Distinctly Montana Magazine

Geocaching: High Tech Hide & Seek Article and photos By Shelby Humphreys I swing the kickstand to the ground, park my bike, and plop onto a green bench to rest. I'm perched at the top of a knoll along the Old Polson Railroad Trail, which the city of Polson converted into a meandering bike path. I gaze out onto the steely blue calm of Flathead Lake, able to see miles across its length on this sunny day. A piney breeze refreshes my lungs; its current cools my glistening shoulders. What a gorgeous spot, I think, but I remind myself that I mustn't dilly-dally. I've got a mission. I'm sitting on Ivan's Bench, reading my one clue: "Sit on the east side of the bench, and place your right hand down to feel for a surprise." Dragging my fingers along the edge of the seat, I follow the Caching gear instructions. I touch metal, a screw maybe? I trace the dull, bubbly seams of the welded seat. I resist peeking and reach farther back. The edge squares off into a hollow box. I lean into the bench, so I can poke my finger up through the hole. There's something in it. It's metal. It's smooth. I hook my finger around it and pull. Jackpot! I've just found my 10th Geocache of the day. If you've never heard of Geocaching (pronounced "Gee-oh-cash-ing"), don't feel left out. A modern-day version of the old-fashioned treasure hunt, the sport of Geocaching has grown as secretly as the booty it's all about. When I sat on Ivan's Bench, I found one of over 1.8 million caches worldwide, over 5,300 in Montana alone. Stashing a cache is not a new idea for Montanans. Before the West was settled, travelers like Andrew Garcia often cached their possessions in hidden, out-of- sight spots. Months — even years — later they uncovered the stash to find their bounty safe, waiting for their return. Geocaching takes that tradition and makes it fun. Maybe you have an itch to explore more of Montana, but don't know where to start. Perhaps you plan to visit the state and want in on the quirky spots only the locals know about. Or, you just want to add a little mystery to your Sunday drive. Any situation, and virtually any mode of transportation, can fit with Geocaching. I chose to bike an easy, mostly downhill, route along the edge of Polson. This quaint town sits at the southern tip of Flathead Lake, the largest fresh-water body west of the Mississippi. That day, Larry Allen guided me as we uncovered 14 of the 19 caches along the route. Larry began Geocaching in 2009. He's logged over 400 finds. "I've seen places in Missoula, where I've lived for 61 years, that I've never seen before, all because I started Geocaching." As we started down the trail at Caffrey Road, a half-mile before the hill heading down into Polson, I didn't have Biking from to bike long to score our first find. cache to cache The cache, named "Adopt Me," along Old offered one clue: "metal, rubber, Polson Trail wood." We found a small strip of paper rolled up and stuffed into a drilled-out hole in a piece of wood, with a rubber stopper for a cork. We unfurled the paper and scanned the list of Geocachers who had come before us. To get ideas for creative geocaching go to: DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL www.distinctlymontana.com/cache133 w w w. d i s t i n c t lymo nt a na .co m 39

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