They are called 21st century treasure hunters.
Geocaching is an outdoor activity that is gaining momentum in Prince George, and the only equipment that is needed is a GPS and an internet connection. Using the GPS, geocachers attempt to locate a cache, a box ranging in size, the geocacher then records the find and moves on to the next cache.
The caches are stashed by other treasure hunters in the club. They can range from suitcase size to thumbnail size (known as nano-caches) - and they can be anything.
Andrew Toms (caching name plumbrokeacres) got involved when he and his wife moved to Prince George from Winnipeg.
"I saw a thing on TV about geocaching and when I arrived in Prince George in December 2006, and I signed up right away," said Toms, who started the Prince George Geocaching Club.
When he started, there were only 150 caches in town, now there are roughly 700 caches in and around Prince George.
"At the time I got into it, I saw it as a way to discover my new city and discover new places. When I was young, my dad and I used to go on Sunday drives and discover the countryside," said Toms.
"I've met a lot of interesting people because of the game, sport, obsession, whatever you want to call it, that I never would have met otherwise.
"All ages. Everything from kids to senior citizens."
It's free to register a geocaching account at www.geocaching.com and from there, it's about getting out and viewing the surrounding landscape but in a different way.
"It gets us out to see different parts of the country that we've never seen before, that's the most incredible part for us," said Warren Toombs (caching name Tnerraw).
Toombs and his wife, Karen (caching name Lily Hopper), have been avid players for two years.
"We still find parts of Prince George that we didn't know existed." said Warren.
"We get together every couple of months. We learn new things and teach the new cachers the tricks of the hunt."
The game got started when handheld GPS units became more accurate and less expensive to purchase. The first cache ever placed was in 2000 in Beavercreek, Oregon.
Now there are more than five million geocachers worldwide. Caches can be found in more than 100 countries around the world, on all seven continents, including Antarctica.
To learn more about the Prince George Geocachers, visit, www.pgcachers.com.
