Geocaching in Corvallis, Oregon

On a brisk but clear day, Kate Williams sets out for Willamette Park in South Corvallis. The 24-year-old Corvallis native has made this trip hundreds of times, but this time is different.

Today, Williams is geocaching. This hobby of rising popularity combines technology and the great outdoors to form an extreme global treasure hunt. In Corvallis and around the world, Williams and other geocachers get coordinates (latitude and longitude) that will lead them to caches which other people have stashed. Geocachers use a variety of devices and tactics to find these prizes.

“Anyone can do it,” explains Shawn Tucker, a Corvallis geocaching guru and realtor at Keller Williams. “The caches are out there for everyone and it is virtually free.”

While Tucker admits he loves the thrill of the find, he says there is also a lot more to it.

“It can take you to see new things and new places,” he says.

Within Corvallis city limits alone, there are more than 275 geocaches registered with geocaching.com - the premier geocaching website. At this website, you can create a free account and get coordinates and clues to caches near you. There are a variety of cache types, from an actual physical find (usually a small waterproof container filled with trinkets and a register) to a virtual destination, leading you to something worth seeing.

Geocaches may be hidden in local parks, commercial districts, or residential areas. In Corvallis, there are some tucked away amid the bustle of downtown, while others can be found at scenic parks and rural viewpoints.

To see some of the most interesting locations in Corvallis, test your geocaching skills with the “Corvallis GPS Waymarking Hunt” created by Visit Corvallis (check out the website www.visitcorvallis.com for more information).

In order to get started geocaching, you will need to decide which kind of device to use. Some people buy hand-held GPS devices, spending between $25 and $100. Others use online mapping software.

The latest trend in geocaching is to turn your phone into a GPS device by downloading a software application that gives you all the mapping capabilities. One such ‘app’ for cell and smart phones is made by a company with Corvallis connections.

Trimble – a company that primarily makes rugged outdoor portable computers for uses in forestry, construction, agriculture, and surveying – has a division located in South Corvallis that houses 105 employees.

The company’s Geocache Navigator software can be downloaded to most mobile phones, enabling GPS navigation capabilities. Check with your service provider to see if this application is available.

As for Kate, once in Willamette Park and consulting her GPS device, she knowns she is close to the cache. She heads off the beaten path on her search. But her GPS device can only take her so far, and now she had to rely on her “geosenses” to find the actual treasure.

After looking high and low, she spots it – a small plastic container tucked under the root of a tree. She opens it, adds her name to the register, seals it back up, and heads on to locate the next one. She has three more caches to find before she goes home.