historical, cultural, and art attractions hidden throughout the State," said Linda Parkowski, Tourism Director.  "It is a fun and exciting way to explore Delaware!"

While exploring the many wonders of the First State, Delaware geocachers can embark on an outdoor adventure in search of blue cache boxes containing hidden treasures.  Geocachers begin their journey by accessing the Delaware Geocaching Trail website, http://www.visitdelaware.com/geo.  Once registered, geocachers are equipped with a passport, rules, instructions, and cache location coordinates to enter into a GPS device.  The objective is to locate cache boxes, acquire and insert trinkets, and collect passport stickers until all of the cache boxes are located.  Geocachers have 27 statewide attractions to choose from.  The Delaware Tourism Office is offering a State of Delaware limited edition commemoration coin to the first 100 geocachers to find 15 caches hidden in Delaware, including 5 caches from each county. 

Today, Governor Jack Markell kicked off the Delaware Geocaching Trail at the Delaware Public Archives located in Dover.  Tourism industry leaders and advocates joined the Governor and the Delaware Tourism Office to mark this special occasion.  "A strong tourism industry is vital to Delaware's future economic prosperity," said Governor Markell.  "Geocaching is a wonderful, innovative way to increase Tourism traffic to Delaware.  Delaware has so much to offer visitors in the way of historical, cultural, and art attractions.  Geocaching is enjoyable and can raise awareness of Delaware's diverse heritage and culture." 

The Delaware Tourism Office, 99 Kings Highway in Dover, Del., a division of the Delaware Economic Development Office, promotes tourism and economic growth in Delaware.  For more information, visit the official Delaware Tourism Website at http://www.visitdelaware.com/ or call toll-free (866) 284-7483. 

 

GEOCACHING FACT SHEET

• "Geocaching" is an outdoor, high-tech treasure hunt utilizing Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. ^(1,2) Geocaching is a sophisticated game of "hide and seek." ⁽³⁾
• A GPS system involves a collection of 24 satellites operated by the U.S. Department of Defense. Satellite radio signals are received via a GPS recreational device to pinpoint exact locations on the Earth's surface. ⁽²⁾
• Geocaching originated in May, 2000, when civilians were permitted to use the GPS satellite system. A civilian from Portland, Oregon, hid a bucket of trinkets in the woods and posted the information online. The treasure was quickly found and, within days, more treasures were hidden nationwide. The term "geocaching" was coined and an official website was launched, http://www.geocaching.com/, now owned by Groundspeak, Inc. ^{(3, 4)}
• Geocaching is now a worldwide sport and phenomenon. To date, there are 914,274 active geocaches around the world. ⁽¹⁾ Caches can be found in over 100 countries and all seven continents. ⁽⁵⁾
• The term, "Cache," originated from a camping/hiking term denoting a secret hiding place for concealing provisions. In the sport of Geocaching, a cache can consist of a scenic location or any type of waterproof container that may hold goodies or trinkets including a Log Book. ^{(2, 5)}
• Most cache treasures are inexpensive and may hold some kind of personal value for the recipient. In turn, a geocacher must leave a trinket of equal or higher value for the next geocacher to find. ⁽³⁾
• Some caches contain trackable items known as "travel bugs." Trackable items are designed to move from cache to cache and their journey is monitored. ⁽⁴⁾ State of Delaware trackable coins will be available for the first 100 geocachers to successfully locate 15 out of 27 hidden caches, including 5 from each county.
• Geocachers can now enjoy the sport of Geocaching in Delaware as they discover the many beautiful historical, cultural, and art attractions located throughout the State.

                                               

¹ http://www.geocaching.com/

² http://www.brocku.ca/maplibrary/gps/gps_fun.htm

³ http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geocaching

⁴ http://www.tumbleweedandcactus.com/

⁵ http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Geocaching

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