- Today, we're going deep in the woods on a modern day treasure hunt.

We're in the thick of it.

It was easy.

Everybody do it.

Searching for an inconvenient ATM.

This is authentic.

This is TPT.

This isn't MTV.

(upbeat music) Did you know there's 122 regional and state parks in Minnesota.

That means you could go to two a week for an entire year.

Still have a few left over.

Now, if you go to the same parks often, or you're looking for a good reason to visit a new park, geocaching is an outstanding way for a new perspective on being outside.

We're heading 30 minutes south of St. Paul to Whitetail Woods Regional Park in Farmington Minnesota to meet up with one of the most prolific geocachers in the state.

Come on, let's go!

Geocaching, it's a type of treasure hunt where the seekers or the finders get a set of GPS coordinates and a clue to help 'em find the stash.

Now they can be big or small.

They can range in difficulty from easy all the way to Indiana Jones.

Gonna have to use your thinking cap and all of your powers of observation.

The hobby has changed little since its start in Oregon in the year 2000, when it was called geostashing.

It was originated by a group of people who were interested in geography and the newly emerging GPS technology.

They reinvented the older hide and seek hobby of letter boxing.

Letter boxing started in England in the 1800's, but instead of using GPS they just used riddles and clues to guide people to a stash that was filled with either letters or business card.

Today, the Minnesota Geocaching Association Facebook group has nearly 2000 members.

and touts its ability to bring the community of hiders and seekers together.

One of those 2000 members is Bart Flentje.

He's like the Kevin Garnet of Minnesota geocaching.

- [Friend] Yeah, is that good?

- Wow.

Now I can't wait to meet him.

All right, we're here at Whitetail Woods Regional Park with Bart.

Ready to start this geocaching adventure.

Bart, tell me what we need to get started.

- First of all, you need a GPS or a hand or a smartphone device.

Download the app from Geocaching.com.

- So this one that we're looking for this is one that you've hidden.

- Yes.

- All right.

So even if I can't find it, I got a teammate.

Okay, this one says it's the automatic teller machine.

All right.

Looks like its a four and a half difficulty, three terrain and a regular size object.

We got a map.

Let's get busy.

- All right, let's go.

- The cash we're looking for is one of Bart's favorite hides.

He created a one of a kind specialized ATM machine with instructions for how we can make a withdrawal that will help lead to the cash.

Its difficulty rating is four and a half out of five.

So it's not gonna be easy.

Tell me about your stats.

- My stats, I am approaching approximately 20,000 fines.

I've hidden just short of 750 cashes in that 17 years as well, about 400 of which are still active that people still find today.

- Wow, you know this nice trail, people could ride a bike.

People could jog by here again and again, not knowing that anywhere off this beaten trail, you could be, you know getting close to something that was hidden with care Across the world.

There are over 3 million active caches in 191 countries.

And they've been logged as found more than 642 million times.

Safe to say, this is more than just a passing fad or justifiable excuse to take a hike with your phone in your hand.

Well, it looks like we're getting somewhere here.

I think, I think this is the trail.

I'm gonna throw on this just to document.

Okay, we're leaving the beaten path.

If I see any big foot or aliens this will be my final account.

- Do I qualify?

- Big foot and alien.

I suppose anybody could see, but since you're the owner of the cash, how many people have come to this one?

- Because of its distance from the parking lot, probably significantly less than a hundred.

- I might be one of the first hundred people out here signing that book.

- Could be.

- So what's like a common mistake that rookies make?

- The biggest mistake I see people make earlier on.

They're so obsessed with the screen and figuring out which direction to go based on the screen, that they fail to actually look up to see what's around them.

I mean, look at this, It's the high point of the park right here.

The wildflowers.

- Yeah, you can't beat the view.

I think that might be a theme in society these days is that we spend so much time looking down at the screen that we miss the, the world around us, the views, the experiences.

- What do we have for direction?

- 180 feet to the edge, looks like this direction.

Bush whacking.

- We have to Bush whack.

- All right.

Look out for them big frogs.

- All right, there's poison Ivy here.

If you react.

- Which one?

- These drooping.

- The three.

Yes we are.

We are in the woods.

That's poison Ivy.

Would you like me to lean the way in or would you like to?

- I got this.

This is crazy.

It's so deep.

If it was easy, everybody do it.

We're in the thick of it.

I saw two piles.

The Sasquatch scat.

There's a box with a lock.

This geocashe has two levels of security.

The first security checkpoint requires three numeric security codes you must use to gain access.

Those codes are 32, 10, 01.

Oh!

- [Bart] Score.

- Whoa.

Woo!

Look at that.

All right.

Let's see, more numerical codes.

So there's four digits.

I notice in the description.

Welcome to the ATM.

Please insert card?

I've seen a lot of credit scams but this one's the most elaborate.

- [Bart] You can actually use any card.

I will let use my library card - Oh, library card, all right.

Put this in there.

Okay, and remove the card, reading the card.

And let's see if this was the one, 6, 7, 2, 4.

Oh, withdrawal.

Yeah.

Pay me!

80 bucks.

I can't, can't get that amount at this moment.

Dangs, reminds me of my freshman year of college.

Didn't have $80 to my name.

All right.

Let's do 400.

Oh!

All right.

Where's my cash?

Get it.

Green light.

What is it?

What's happening?

- One concept of multi cashes is that earlier stages in the cash itself actually points you to the final container.

- Oh.

- So you'll be looking.

You may, it could be something here but it also may be providing you coordinates to the final location.

- Is this Morse code?

- It is not Morse code, but it is, it is a code.

If you count the green between the red.

- [Chance] Okay.

- [Bart] It might provide you what you need.

- 1, 2, 3, 4.

All right.

Is that a code I punch in?

- Those are give you coordinates.

Which you need to punch in.

- Okay.

- Into the app while you were counting I wrote them down for you.

The longitude is 0 9 3 0 5 dot, 7 3 3.

- [Chance] Yeah, navigate.

- [Bart] There you go.

- [Chance] All right.

- [Bart] Look at that.

- 468 more feet.

We're getting closer.

Looks like we're bush whacking again.

- It's pretty thick.

- 44 feet.

All right.

It's a little thick.

- Would you Like to do the honors?

- Hey hey, let's get it!

Holy Moses.

Ah, I think I see it.

Oh!

Okay.

Heavy duty.

Ooh, waterproof.

Oh, look at, I've heard people leave personal belongings.

Little... - Generally, If you take something, you should leave something.

- Yeah.

- The trinket exchange thing is, is the family friendly aspect of it.

- And we have the log book of people who have been to this location.

It's, it's extensive.

There's, there's quite a few people that have been here.

People get out here.

People do not care.

My first cash.

Yes!

Three mosquito bites and four geoslashes later, we're here.

Bart said, if you take a trinket, leave a trinket.

I'm seeing this black panther calling out to me.

I'm gonna leave behind the TPT button, represent, represent zent.

Put that in there.

We did it.

All right.

We're deep here in the woods.

We found the cashe.

That was a very challenging one too.

I feel like my Indiana Jones score went up just a little bit.

I'm ready to get outta here before we get malaria.

I'm gonna talk to you soon.

All right, Bart.

I wanna thank you.

- Awesome time geocaching.

- My pleasure.

- I think I understand the appeal.

Just getting out in nature.

Amazing stuff.

- Awesome.

- Ready to get back to the parking lot?

- Now I'm gonna take the scenic route.

I'll be seeing ya.

- Well, okay.

Didn't he drive?

So that's geocashing.

I'd probably recommend starting with a lower level difficulty, maybe a one or a two unless you got an expert with you.

Now, another big takeaway that I noticed is no matter how many times you've been a certain place just changing your perspective of that place, Slowing down, noticing a little bit more, can give you so much of an experience.

Lastly, I know we got these phones, this technology always in our pocket, but you know what?

Sometimes they can take you to a place, but if you forget to look up from your phone you might miss it all.

See you next time, Chance, signing off.