Homer, Alaska may be the single spot on earth where one does not have to explain geocaching to non-geocachers. When my wife and I purchased our Garmin 60C a year ago, relatives and friends asked what geocaching was. We would explain. We would meet people where we volunteer and tell them about the new hobby. We traveled to Japan (were we found Takayama Ichiban - GCG8TZ) and once more we explained what that strange little machine was. We even went to the Tourist Information Center in Anchorage (the one that looks like a sod-covered log cabin right on main street) and once more we had to explain.
But all that changed in Homer, Alaska. Everyone we met knew about geocaching, or participated in the sport themselves. Finally, we asked on the owners of Two Sisters Bakery and Bed and Breakfast, "How come so many people in Homer know about geocaching?" We were told that there was a teacher who worked in a local school who taught really inquisitive students how to geocache. The kids love the activity and have taken their interest and enthusiasm home where they have explained it to their parents. But no one knew the teacher’s name or which school.
We became intrigued to find the person who had educated an entire community. When we returned home, we ran a search for caches in Homer, and I noticed that a good number of them had been placed by freya. Via the message service in the profile part of geocaching.com, we sent a message to freya, asking for the identity of the teacher.
The next day I opened our e-mail and read the following: "I am that teacher." Eureka! I had found her! It was the same thrill as when I find a cache! In real life, freya is Ms. Kiki Abramson, a teacher of third through sixth graders at Fireweed Academy in Homer, a writer of grants that buy GPS units for school kids to use, and a person who inspires others to follow in her footsteps. She has made several public presentations about geocaching and its connection to learning. She has presented workshops through local education groups including Islands and Oceans and Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies and Kachemak Heritage Land Trust. She has also made presentations about the activity to the Alaska State Charter School Conference and has had articles published in the Homer newspaper about the teaching technique.
Ms. Abramson was able to fund her school’s geocaching program through a grant that she wrote which allowed for the purchase of four Garmin eTrex GPS receivers. From that beginning, her students have searched and placed caches all over the Kenai Peninsula. Geocaching is a part of the lesson plan when subjects such as exploration, geography and mathematics are taught. An after school program uses geocaching to further students’ interest in the sport.
One of her favorite caches is Playground Park Surprise (GCJC05) which was created by three fourth-grade girls. This cache has a mathematical problem with a twist to it. About this cache one cacher wrote, "...had to make this a two-day find! We couldn't trust our math, and with the distance looking like a car was required, and us having walked over from the g'parent's house, well, we decided to put it off until today AM. So our math was OK, but with the current summer undergrowth and tourist muggles all around (wait, aren't we tourists too?!), it took us a good bit to find this booger. We almost gave up, I must admit. But the TB that needed to initiate his AK adventure pushed us on. And I stumbled over it and fell down the ravine. Just kidding. Great cache, always a beautiful sight, and TFTC! TN, L: Everybody's Surfin' Now TB."
On the Kenai Peninsula, Ms. Abramson has excited her students about geocaching, involved them in the exploration of their world, and in the process, enlightened an entire community about the fun, adventure, and usefulness of geocaching.
We found several caches placed by the students but our favorite Alaskan cache was on the Homer Spit, Nobel’s Explosive Hideaway, which has currently gone missing but will return with the start of school and new students to excite about geocaching.
Homer, Alaska! What a great place for geocaching!