People around the world are joining a unique game that has an element of a 15th century swashbuckling treasure hunt, but could only be created in the world of modern-day technology.

Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing), an elaborate game of hide and seek, is attracting gamers from all over the globe, including southwest Saskatchewan.
The rapidly growing sport challenges outdoor adventurers to seek out treasures planted all over the world, using only a GPS receiver and a sense of fun and excitement.
The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, and then share those experiences online.
Here’s how it works: You find a list of local caches, or tiny treasure boxes, by visiting the web site geocaching.com.
Then you plug those coordinates into a handheld GPS unit and start searching.
Once you find a cache, you can sign your name on the guest registry inside.
Many of the hidden boxes are also filled with items like pins, stickers, stamps or small toys.
In keeping with caching etiquette, anyone who takes something from a cache is also expected to leave something in return for the next visitor.
And just how big is the endeavour?
Well, according to the web site, there are currently 1,074,233 active geocaches around the world.
The international phenomenon has stretched into the Southwest where dozens of local residents - unbeknownst to many of their neighbours - have been playing the game for years.
Among the active participants are Murray and Lianne Shadbolt, who have been geocaching for about five years now.
They were first introduced to the game after one of their children bought the couple a GPS for Christmas.
It wasn’t long before the whole family was involved in the activity.
For Lianne and Murray - who operate a chiropractic clinic in Shaunavon - the activity had turned into a way to share some valuable and fun experiences with their grandchildren.
“We often do these with our grandchildren and they love it - even the youngest kids,” said Lianne. “They enjoy the hunt as much as anything, although they can get pretty excited when they find the caches.”
“It’s just a great activity for families to do,” she added.
Participants not only hunt for these hidden gems, but they also hide their own small treasure chests, then record the GPS coordinates on the internet for others to search.
The GPS co-ordinates can be found by visiting the geocache web site.
Visitors can simply enter a postal code or address and click “go” to explore the geocaches near them.
The Shadbolts set up their own pair of caches last fall after getting permission from community officials. Their sites have already attracted a number of searchers, including out of town visitors.
Although it is not required, most people who discover a cache fill out a log sheet left at the site, and also drop a short message online for the cache keepers.
“It does tend to take you to places you never thought about going to before, or to nearby sites that you might not have known about,” said Lianne. “Or maybe it will take you to a nearby point of interest that you knew about, but had never really paid much attention to before.”
Some caches, of course, are harder to find than others.
“It’s annoying to leave a site and not find the cache you were looking for,” said Murray. “But it happens. And you never know if the cache has been moved. That’s why I like to leave an online message with the cache owner, even if we don’t find anything, so that they can be aware of problems if there are any.”
The Shadbolts, of course, aren’t the only area geocache enthusiasts.
There are a number caches that have been set up in the Southwest at locations such as the Eastend Observatory, Chimney Coulee, Pine Cree Park, Rock Creek Golf Club and at the TransCanada Trail in Shaunavon.
In fact, both Lianne and Murray say geocaching has huge tourism potential.
In many communities, the caches are placed at public buildings such as museums and libraries, or at monuments and places of interest.
They say that there was actually a small team of geocaching participants that recently traveled from the U.S. to Ponteix to check out a half dozen cache treasures in that community along with other sites in the region.
The caches come in a variety of forms and locations.
Typically, however, they aren’t usually buried, but are hidden out of plain sight. They are usually found outdoors, but not always, and fairly easy to access no matter what the time of year or day.
The caches also come in all types of shapes and sizes.
The Shadbolts, for example, have filled a water bottle with small trinkets for one of their hidden sites.
But the couple, who have explored about 40 different caches over the past few years, have also come across several tiny microcaches during their search quests. In one case, the cache was small enough to be hidden behind a screw on a plaque.
Another was found in the hole of a rock that had been drilled out.
Obviously, caches of that size won’t consist of any small treasures. But they will include a well-folded piece of paper where participants can log and record their discovery.
Other, “mystery caches,” include puzzles or clues that will help lead searchers to the hidden site.
Some caches include “travel bug”, which are trackable tags that are attached to an item. This allows people to track the item on Geocaching.com.
The item becomes a hitchhiker that is carried from cache to cache (or person to person) in the real world and you can follow its progress online.
One of the Shadbolts’ grandchildren discovered a travel bug on a small toy moose. The youngster took the item on various excursions, including a trip to the U.S., and recorded the experience with photographs and a whimsical travel diary.
Each travel bug has its own unique tracking number stamped on it. This tracking number is used as proof by the user that they found the item. It also doubles as a way for the user to locate the personal web page for the travel bug.
Eventually, the moose and travel bug will be dropped off at another cache location for someone else to find.
“You can watch the bug travel all over the world,” said Murray.
Geocaching enthusiasts around the globe receive a weekly newsletter, and in many larger centres participants gather in groups for special events and social gatherings.
Participants have even developed a short glossary of terms, like “Muggles,” that refers to non-geocachers and is based on the “Muggles” from the Harry Potter series.
“It’s amazing to think how big this has become,” said Murray. “There are literally cache sites around the world and it just seems to be getting bigger.”