With the weather turning warmer and the summer school recess around the corner , thoughts are turning to fun outdoor activities the whole family can enjoy .

One such activity that has gained popularity in recent yearsis “ geocaching . ” The game , which originated in 2000 , involves using a hand-held global positioning system ( GPS ) receiver to hide and seek waterproof containers of treasure typically hidden in public parks and along hiking trails . The treasure boxes , or “ caches , ” usually contain a logbook for recording yourvisit , along with an assortment of trinkets of nominal value to trade . Caches come in various sizes , from micro-sized pill or film containers , which hold log records only , to watertight plastic containers , ammunition boxes or camouflaged 5-gallon pails with an assortment of toys and goodies .

Geocachers can gather the coordinates for hidden caches in their area and record their visits by logging onto www . geocaching . com and plugging in their local zip code or the zip code of an area they plan to visit . To date , the site reports there are more than 813 , 000 caches hidden worldwide .

“ I was exposed to geocaching as a geography major at Keene State in New Hampshire , ” said Steph Straitiff of Vernon , who with her husband Rob have been actively geocaching for about three and a half years. She introduced Rob to it , and they enjoyed it so much , that he bought her a GPS receiver as a Christmas gift .

“ We found there are hundreds of caches in the Manchester / Vernon area , ” said Rob Straitiff . He said their cache hunts have resulted in not just hundreds of finds over the years, but also a discovery of the abundance of nature and wildlife in the area . “ It’s a fairly inexpensive activity for families , ” said Rob . The only real expense , he said , is the purchase of a GPS receiver , which can run about $ 170 and up . However , good , used units can be purchased on eBay for considerably less .

Other smaller purchases can include “ travel bugs , ” which are marked with a code number and can be attached to an object so geocachers can track the location and distances their object travels as it passes from one geocacher to another . For example , the Staitiffs said they had attached a travel bug to a fishing lure they named “ Finn the Minnow , ” which logged 3 , 743 miles and made it all the way to Germany before it disappeared .

“ We’ve seen a lot of elementary schools releasing tracking bugs , ” said Steph .

Steph also introduced her parents , Anne and Mark Derrick of South Windsor , to the game , which is becoming a multigenerational activity .

“ What’s nice is youcan do as little or as much as youwant [ with geocaching ] , ” said Anne Derrick . The grandparent of a 10-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl , Derrick said she wanted the whole family to go geocaching for Mother’s Day . “ So there we were , all tromping out in the woods on Mother’s Day , ” she said . “ It was a little adventure . ”

Derrick added that because caches are rated on the site by difficulty and the level of terrain , geocachers of all ages and abilities can pick the ones they want to do . A case in point , a few yearsago Derrick had hip-replacement surgery that precluded her from doing any hiking . However , she was able to go on some of the handicap cache hunts , as well as pick up some of what she calls “ urban ” caches – those hidden in lots at shopping centers – which she would complete while running errands . She and her husband have also found it fun to combine geocaching with other activities , such as biking , and recently completed a series of caches with Steph and Rob that were placed along the East Coast Greenway bike trail in Manchester .

“ It’s like they say . It’s all about the hunt , ” said Derrick .