Geocaching club at IU creates sense of community

In September 2000, geocaching.com was created. It has since grown to more than 87,000 account holders in more than 100 countries. As a longtime geocacher and member of the geocaching club at IU, graduate student Maria Solomou said geocaching is an interesting spin on the classic treasure hunt.

“Geocaching is a real-world treasure-hunt game, where you use a GPS device and coordinates to locate boxes, known as geocaches, around the world,” Solomou said.
The geocaching club at IU was created this year in hopes of showing other students the fun of geocaching.

“I really wanted the opportunity to gather together people who enjoyed geocaching, because it’s a lot more fun when you do it in a group,” said senior Jessica Falkenthal, president of the club.

Now that there is a club, geocaching has become more convenient for students on campus.

“If you are interested in geocaching, and there wasn’t a club, there wouldn’t be as much of an opportunity for people to try it out,” said freshman Will Petrovic, vice president of the club. “You wouldn’t be as likely to do it if you went to the Web site. You are more likely to do it with a group of people.”

Falkenthal said Geocaching can be done anywhere in the world, but Bloomington offers some interesting opportunities.

“There are actually a lot of geocaches on campus, which means you have a lot that you can find in your own backyard,” Falkethal said. “There are 250 within five miles of Bloomington.”

Geocaching in a group also helps create a sense of community among its members.
“When you geocache in a group you get to know other geocachers in the area,” Solomou said. “It forms a closer relationship with the other geocachers. That’s the cool thing about being in a community.”

The IU club also combines efforts with the Bloomington Geocachers.

“It gives us an unique opportunity to meet community members in such a platonic way and do fun activities together,” Falkenthal said. “It’s a great way to meet new people to do some networking and just get together.”

Geocaching can also be a great way to go outside and be active.

“I didn’t consider myself an outdoors person, but when I started geocaching I started doing things I normally wouldn’t do,” Falkenthal said. “It gives people the chance to go to a place you normally wouldn’t go to, and you end up seeing things you wouldn’t normally see. It gives you a really good reason to go out and walk, because you have something you are walking toward.”

To geocache you need a Global Positioning System, and Falkenthal said knowing how to use a GPS can help you in more ways than just finding geocaches.

“Being able to use GPS is very valuable, some employers have even started to look for it on a resume,” Falkenthal said. “Geocaching can be a fun way to learn a very practical skill that can help you in the future.”