Cache a priceless treasure.

Byline: THE OUTSIDER By John Rezell The Register-Guard

As we trudged more than 20 feet up yet another sand dune - our boots sliding down the embankment with each step, cutting each advancement in half - I thought back to my childhood in Wisconsin, wandering aimlessly in search of the biggest snowdrifts we could find.

Back then the bitter cold usually ended the madness before we eclipsed an hour, max.

But here and now, more than a couple of hours into our excursion around the Oregon Dunes just outside Lakeside on a surprisingly dry winter day, we were just getting started.

When we made it to the summit, I turned to study our progress over the waves of sand that stretched from the ocean to the eastern horizon with the invigorating view that lures folks here. It looked like mindless doodling dots on a piece of sand paper.

I could imagine what someone might think, standing on a far ridge watching our antics, hiking this way, then that, usually zig-zagging from spot to spot in straight-line arrows. They'd probably ask, "Are you lost?"

To that, without question, any of my three hiking partners - Rain or Shine, LegoBoyJJ or BeavTeam - would no doubt reply:

"Oh, yeah, baby, lost as a fox!"

And with that, they would raise their left hand skyward with a Statue of Liberty pose, thumb a button or two on the contraption in their palms, and rattle off our exact satellite coordinates. N43 degrees 36.578, W124 degrees 11.391. Lost? Hardly.

Welcome to the world of Geo-Caching.

You may have heard about these folks. They get hold of a Global Positioning System device and after listening to the directions home from the grocery store maybe a few times too many, well, they get hooked. They rush to the nearest computer and begin a search for nearby Geo-Caches (www.GeoCaching.com). Little treasure boxes hidden here and there and everywhere, with the coordinates listed on the Internet. Then it's "Gentlemen start your engines!"

Our engines roared at 5:30 a.m., when these Three Amigos picked me up. On the drive to Lakeside, BeavTeam downloaded just about everything he knows about Geo-Caching. It didn't take long to realize while this is a game and fun, these guys take it seriously.

There are 250,000 caches around the U.S. Tens of thousands of them in and around Oregon. More than 2,000 around Eugene.

When LegoBoyJJ, up front behind the wheel, finds his second cache later this morning, it will be No. 3,800. He's third in the state. BeavTeam is fifth. Rain or Shine, aka, Commander Salamander, is 11th or 12th, he's not sure. Too busy looking for caches to care about statistics.

We hit the Dunes because we could search for more than 10 caches while enjoying an invigorating hike. Most caches are hidden under trees or shrubs. They are containers filled with various sundries as well as a log sheet.

You write down your caching name (I was GeoHostage for the day), and either make a trade, or leave something else behind. Imagine garage sales on the barter system.

It would be easy to label this as yet another fabricated excuse to get out of the house and outdoors. As hobbies go, it's really no different than golfing or cycling. It creates opportunities for buddies like this trio to get together and get outside. When they aren't running around together, they can often be found with their wives and kids. Often times, well, Geo-Caching. It's a family affair.

Looking back at that magnificent view from atop the dune, it became vividly clear the value of such endeavors. We spent six hours on the Dunes, hiking - according to the GPS displays - more than nine miles. Sure, we uncovered a bunch of boxes full of stuff. But what we really found was a great time.

John Rezell, aka, Raz, is former editor of VeloNews magazine and bike.com. If someone doesn't invite him on another adventure soon, his column might become like, real work. He's at: [e-mail].