Geocaching is a relatively new sport thanks to the GPS ability to pinpoint the exact location of an object. The government had the opportunity to ban selective ability but chose not to. Thus began many conversations between GPS enthusiasts as to how to utilize this new tool. In 2000, one enthusiast, Dave Ulmer wanted to test the accuracy by hiding a navigational stash in the woods. He called the idea the “Great American GPS Stash Hunt” and posted it in an internet GPS users’ group.
The idea was simple: Hide a container out in the woods and note the coordinates with a GPS unit. The finders would have to locate the container with only the use of their GPS receiver. The rules for the finder were simple: “Take some stuff, leave some stuff.” Within three days, two different readers read about his stash on the Internet, used their own GPS receivers to find the container, and shared their experiences online. So began the sport of Geocaching! Happy caching!