In your daily travels you probably pass by treasure waiting to be discovered, oblivious to its existence. For those who know about geocaching, the searches are a real and exciting adventure.

“It’s a treasure hunt,” Ryan Soares said, who teaches a class that uses geocaching for a project. “Thinking back to when you were a kid, hiding stuff around the house and having clues to find that item. Instead of clues you are given coordinates and usually there is some kind of surprise or token inside.”

People around the world are unified by the challenge of discovering these treasures by using devices to track location.­ The official geocaching website stands as a medium for exchange between geocachers.­ All caches are recorded on the site by their location and participants post comments after discovering a new cache.

According to the geocaching website, geocaching.com, geocaching can be defined as “a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online.” More than 1.4 million geocaches have been hidden worldwide.

Geocaches can be simple objects, a small container with a list of the people who have previously discovered the item or a puzzle that leads to the location of other caches.­ The actual find of the item is often not the highlight of the search, but it is the success of locating something based on the clues given for its exact location.

“If you find the cache, it’s normally a little trinket object, something you can take as your reward,” Fresno State junior Chris Mount said. “But the spirit is to replace it with something of value so the next person who finds it can have an experience just as rewarding as yours. When you and your friends go out it’s always a good story, whether or not the cache was worth it.”

By typing in a zip code the official geocaching website will provide a list of nearby locations.­ There are even caches on the Fresno State campus.­ A quick and free registration with the site and a GPS device or smart phone equipped with a GPS application are the only tools needed to start as a geocacher.

“Look everywhere, you never know where it might be, including the obvious,” Andrew Gong, a Fresno State freshman said.

The adventure of geocaching is often a social activity done with family or friends and involves visiting new places or looking at familiar places in a different way.

“Do it with other family because it’s like a huge treasure hunt,” Kelly Fine, a Fresno State alumni, said. “Make a day of it.­ Do it on a road trip. We did that one time and I looked up geocaches all along the highways.­ You can find some really awesome places.”

Geocaching is a rewarding activity with the challenge of a scavenger hunt, the motivation to physically be outdoors searching and the satisfaction of discovering items in everyday places.

“It’s a good way to get outdoors and a fun way to get some exercise,” Soares said.­ “Treasure hunting through technology.”