When was last time you went on a treasure hunt?

In the summer of 1974, Mayor William Donald Schaefer launched the first citywide treasure hunt, an attempt to mint the phrase "Charm City" and inspire Baltimoreans to visit local tourist attractions. By following the maps, participants would discover charms-both literal and figurative. Now, instead of maps, we have Global Positioning System (GPS) devices. Instead of treasure hunts, we have geocaching.

Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is a kind of treasure hunt currently being played all over the world. The basic idea is that people or groups set up "caches"-small, hidden boxes filled with various articles-somewhere, anywhere. When you go on a geocaching quest, you use your GPS device to seek out the location using latitude and longitude coordinates. When you get there, you search for the cache. Open it.

While the articles inside may seem insignificant at first glance, in the context of exploration, every discovered object is a talisman. You can take one, leave one, or write a note that you were there. Perhaps your quest has changed you in some way. Simply sharing an object or musing on a shred of paper is an encouraging act, prompting the recipients to ponder who might have left it and what they were trying to say.

How do you find out where the treasures are hidden?

Our vision of geocaching in Baltimore includes a website (geobaltimore.blogspot.com) that invites you to design and post your own quest. Others download the quest and begin exploring. You might go on a quest suggested by Mayor Dixon, for example, and see the city from her eyes. Or she could see the city from yours. Among even those who love their fair city, Baltimoreans have a tendency to sequester themselves. Neighborhoods are tightly defined and people are territorial, and over time we have become set in our ways rather than adventurous.

We believe there is a positive side to Baltimore's sequesteredness: It makes the act of exploration more transcendent. The simple act of seeking and seeing places for the first time may help us surpass our assumptions and consider a Baltimore that we never knew existed. We believe that confronting spaces and people that are unfamiliar can unleash the imagination. For those who tend to stick to a set of habits, routes, and places (all of us, to some extent), the act of exploration and being open to what may be an unfamiliar Baltimore can make for an experience that is truly illuminating.

Who will create geocaching quests?

Teachers, students, public officials, parents, dreamers of all ages will participate-all those who want to share their unique perspectives of the city.

How about a cycling geocache for those who want to quest on two wheels? How about a quest to find Baltimore's neon signs? What quest would a history teacher create to help her students learn about the War of 1812? What quest would you create for us?

While there are many places in Baltimore that are rightfully considered to be "treasures," a lot of Baltimore's sacred, communal, and whimsical places remain unknown to many of us.

All of us are familiar with 39°17'51.08" N, 76°36'56.38" W, but how many of us have enjoyed the view from 39°19'43.07" N, 76°35'14.14" W? Who would think that one of Baltimore's spiritual centers would be at 39°17'54.24" N, 76°34'58.22" W? What could we learn about our city or ourselves at 39°17'11.51" N, 76°34'00.73" W?

Why geocaching?

Geocaching is an expression of technology that can help us learn about the spaces around us, encourage our curious side, and communicate our experiences. It is an activity that compels us to exceed our self-imposed boundaries and bridge not only the virtual and physical worlds, but also the considerable gap between what is familiar and what we have not yet found. When you go on a geocaching adventure, you are committing time and effort to follow a path that someone has suggested for you.

You are standing where someone has asked you to stand, exploring the manifold treasures and charms of Baltimore great and small.