Geocaching class allows students to track items, get exercise

 Many children love to go on treasure hunts, and with new technology one class at Pratt Community College is going on them again and remembering why they enjoyed them as children.
A Geocaching class was started this spring as a physical activity elective.
 
Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity where participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver to find containers, which have been hidden by other people who also take part in the activity. The containers called "geocaches" or "caches" have been placed all over the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook where the geocacher enters the date they found it. Along with the logbook, a small token is usually also in there for people to take if they want. When they take an item they are expected to replace it with something else.
 
“The students are really enjoying it the class,” said Lori Montgomery, instructor. “They enjoy finding the caches and not having to sit in a classroom all of the time.”
 
During the course of the class student will learn the rules to the game, how to operate a GPS unit, implement the use of maps, and learn strategies to become successful in this (activity).  Students will track their activity with the use of online profiles by downloading coordinates and logging their cache’s.
 
Montgomery said they have had no issues finding caches in the Pratt area. According to the Geocaching website there are 174 registered geocaches within 50 miles of Pratt in and 3,579 within 100 miles.
 
Montgomery said Geocaching isn’t just big in this area. Last May she put a trackable device on a token in one of the caches, which she has kept track of online. To date it has gone a little over 5,000 miles. Montgomery said the students have seen where all it has been and are planning on making their own caches later this semester.
 
Now that the class has been started, Montgomery said she plans on teaching the shortened class every fall and spring semester.