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]]]> pbb 2008-01-17T10:05:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/8/26/23723/6651

Our Eat 'n Sleep feature profiles a restaurant in a random city and a hotel nearby. It's kinda like that old show "Dinner and a Movie" but you know, with restaurant and hotels. And better jokes.

This past weekend hundreds of rabid runners gathered in Portland to race from the top of Mt. Hood down to the Pacific Coast in the largest relay race in the world. Only those crazy enough willing to run a leg of the 197-mile overnight race were assigned numbers. So where did those looking for serious nourishment before running the Hood to Coast relay go to fill their bellies? And where did racers weary from the open road finally rest their legs? Only Jaunted's got the answer.

MORE]]> jnaw 2007-08-28T14:30:01-05:00 45.505016 -122.62820 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2006/12/15/123435/94

The state of Oregon is once again in the midst of a furious manhunt. This time, rescue teams are searching Mount Hood for Kelly James and his climbing buddies.

James and his team set out more than a week ago for the summit of the 11,239-foot volcanic peak.

But with the hikers missing since Sunday in worsening weather, there was a sense of urgency concerning the teams well being.

Yesterday, rescuers continued to wait on the middle elevations of the mountain for the weather to break, and family members kept the faith, largely thanks to a two-day-old ping from James' cell phone.

"It doesn't take a lot to survive if you can create a good snow cave," said Dunham Gooding, president of the American Alpine Institute in Bellingham, Wash.

]]> markj 2006-12-15T12:37:19-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/