Girl scouts cache in on outdoor adventure
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Girl Scouts cache in on outdoor adventure July 26, 2011 11:06 PM REDLANDS, CA: Unraveling mysteries, deciphering clues and tracking down hidden treasure has become new form of adventure for some Girl Scouts, thanks to a popular underground sport known as geocaching. Geocaching is an international, outdoor treasure hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online. Some caches are hidden out in nature, others in neighborhood spots you pass by every day. Unless you are into the sport, you would never know they existed. Caches come in all different shapes and sizes, some as tiny as a fingertip. All contain a logbook for the finders to sign. Some also hold trade or trackable items. If you take something from a cache, the rule is you must leave another item of equal value. People can log their finds online at http://geocaching.com. "It's a fantastic sport for Girl Scouts," said leader Irene Trovato, who has a multi-level troop in Murietta made up of Daisies through Seniors. "It combines orienteering, problem- solving, and outdoor adventure. The girls especially like the trackable items like Travel Bugs, which are engraved with special code numbers and travel from cache to cache. They love going online afterwards to see all the different places a trackable has been." Six-year-old Sadie Bertoldo is always ready to go geocaching. She has quickly learned how to use GPS devices to pinpoint a location and knows all about longitude and latitude and what those coordinates actually mean. Her favorite part is the search, which is often difficult because the caches are so carefully hidden. "I'm getting pretty good at figuring out the clues," said the Daisy scout proudly. Often geocaches are themed around a personal story, a favorite site or historical landmark. There are also "Cache In Trash Out" caches that encourage finders to pick up litter and do clean ups in parks and cache-friendly sites. It's a fun way to learn about an area, take care of the environment and get to know others in the community.
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Blog article by Juno Kughler Carlson featuring the Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council.
Transcript of Girl scouts cache in on outdoor adventure
Girl Scouts cache in on outdoor adventure July 26, 2011 11:06 PM
REDLANDS, CA: Unraveling mysteries, deciphering
clues and tracking down hidden treasure has become
new form of adventure for some Girl Scouts, thanks to
a popular underground sport known as geocaching.
Geocaching is an international, outdoor treasure
hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers,
called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then
share their experiences online. Some caches are hidden
out in nature, others in neighborhood spots you pass by
every day. Unless you are into the sport, you would
never know they existed.
Caches come in all different shapes and sizes, some as
tiny as a fingertip. All contain a logbook for the
finders to sign. Some also hold trade or trackable
items. If you take something from a cache, the rule is
you must leave another item of equal value. People can
log their finds online at http://geocaching.com.
"It's a fantastic sport for Girl Scouts," said leader Irene
Trovato, who has a multi-level troop in Murietta made up of
Daisies through Seniors. "It combines orienteering, problem-
solving, and outdoor adventure. The girls especially like the
trackable items like Travel Bugs, which are engraved with
special code numbers and travel from cache to cache. They
love going online afterwards to see all the different places a
trackable has been."
Six-year-old Sadie Bertoldo is always ready to go geocaching.
She has quickly learned how to use GPS devices to pinpoint a
location and knows all about longitude and latitude and what
those coordinates actually mean. Her favorite part is the search,
which is often difficult because the caches are so carefully hidden. "I'm getting pretty good at
figuring out the clues," said the Daisy scout proudly.
Often geocaches are themed around a personal story, a favorite site or historical landmark. There
are also "Cache In Trash Out" caches that encourage finders to pick up litter and do clean ups in
parks and cache-friendly sites. It's a fun way to learn about an area, take care of the environment
and get to know others in the community.
"Geocaching is great because it's a free thing you can do with your kids," said co-leader Cynthia
Bertoldo. "They're walking around, getting exercise, learning navigation skills and using their
brains to put together clues to solve puzzles. We love it!"
In June, Troop 1124 created their own geocache and hid it
on the grounds of the Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council
office in Redlands. Since then, 21 people have found it and
signed the logbook. The cache description reads, "Girl
Scouts needs leaders" and the girls hope people will be
inspired to get involved with the organization.
The girls would also like to teach other scouts about the
sport. They hope to organize a geocaching event for Girl
Scouts' 100th Anniversary next year and invite other troops
to create 100 caches to be hidden throughout the Inland
Empire region.
Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio builds girls of courage,
confidence and character who help make the world a better
place. To find out how you can get involved with Girl
Scouts, call 1-800-400-GIRL (4475) or visit us online at
http://gssgc.org.
Do you have a great Girl Scout story to share? Send it to us using our easy online form.
Juno Kughler Carlson
Do you like this story and want to use it for your blog or newsletter? All our stories may be
freely reposted and shared with others!
