Geocache players become explorers, game creators

There are many geocaches hidden in Putnam County. Near the Buzz Bomb at the courthouse square there is one hidden inside a small tin box (inset).

On the Greencastle Courthouse square, near the large Buzz Bomb monument, hidden within the base of a lamppost, there sits a small tin box. The box is labeled, and inside contains a series of numbers -- a code.

For whoever finds this code, a new world of mystery, excitement and intrigue can be unlocked. Just don't take the box with you.

Pioneering with GPS

"It's sort of like a puzzle and scavenger hunt combined," said Greencastle native Michael Grimes, a geocacher and video game designer. "It is really interesting to get out and see things that you weren't really aware of in Putnam County."

A geocache is a treasure hidden around towns, the countryside and all around the world -- under bridges, in cemeteries, beside statues and occasionally even inside buildings. These treasures contain a code, and the code can be logged online.

To assist the players in finding and keeping track of their geocaches, an internet community, http://www.geocaching.com, lists the general location and nearby Global Positioning System coordinates.

Geocachers bring a GPS enabled cell phone or other GPS device with them in the pursuit. They then lift, dig, probe, peer, reach, scratch and otherwise scour the area until the geocache is found.

It gives participants a guiltless way to experience the thrill of the hunt. It can be quite exhilarating, Grimes said, when you decide to search for something, examine the area for possible clues, discover a likely location for the geocache, reach in and finally find it.

"As soon as you start going more and more, you start to think, 'This would be a really good place to hide it,'" Grimes said. "The first one that I found was at Carmel Cemetery (in Marion Township). I found that one in 2005, and after that I just started driving around and exploring Putnam County."

Cache in your chips

There are a few different types of geocaches. The most common is simply a cache and code. Players log the code to add it to their online profile, a sort of database for the geocache community to keep track of who has found what and where. These geocaches are left where you find them.

In another type, a special coin or dog tag is hidden with the geocache. These coins are taken with the player, then collected or rehidden at a different location. The code on these coins is logged and the path the coin travels reads like a Frommer's guidebook. They can travel all around the world, as far reaching as Hawaii or Scandanavia.

In a third type, the geocache is a puzzle. Players go to an area and find a series of clues, each leading to the next cache. These caches build on each other until the final picture or code is unlocked. Because this is more complex than a find-and-log cache, it is more rewarding. It has also been less popular.

Grimes (mykegeegee is his geocaching handle) believes he can change that. He has designed a tutorial program, a computer game, that will guide anyone interested on how to work their way through a puzzle based cache.

Grimes, who attended Fillmore Elementary and South Putnam High School, has worked passionately on video games for several years but is not a programmer. He is looking for funding to help pay a programmer to finish his project. The art design, character mapping and all other aspects of the game are already complete.

Through kickstarter.com, a website designed to help independent creators fund their projects, Grimes is able to take pledges. Backers donate money, and if the $3,500 threshold is not reached by Saturday, April 14, they will not be billed.

By the 'cachers, for the 'cachers

Each geocache is hidden by a player. Each coordinate is discovered and input by a player. The community spans the globe and includes, the website boasts, millions of users.

It is a safe, family friendly way for people of all ages to get outside, explore their communities and get exercise. Where pioneers once reconnoitered for strange species and anomalies, geocachers now search for clues to man-made hidden treasures.

Grimes, 35, designed a cache that runs from Fillmore to Greencastle and follows the plot of the boardgame "Clue." Each hidden location along the path contains character cards. When the player reaches the final location he or she will know if it was Col. Mustard with the candlestick in the billiard room.

Without the aid of a singing telegram, geocachers use a GPS devise and prowl through public squares, parks and streets. This can be an odd sight for "muggles," a term taken from Harry Potter that geocachers use to describe people unfamiliar with the game.

"The geocaching community tries to be discrete in pursuits because it's kind of goofy looking," Grimes said. Though he normally goes alone, he will occasionally geocache with friends. He has even gone with his mother.

It is tough to be too discrete all the time. Pawing at a streetlamp in the main square makes it especially difficult to remain inconspicuous, though the reward of finding the cache will outweigh the embarrassment.

To locate a geocache nearby, log on to the website and type in the local zip code. A list will come up revealing all the logged items -- there are hundreds in the Putnam County area.

The website also lists the caches each users has found and hidden -- a basic membership is free -- which can lead to relationships building as users try to stump one another.

A geocaching app is available to download on all smartphones to aid in your pursuit.

To make a contribution, Grimes can be contacted at mlgrimes8@gmail.com.

Geocaching terminology