I've been reading Maphead by reigning Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings. It's a really fascinating read. Today's chapter was all about Geocaching, something that I'd never heard of until today. As soon as I read about it in the book, I went right home and created myself an account. Then, I downloaded the Android app (which has the privilege of being the first paid app I've ever downloaded.)
The app is cool; once you've logged in, you can use the GPS system in your phone to locate Geocaches close to your current location. I discovered that one is located right on the creek trail that runs behind our apartment complex!
So, I saddled up the dachshund and asked the app to show me a map. It's cool; it shows the location of the cache and your current location, and a straight line connecting the two. It also shows your distance from the cache in meters.
I walked along the creek trail (a path I have walked hundreds of times) like I was seeing it for the first time. I wasn't just going for a walk; I was hunting for hidden treasure! The trail is simply full of possible hiding spots, so I had to really be disciplined and look at the distance that I was from the cache before hunting around like a weirdo. (We wouldn't want muggles- non-geocachers- to mess up the place.) Ringo and I went off the beaten path- he looked for squirrels and I looked for the cache.
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| My first geocache! |
Since it was my first time, and I wasn't sure what I should be looking for, I had to ask the app to give me a hint. The hint told me it should be about 4.5 feet off the ground- which was enough for me to discover the cache hidden inside a tree!
I yelled out, "Oh, I found it!" and Ringo dutifully wagged his tail, though I'm sure he would have been more excited if the cache had contained dinner.
Inside the cache was a small log book and some kind of European coin. Silly me; in my rush to get out and hunt, I left my pen behind! I will just have to bring Scott back, let him find the geocache, and then I can sign the log myself.
I am excited to pursue this hobby because it can be as easy or as difficult as I want it to be. Finding more reasons to be outside discovering new things is always wonderful.
