Justin Votos and Matthew Pitts didn't have a GPS device when they went climbing on Mt. Hood earlier this week, but that didn't keep them from stumbling upon a geocache that would lead rescuers to the stranded duo. Luckily, the climbers, who were stuck on the mountain after bad weather set in, had a cell phone and could call up authorities to describe the cache, which led to their backcountry rescue.
Most people explicitly go hunting for the hidden treasure stashes using handheld GPS receivers, but since all the boxes are listed on the geocaching website, rescuers could pinpoint Votos and Pitts' location from afar. It only took a couple hours to find the pair once rescuers knew their coordinates.
Lesson learned? There are two really. First, don't forget your cell phone and your own GPS receiver when hiking off-trail or in challenging conditions. Second, Geocaching is even cooler than we thought.
Related Stories:
· Geocaching [Official Site]
· Climbers Rescued on Mt. Hood Aided by Treasure Hunt Box [King5 News]
· Mt. Hood Climbers and the "Climbable" Paradox [Jaunted]
· Adventure Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo of a geocache: Francois Schnell]]]>