News Summary

Springfield, Ohio — The Zeller family has come out of street tunnels covered in mud, reached into coffins and climbed trees together.

All in the name of geocaching.

The globetrotters' game of hiding and hunting treasures has reached more than 100 countries, including Antarctica, and the techie/outdoor fanatics craze has reached Clark County too.

Geocachers can hide a treasure anywhere, then pinpoint its location using Global Positioning technology. The location, or clues to the location, are then posted to a Web site like geocaching.com, for others to use to locate the treasure, which includes a log book for finders to leave their mark and sometimes treasures that can be traded for something the finder leaves behind.

More than 150 of the various species of geocaches are hidden within ten miles of downtown Springfield, said enthusiast Dave Zeller.

The Zeller family, including Dave, his father William, and the grandchildren, enjoy the sport as a family activity.

"We like to have it as a family affair," said William. "All of the grandkids are into technology so they enjoy that aspect of it and it's also good for exercise."

Geocaches must always be hidden on public property or with consent from the property owner or manager and can be in the middle of a city - like Springfield's downtown Esplanade — or out in the woods — John Bryant State Park is a popular local hunting and hiding ground.

"I love to geocache," said 6-year-old Zach Forshey, William's grandson. "It's my favorite game. You get to walk around, see things. It's pretty cool."

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0373 or mgildow@coxohio.com.

Do you geocache?