John Call, of Windham, and his wife Donna began geocaching two years ago when they found a little write-up about it in Parade magazine, while reading through the Sunday paper.

An ex-builder and home designer, Call found himself sitting in an office a lot.

“When we read about it we thought it sounded like a great way to get exercise. It forces you to get out on the trails,” he said.

Having placed many caches in Windham, Call and his wife have also found a lot. According to the Maine Geocaching Association Web site, Call is currently ranked sixth among all Maine geocachers in the number of caches he’s uncovered.

“My wife and I travel to Florida every year and we have found geocaches in every state from Maine to Florida. I recommend that everyone play the game,” said Call.

Call enjoys it so much he created the Maine Geocaching Association, and tells “newbies” to the Web site “all you need is a sense of adventure and a GPS receiver.”

Users must register on the site by creating code names. Call and his wife are “Hoamdezinahs,” while his friend, who is a turkey hunter in Lewiston, is aptly named “Gobler.”

The association will be holding a Geo Rally Sept. 15. Call and “Gobler” have placed about 40 new caches that won’t be posted online until the day of the rally. People from all over New England-and even as far away as Maryland will form teams of 2-4 people and will meet at Cole Farms restaurant in Gray the night before, where they will receive information to plan their routes on their DeLorme maps or on their laptops or GPS units. The following morning, beginning at 6:20 a.m., the race will begin to see who can find the most caches in 12 hours. Later that night, they will meet again for a buffet supper where prizes and awards will be given out.

“When new players begin I send them a welcome e-mail telling them geocaching will take you to the most beautiful places and the greatest mini-adventures,” Call said.

All caches are not created equal, Call said. One, set in Cape Elizabeth in Fort Williams, is one of the best Call has designed yet.

“When I put out a cache I try to bring someone to a very nice place, make it fun, or have it be a challenging hunt,” said Call. “My wife and I took 30 hours and made a cache called Mission: Impossible multi-cache at Portland Headlight which takes people on an hour-long walk along the coastline-for those geocachers who wish to accept. People say it’s one of the most fun caches.”

Call said he sometimes wonders if he’s addicted or obsessive about the geocaching experience.

“My wife calls us ‘geo-geeks.’ This year I had to step back and take a hard look at how I’m caching. After a while it became a number hunt, to see how many caches I could find,” Call said. “Now it’s for the enjoyment of it again, although I still try to be the first to find a new cache. If a cache gets posted at 11 p.m. Tonight, I’m out the door.”