Thousands of hidden treasures can be found all over Pennsylvania.
We’re not talking about pirates’ booty or cash scored in long-ago bank robberies. We’re talking about the type of find prized by those who spend their spare time taking part in the high-tech treasure hunt of geocaching. The game involves going online to look up the latitude and longitude of caches that include logbooks, notes from other geocachers and prizes like trackable tags. Hobbyists hide caches along hiking trails, on the sides of cliffs and outside of buildings.
“It’s all about the adventure,” says Wes Ramsey, a Warren County man who says he and his wife have found caches in 40 states.
About four years ago, Ramsey worked to set up the Allegheny GeoTrail, a collection of caches sprinkled throughout 10 counties in northwest and north-central PA. Since then these caches have been found more than 66,000 times.
Since the Allegheny GeoTrail has been so popular, Ramsey thought northwest PA would be a great place for GeoWoodstock, an annual get-together of geocachers from all over the world. Event organizers agreed, so GeoWoodstock IX is set for July 2 at the Warren County Fairgrounds in Pittsfield. Ramsey’s employer, the Penn Soil Resource Conservation & Development Council, is a platinum sponsor.
Ramsey expects at least 5,000 geocachers to come to Warren County. The location is perfect because forests and towns are nearby. “There’s certainly something here for everyone,” he says. “It’s really tailor-made for geocaching.”
Source: Wes Ramsey, GeoWoodstock IX
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen