While college is widely perceived as a time to tuck away childhood dreams, perhaps treasure hunting is one dream that can be experienced in Athens.
A favored activity of adventurers from around the globe, geocaching is the practice of finding hidden objects through GPS software. Caches can be anything from an empty film canister to a large bucket containing items left by the previous finder or a slip of paper leading them to the next cache.
Geocaching began in 2000 as the result of a celebration due to increased accuracy in GPS equipment. As geocaching grew more complex, so did technology, allowing cache-seekers to take their hobby to the Internet with mobile apps.
“I started geocaching this past year in Cincinnati around the neighborhood with some friends,” said Emma Kruis, a freshman studying biochemistry. “I tried to find some in the Netherlands over the summer, and there were plenty, but I never ended up finding them because I can’t read Dutch.”
Not only can prospective treasure hunters search for concealed caches around the globe, but anyone with a thirst for discovery can simply contact the Athens County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, which offers a variety of free trails such as the traditional Athens County Geotrail and the latest Athens Country History Geotrail.
“Our first trail was the Athens County Geotrail,” said Jenna Dill, Marketing and Sales manager at the Visitor’s Bureau. “There’s the traditional trail with 18 caches and a fully handicap accessible trail with 10 caches. It’s the only handicap accessible trail in the country.”
Upon completion of the History Geotrail, geocachers earn a traceable commemorative coin which can be redeemed at the Visitor’s Bureau after solving the puzzle.
The leading geocaching website, geocaching.com, reveals international geocaching sites such as Bermuda, Spain and Scotland. To join this intercontinental adventure, one need only sign up for a free account on the geocaching website or download the official geocaching app.
“I’ve found about 25 caches, all in Cincinnati,” said Dylan Sutts, a freshman studying engineering at the University of Cincinnati. “I tried to find some in Athens, Greece that I located on the geocaching website, but I couldn’t understand the language.”
jb540612@ohiou.edu
@jburroughs88
