Here we are, some of us long-time veterans, others only recent
converts. The world has changed in many ways since that first
geocache was placed. Heck, some of us weren't even born yet! So on
this day, we gather to say:
A (very) brief History of Geocaching (courtesy of
habu!):
On May 1, 2000, President Bill Clinton's executive order to
discontinue "Selective Availability" allowing users to receive a
non-degraded GPS signal globally was executed.
On May 2, 2000, at approximately midnight, eastern time, the
switch controlling "Selective Availability" was thrown. Twenty-four
satellites around the globe processed their new orders, and
instantly the accuracy of GPS technology improved tenfold. Tens of
thousands of GPS receivers around the world had an instant
upgrade.
On May 3, 2000 Dave Ulmer placed the very first geocache,
The Original Stash, a black bucket, in the woods near Beaver
Creek, Oregon. Along with a logbook and pencil, he left various
prize items including videos, books, software, a can of beans and a
slingshot. He shared the waypoint of his "stash" with the online
community on sci.geo.satellite-nav, and Geocaching was born.
On May 30, 2000 the word Geocaching was coined by Matt Stum on
the "GPS Stash Hunt" mailing list. Geocache was the joining
of two familiar words. The prefix geo, for Earth, was used
to describe the global nature of the activity, but also for its use
in familiar topics in gps such as geography. The word cache
is described by Merriam-Webster as "a hiding place especially for
concealing and preserving provisions or implements."
On Sept 2, 2000 Jeremy Irish launched the Geocaching.com web
site with 75 caches. Later that same year Jeremy partnered with
Elias Alvord and Bryan Roth, two coworkers at Sunrise Identity and
started a new company called Groundspeak, Inc.
Dec 26, 2006 - First 7 digit geocache id assigned
Mar 8, 2010 - 1,000,000th active geocache listed.
THE EVENT
Why Antioch, you ask? Two reasons:
1. I really enjoy hosting gatherings, and registered a little too
late for an official Event on my birthday. Why not try again?
2. On the date that I originally posted this, the next closest 10th
Year event was in Sacramento, and I figured Co Co County warranted
its own gathering.
By the time it rolls around, though, this may be the first real
geocaching Event that I've attended (other than quick TB swaps), so
I'm open to suggestions, criticism and assistance.
As things stand, there's already a cache in this park (Smokey
Bear Collector's
GC16QJK, "Bird in Hand", which I have yet to find), and I've
already snagged a couple other nearby spots to be published right
before the event itself. There will, of course, be a TB Swap Spot
somewhere on the grounds, and I'm stocking it with probably 7 or 8
to get it going.
I think a potluck would be best, considering the meager state of my
personal finances. I'll be providing plates, napkins, utensils,
etc., as well as an extra table or two and hopefully some extra
chairs. Otherwise, it would be wonderful if everyone could bring a
dish or drinks to share with perhaps 6-10 other people.
A raffle of some sort has been suggested, and I've ordered several
prizes (TB's, ammo can, some other items) as well as working on
some custom caches to include. I haven't decided on a price for the
raffle tickets themselves, but it will most likely be somewhere
between $2 and $4. Any proceeds above my cost of purchasing raffle
prizes will be donated to a local charitable organization (I'm
researching some now). I'll update info about the raffle and
charity as things solidify.
There are restrooms, water fountains, picnic tables with benches,
BBQ stands and a small playground, so we should be covered quite
nicely. The park is available on a first-come, first-serve basis
only, so I'll probably show up at sunrise to set up a bunch of
decorations and lay claim to our territory. Anybody who wants to
join me in holding on to the space is more than welcome (we could
take it in shifts)! Message me from my profile to talk about that
issue.
The scheduled time for this event has firmed up to 9 AM through 1
PM, in the hopes that this will help us avoid the worst heat of a
May day in East County.
More concrete details to be posted as things progress, so add this
Event to your Watch List for updates. I'm looking forward to seeing
some of you again and meeting the rest of you for the first
time!
AND FINALLY ...
If you're in the area on Sunday, too, make sure not to miss
GC25P0G, "10 Years! Oakley"!