Tuesday, August 12th, 2008, 7PM to
8PM
The Waukegan
Public Library
128 North County Street
Waukegan, IL 60085
There will be a short talk, about 40 minutes long, about what
geocaching is, and why you might have fun doing it. Then we'll walk
outside, and find a geocache or two near the library.
The talk will cover a tiny amount of GPS science, how caches are
hidden and how you go about finding them. How to choose and use a
handheld GPS device will be covered, if you don't have one already.
We will discuss geocaching etiquite and practices, local caching
organizations (like GONIL) and group caching events.
The talk is intended for the beginner... no hard math or boring
science for this one... only some basic Internet skill is assumed,
and help will be provided with that if necessary. The presenter
loves to talk, and will hang out answering questions as long as the
library lets him! We will find caches after the talk... and
the kids in the audience will probably beat the adults to them.
Geocaching is a hobby or sport or outdoor activity which uses
billion-dollar military satellites to find hidden treasure. Usually
the treasure isn't worth very much... the fun is in the finding.
Adults like geocaching because it gives them an excuse to spend
time in the outdoors.... and because caches take them to places
they would not think of going. Kids like those things too, and they
also like caching because finding treasure is fun!
Geocaches can be hidden in urban environments (we will find some
that are close to the library in downtown Waukegan!), in parks and
forest preserves, and many other places. Cachers hide them, hoping
that other cachers will enjoy finding them. They range in size from
tiny containers (pill bottles, or smaller) to tupperware, to five
gallon pails filled with treasure like McDonalds toys and matchbox
cars. Geocaching rules require that the hide should be
non-distructive; we do not hunt buried treasure, but rather
hidden treasure.
The curious should bring GPS equipment if they have any, and
maybe a flashlight. Experienced geocachers are welcomed, and will
be put to work during the "we will find a cache now" portion
of the program.