However, all of us would have to admit there are aspects of this pastime that baffle us. We may come prepared with an extensive knowledge of the outdoors but lack the technical savvy to know exactly how to finesse a GPS. We might come to the game as a gadget geek but admit to getting lost in our own backyards. It would take a lot of searching through web pages and libraries of outdoor guides-not to mention trial and error-to assemble information on the various aspects of this game. Thankfully, there's a much better source.

Eric Sherman's Geocaching: Hike and Seek with Your GPS is a book that brings the fun of geocaching and the thrill of the hunt together with much needed information about how to stay alive in the woods. Sherman has wisely approached this topic with the realization that geocaching itself isn't all that complicated. Instead he has provided us with a guide to all the little incidentals that can make "finding a box in the woods" complicated.

Most of the time I didn't feel like I was so much reading a book about geocaching, as I was reading a book about the outdoors from a geocacher's perspective. From map reading to shooting a baring with a compass to picking out the perfect hiking boots, Geocaching: Hike and Seek with Your GPS fills us in on all the other stuff that wouldn't have been in our GPS manuals, even if we had bothered to read them.

When it does come to information directly related to placing and finding caches, Sherman writes with the savvy of someone who's been there. Many of his points are punctuated with personal stories that almost any cacher can relate to and laugh about. Photos from the wild and websites are plentiful and give even the newest of newbies enough background to understand exactly what this game is all about.

Aside from being an active geocacher himself, Sherman could not have chosen a better technical editor than Kelly Markwell, a man who's name is synonymous with knowledge about geocaching. This is truly a book about geocaching by geocachers.

Geocaching: Hike and Seek with Your GPS will make a welcome addition to your collection of field guides and outdoor literature. Finally having all this information in one resource makes it well worth its very affordable price.

Because geocaching combines the outdoors, puzzles, and adventure, everyone-from kids to kayakers, and retirees to rock climbers-can easily become involved. You'll join a rapidly expanding worldwide network of people who hide containers of "prizes" in the wilderness, suburbs, and even in the middle of cities, then provide clues for others to discover them.

Borrowing from the classic pursuits of orienteering and letterboxing, geocaching can be as easy as a walk in the park or as challenging as scuba diving to a hundred feet. You don't need to be an expert in electronics, navigation, or even hiking to start. With this book, you'll soon understand GPS technology, know how to find your way about, and be able to prepare for your next hike-and-seek adventure!

Author Sherman has dedicated this super book to all the people who realize that a technology developed for the military can be used peacefully when you are hiking a million miles from your nearest worldly care. This is one of the most useful books available to support the interests of the countless thousands of geocachers that criss-cross the globe finding and leaving their caches for others.

Kudos to Apress for publishing this fascinating book that reveals the ever-expanding world of geocaching. With today's GPS devices become more common, the exciting, fun world of geocaching will continue to grow, and this will stimulate more interest in author Sherman's intriguing, thorough book on this growing sport.