People drinking in a sunset at a beach or a dramatic view are everyday sights on Whidbey.

But some people aren’t simply meditating on the beauty surrounding them. They’re “geocachers.” And they’re waiting for you to leave.

Geocaches are containers of a variety of items left at particular coordinates to be found by persons using GPS — a hand-held device that receives signals from the Global Positioning System, a series of 26 satellites in geo-synchronous orbit that provide a precise location to people using the device. (GPS devices can be found online, at big box retailers and sporting goods stores; prices range from approximately $150 to $250. Many geocachers find a compass useful in areas of heavy cover that can disrupt satellite reception.)

The geocache hider posts the latitude and longitude at www.geocaching.com with a general description of the starting point, clues and instructions along with ratings of the difficulty of the cache and the terrain.

Once the site is posted, seekers set out to find the stashed items. Once they find a cache, the seekers examine the contents, trade items and write notes in the logbook.

This is all done casually; the idea isn’t to shout, “I found it!” according to Whidbey Islander Harold Edwards.

Edwards and his wife Nerelle have been geocaching since July 2001.

“We had been walking Seaview Trail several times and that was getting old,” Edwards said. “I looked on the Internet for information on hiking and found geocaching.com. We got a GPS and have been having fun since then,” Edwards said.

So far, the Edwards family has found 145 caches and hidden 14.

“It’s great for a family,” Edwards said, recommending the new sport. “You can pick caches to fit your family. Geocaching has something for everyone, from flat, easy walks to bushwhacking or backpacking.”

Nerelle Edwards agrees, and adds that the activity is educational.

“We’ve learned a lot about this area by geocaching,” she said.

One recent Saturday, the Edwards family, which includes Harold and Nerelle, plus children Ben, Kris and Taylor, were caching near Deception Pass. After entering the posted coordinates, Ben and Kris headed off with Taylor close behind.

The trail wound past a reedy pond, then started climbing. At first there was heavy tree cover, then the trail skirted along a rocky ridge before ending on an exposed rock. The view back to Deception Pass was a sweep of misty blues and greys, of water and sky melted together.

The Edwards kids ignored the view. They had reached the cache’s GPS location and were scouring the area for the cache.

“I see it!” “There!” Ben and Kris shouted together.

Out came a heavy plastic bin holding a log book, small toys and coins.

While the kids sorted through the cache, Edwards said he enjoys finding spots to place caches.

“It’s great to get out and go somewhere looking for an interesting walk or a climb to a great view,” he said.

Harold and Nerelle had hidden this cache in April, two weeks after Nerelle had knee surgery.

“It was a tough pull for me, but the view was worth it,” she said. “There’s so much to see and enjoy around here, finding and hiding caches gets us out enjoying the area.” They went back to let the kids find it.

After finding this cache, it was off to find two hidden by “Bellinghamster,” a geology professor whose caches include geology lessons. The family learned about local glaciers at one and volcanic activity at the other. The location at Deception Pass State Park meant the family had to be careful not to draw too much attention to their search.

While Ben and Kris carefully re-stashed the cache, Taylor chased a rabbit.

“Today turned out great,” Harold said. “We went after three and found three. What could be better?” Ben and Kris agreed it was a great day: “When can we find more?” they chorused.