Hedgesville man helps make Berkeley Co. global hotspot for geocaching

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Creativity born from Tim Eggleston's boredom helped put Berkeley County on "the global map of geocaching hot spots."

Eggleston of Hedgesville, W.Va., is perhaps among the top three geocache creators in the world, according to a company that manages GPS-enabled treasure hunting adventures at www.geocaching.com.

"I know of people who have traveled from other states and time zones to reach Tim's geocaches," Groundspeak Inc. spokesman Eric Schudiske said in an email last week. "Berkeley County is on the global map of geocaching hot spots thanks to Tim's passion."

Geocaching typically challenges players to find containers, or caches, by using tech gadgets such as a smartphone. The locations of the caches typically are given in latitude and longitude coordinates, and GPS-enabled devices are used to track them.

Practically all of the most popular caches in the Martinsburg area, as rated by those who search for them, are Eggleston's creations, according to geocaching.com.

A number of them are shaped like bird houses. One of his caches requires air to be pumped to locate it. Another can be found only at night. Some caches have been been placed at area businesses, and other businesses now want one, Eggleston said.

"Clearly, the county has embraced geocaching," Eggleston said.

Eggleston said he had grown tired of looking under a rock or a tree stump for little more than a plastic container and set about making more unusual caches.

"I kind of got bored with the hobby," Eggleston said.

Economic engine

Since 2013, Eggleston has been exclusively placing caches in partnership with the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Eggleston and the CVB will celebrate the launch of a third geocaching "trail" on June 27 as part of ODD Fest.

"We've been trying to highlight places that give a good representation of our county," Eggleston said.

Overall, Eggleston said he aims to put a smile on the faces of those who search for his caches, which often require solving a puzzle to complete the challenge of logging their finds.

Among the more than 6,000 geocaches in West Virginia, eight of the 10 caches in the state with the most "favorite" votes from geocachers are Eggleston's, who is known as WVTim in the geocaching world.

Among the more than 16,000 permanent geocaches that have been placed in Virginia, Eggleston said he has placed just one, but it currently sits atop the favorite list, according to geocaching.com. His two caches in Maryland also are highly ranked.

CVB Executive Director Laura Gassler said the geocaching trails have helped generate tax revenue collected from lodging businesses, luring about half of the people who have come to the county for geocaching to stay overnight at area hotels.

So far, visitors have come from Austria, Germany and Australia and more than 20 states just to go geocaching in Berkeley County, Gassler said.

"The partnership has worked well," Gassler said.