CLEVELAND — It’s an outdoor adventure hunting for hidden treasure. Geocaching has been going on in Ohio since the game started in 2000. It’s something you can do virtually anywhere and it can take you to unexpected places.
Ian Lengel is the president of the Ohio Geocaching Association. He’s been geocaching since 2007.
Ian Lengel.
“Ever since then, I’ve been hooked on it,” he said.
Some of Lengel’s favorite geocaching locations are in Cleveland’s Metroparks.
“Geocaching is a worldwide outdoor scavenger hunt using GPS technology. The basic premise of the game is players will hide geocache containers all around the world and take you to really cool interesting places where you as a player will also go find them,” he said.
All you need is a smartphone or GPS device.
If you find a geocache, you’ll see a log book inside its container. You should sign it, put the item back where you found it, and then go off to find the next one.
Before you head out, remember the three main tenants to the game: Leave no trace, make sure you have permission if you’re on private property and have fun!
Lengel said each search ranges in difficulty.
“So, it could be something where it’s just very clearly hanging on a tree, right in front of your face. It’s not really concealed that much, and then other times, it’s a little bit trickier where you have to ‘open this, flip this, and do that’, so it’s always important to put it back the way that it was originally placed so the person that comes behind you can have the same experience finding it as you did.”
A large geocaching evening event is coming up. The Annual Midwest Geobash is taking place July 20 through 24 at the Fulton County Fairgrounds. About 2,500 geocachers come from around the world to attend the event in Wauseon, Ohio. It’s free to attend.
