Geocaching Tales

I'm so glad the snow is gone and the weather is nice again; it's makes it so much easier (and more fun) to go geocaching. This is our second year participating in this world-wide phenomenon, and I'm really excited to see what kind of travel bugs we find. So far, our most unique tokens have hailed all the way from Japan and Germany. I kind of wish I was a travel bug, so I could go all over the world! :)

The other day, I was taking a walk around the pond by our apartment, and I spotted a side trail that went off into the woods. Even before I knew of the geocaching game, I always loved taking the road less traveled, so it was not hard for me to decide to follow this new one. It was so peaceful back there, almost like I wasn't in the middle of a city. It had rained the night before, so the trees were just starting to turn green and the ground was a healthy mix of mud, dead leaves, and new grass sprouts. I could tell this trail had once had more traffic; I could sense its loneliness. And I couldn't help thinking, "Wow. This would be a great spot for a geocache!" (Once you get hooked to the game, you can't stop thinking about it.)

I continued up the hill, ducking over fallen trees and branches, and came across a soggy spiral-bound notebook. Interesting. A few feet away, I saw a miniature pencil, a plastic necklace, and an empty white container. A geocache murder! (Josh later told me he thought a raccoon might've done it. Can they really unscrew lids?)

So, I gathered all the pieces together, placed them back in the jar, and started the search for the lid. It was about four feet down the hill, deep in underbrush. I'm sure I looked ridiculous hacking through the branches and slipping on the leaves! But I got it! The only problem was that, since I'd found the contents strewn across the trail, I didn't know where it was supposed to be hiding. I tucked it in a tree root, wiped the dirt off my hands, and felt like I had accomplished something.

A few days later, Josh sent me this article about a geocaching scare in New York. Some guys hid one in a parking lot light post, and people, not sure what was going on, reported it to authorities. They closed three businesses down and evacuated the area to investigate! Oh wow! Guess I better be careful when I'm snooping around. I don't want to be reported. Or shot. I suppose I should wear orange ;)