On May 2, 2000, at approximately midnight Greenwich Mean Time, the great blue switch* controlling selective availability was flipped. Twenty-four satellites around the globe processed their new orders, and the accuracy of GPS technology improved tenfold. Now, said the White House, anyone could "precisely pinpoint their location or the location of items (such as game) left behind for later recovery." How right they were.
For GPS enthusiasts, this was cause for celebration. Internet newsgroups suddenly teemed with ideas about how the technology could be used. One such enthusiast, computer consultant Dave Ulmer, wanted to test the accuracy by hiding a navigational target 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 in the woods and note the coordinates with a GPS unit. The finder would then have to locate the container using only his or her GPS receiver. The rules for the finder were simple: "Take some stuff, leave some stuff."
On May 3, 2000, Ulmer placed a black bucket in the woods of Beavercreek, Oregon, near Portland. Along with a logbook and pencil, he left various prize items including videos, books, software, and a slingshot. He shared the waypoint of his "stash" with the online community on sci.geo.satellite-nav:
N 45° 17.460 W 122° 24.800
Within three days, two different readers learned of the stash via the Internet, used their own GPS receivers to find the container, and shared their experiences online. Throughout the next week, others began hiding their own containers worldwide and posting the coordinates. Like many new and innovative ideas on the Internet, the concept spread quickly - but this one required leaving your computer to participate.
What is the geocaching code of the original black bucket hidden by Dave Ulmer?
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