Hidden Treasures Found!

The temps here yesterday finally made it into the balmy 60's. Woohoo! Spring has arrived! Unfortunately I had a mile-high pile of dirty laundry staring me in the face. As I sorted through it, I was continually distracted by the sound of robins chirping happily in the bright sunshine just outside my window. I *knew* I had a dozen household chores to get done, but my longing for fresh air after the long cold winter was too great to squelch. Finally I said to heck with all the chores and told the kids to get ready to go geocaching. Yay!

What is geocaching you might be wondering? It's a high-tech form of treasure hunting. There are thousands upon thousands of treasures hidden in every state and many countries throughout the world, just waiting to be found. In Minnesota alone there are over 3,000, with 966 of them currently hidden within 25 miles of our home. To find them, you enter latitude and longitude coordinates into a GPSr unit, then let the unit guide you to them. The coordinates and clues are posted on the geocaching.com website and are searchable by zip code, state, or country. The actual treasure containers are called "caches", they're weather-proof and come in many forms and sizes. The treasures inside them are called "swag" and, well, let's just say you never know what you might find. LOL! Most caches have at least a dozen or so swag items ranging in value, along with a log book. When you find a cache, you sign the log book with your geocaching.com screen name and the date (and later do the same online), and then you can take 1 or more treasures out and replace them with items of your own that are of equal or greater value. Ocassionally you'll find an extra special item such as a collectible geocoin or a travel bug. Travel bugs are VERY cool. They have a trackable number on them and they're attached to a tag that states what their goal is. For example "I am a travel bug called Crusty the Crab and my goal is to get to Niagara Falls. I'd like to visit as many waterfalls as possible along the way." If you find a travel bug, you can take it as long as you will be able to help it meet it's goal, by placing it in a different cache that gets it closer to it's destination. You also must log in to the geocaching website to let the travel bug's owner know where the bug currently is, and you can see pictures of and read about the bug's entire journey. That's a quick rundown about geocaching, but there's so much more to it (puzzle caches, cache events, contests with BIG treasures like a new car, etc....). If you want to learn more you should visit geocaching.com (make sure to sign up for the forums, which contain a ton of helpful info).

So on with the story of our treasure-hunting adventure...

We got our GPSr just after Christmas but I am NOT a fan of tromping through snow in freezing temps, so we had only been reading and learning about geocaching until yesterday. I had previously entered the coordinates for several caches within 5 miles of us. Six of them were all hidden in one park that we had never been to before - in fact we've lived here for 6 years and I didn't even know that park existed - and it's huge, covering several square miles! We decided that would be our destination.

We got to the park around 4:00, and made our first mistake as soon as we stepped out of our van. We forget to enter the coordinates to mark where we parked! Ooops!! The GPSr said the closest cache was .3 miles away and we were so excited we just started merrily down the first trail we saw. Having never actually used the GPSr unit before, we were amazed at it's capabilities. Not only does it tell you how far away the cache is, it has a compass with an arrow showing you where to go. It also tells you how fast you're walking, how many minutes/seconds it will take you to get there at your current rate of speed, and what time it will be when you get there. It's all in real-time - the information is refreshed with every step you take or turn you make.

We followed a paved trail and then a dirt trail until we were about 25 feet away from the cache, then the GPSr arrow pointed into the woods. We bushwhacked our way down a little hill and it said we were within 5 feet. That's when the real fun began. We started looking under rocks, logs, leaves...knowing it could be anywhere (although geocaching rules state that the cache cannot be buried underground). Finally after 10 mins. or so of searching I FOUND IT! It was an army green ammunition box placed under a fallen log and covered by rocks. The kids started whoopin' and hollerin' and wouldn't quiet down no matter what I said (you're supposed to be secretive about it, so you don't attract the attention of non-geocachers, whom are called "muggles".) Luckily we were in a remote enough area and the park wasn't too busy, so we weren't discovered. Anyway, inside the box we found assorted toys and trinkets, including a tracking bug! The tracking bug said it's goal was to visit as many sites of past Olympic Games as possible, and we figured we could help so Noah took that and Amaya took a stuffed unicorn. They replaced them with a baggie of foreign coins and some seashells from Florida. We read through previous log entries, signed it ourselves, and re-hid the cache exactly as we found it. Score 1 for us!

Onto the next...

The GPSr said the next closest cache was .32 miles away so we headed in the direction it pointed. This time it was along a paved trail that had alot of runners and bikers. We had to figure out how we were going to be secretive with all those muggles around. Hmmm. As we rounded a curve in the trail, the GPSr said we needed to go east (which was left). Luckily, about 40 feet ahead there happened to be a ski trail that went to the left, so we took that and the GPSr showed that we were headed the right way again. But then about 25 yards down the trail there was a huge puddle blocking the path. Uh-oh! As we stood there debating the best way to get across, a snake came slithering out of the mud!! More screams. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough with the camera to snap a pic of the harmless little garden snake, but the kids sure got a thrill out of it. Now, how to cross that puddle...hmmmm. Noah took a running leap and made it mostly across...he got a little muddy but no biggie. I went to one side and told Amaya and Josiah to wait while I tested a little strip of grass poking out of the water. I started tip-toeing gingerly across, and quickly sank about 4 inches into the mud! Eek! With water oozing into my shoes I decided to leap the rest of the way. BAD move. As I jumped my left shoe was sucked right off my foot! I screamed and landed on my right foot, and told Noah to get my shoe as I hopped around trying to keep my balance. The kids thought THAT was hilarious. Having no more hope of keeping ourselves and our outerwear clean, I told Josiah and Amaya just to walk through the puddle. They happily complied.

We travelled a little further along but the GPSr kept pointing off-trail. We stopped when we were still .13 miles from the cache because the trail was taking us further away, and as far as we could tell it just continued on in the wrong direction. Yet there was nothing except swamp and heavy woods where the GPSr arrow pointed. Hmmmm...what to do now? Our shoes were already wet and muddy, so we decided to get real rugged. Off through the swamp and trees we went! About a block later we spotted a new trail (and now the GPSr said we were 354 feet away). As we emerged from the woods there was a lady passing by with her dog. The look she gave us was too funny, like "Where in the h*ll did you guys come from?!" We smiled and headed down the trail, but then as we walked up a steep hill I saw a man approaching us. Maybe I'm a paranoid city girl but as the guy got closer to us my adrenaline started pumping - I was in Mama Bear mode. Luckily the guy was harmless, he said "Hi" as he walked right on by. Whew! At the bottom of the hill the GPSr said we were 14 feet away, so we ventured into the woods again. This time Noah found the cache within 3 minutes, hidden in the crevice of a fallen tree and covered with leaves. The way Noah acted you'd think he had found a million dollars....the boy was literally shaking with excitement! He opened the canister and we checked out the swag - this one didn't have much for kids, but Amaya insisted on taking a little puzzle toy. She added a turquoise hairband, we signed the log, hid the cache, and headed on to the next one.

According to the GPSr, the 3rd cache was only .1 miles away. Cool! We mosied on down the trail until we were about 9 feet away. We had to ease our way through some thorny brush, and then I spotted it (this time a peanut butter jar) inside a rotten log. Amaya and Josiah both took a Minnesota shaped pin, and we added some coins and the puzzle Amaya found in the previous cache.

Three for three - we rock! hehe

The next cache was .37 miles away, so we headed towards it. After a while we came to a T in the trail, but the GPSr said to keep going straight for .31 miles. I wasn't willing to trudge through swamp and woods for 3 blocks so we decided to take the trail to the left with the hope that it would curve back in the direction we needed to go. Of course as we walked the GPSr showed that we were getting further away. It was around this time that it dawned on me that I had NO idea where we were or where our vehicle was. AND, we were all dying of thirst because I had forgotten to bring along bottles of water (yeah...another brilliant blonde move). I was slightly concerned, so I told the kids we were going to stay on the trail for a while, regardless of where the GPSr said the cache was. Finally we came to a trail crossing, and there happened to be a sign with a map. Yeah! We weren't lost anymore! It showed that the parking lot was nearby, so we decided to go to the van for a drink before heading back out to hunt for more treasure. As we sat in the van my feet began throbbing like crazy. We were also very hungry, and it was a little after 7pm so I knew it would be dark soon. Considering that the closest cache was now .57 miles away, I decided we were done for the day. Oh. My. Gosh. You'd think I had just told the kids there would be no more Christmas or Easter. They did NOT want to go home! They'd caught a BAD case of geocaching fever! LOL! I assured them we'd come back soon to find the other caches in that park, and we left.

When we got home we ate dinner, then logged our finds. We also read through the travel bug's log and watched an animation of it's entire journey on Google Earth. Very cool! The boys researched past Olympic Games sites, then we told the bug owner that we'll place the bug soon in a cache that gets it closer to Calgary Canada, site of the 1988 Winter Olympics. Then the boys browsed through all the caches listed so they could plot and plan that and future journeys.

When Scott got home from work he was instantly bombarded by the kids telling him all about our adventure...

Josiah said "I figured it would be fun, but I had no idea it would be THAT fun!! It's the best thing in the world!"

Noah told him "It was so exciting seeing how we got closer with every step, and then trying to figure out where it might be once we were in the right area. And there's no words to describe how awesome it was each time we found one - it was kind of like feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, but a thousand times better. I just can't explain it."

Amaya's tales were all about the actual treasures she got, the snakes and squirrels, and jumping in the mud. LOL

I totally agree with Josiah. I figured it would be fun, but had no idea it would be THAT fun. For me, it was all about the incredibly positive journey we took, rather than the destinations we reached.

It was absolutely wonderful...
...Seeing the kids excitement level so high, and sustained for so long.
...Seeing them use their reasoning/thinking skills to come up with suggestions about how to overcome different obstacles we encountered.
...Listening to them speculate about what kind of treasures they might find.
...Watching their eyes light up when they spotted and tried to identify animals, assorted trees and plants, and unusual rocks. (Mom, I think this one is a fossil!)
..."Hearing" them be utterly silent so they could listen to the frogs and birds and many other sounds of nature.
...Talking with them about everything under the sun for over 3 hours straight without the distraction of phones or tv.
...Listening to them strategize and come up with ideas for creating and hiding their own caches in the future.
...Seeing the look of deep concentration on their faces as they calculated time and distance in their heads (just to make sure the GPSr was correct LOL).
...Watching them experiment with the compass, clock, sun, and moon in an effort to fully comprehend the concepts of time and space and understand how the galaxy works.
...Feeling the sunshine upon our faces in contrast to the breeze at our backs as we breathed an unlimited supply of fresh, pure spring air.
...Knowing we were doing something good for our bodies instead of laying around the house (we walked a total of 4.27 miles!)
...Hearing the animated joy in the kids' voices as they retold their experience, and discovering what each one considered the highlights of the day to be.
...Enjoying a 3 hour block of complete peace and harmony - cuz the kids didn't fight or whine even once (can't remember when they have EVER done that!!!).
...Hearing them beg to do something educational online afterwards, rather than play games, and seeing them happily absorb even more knowledge.
...Not having to justify costs or juggle the budget to spend quality time together away from home (could there be any better free activity available 24/7?!).

I could go on and on about how wonderful it was but this post has gotten long enough. Obviously I am beyond thrilled to have discovered the sport of geocaching and can say that we'll definitely be doing plenty more of it in the future. No book could ever teach me or my kids all the great things we learned about the world, ourselves, and each other yesterday. The treasures we discovered were far greater than the items placed in the caches. Our adventure was - quite simply - priceless.

I'd recommend this sport to anyone and everyone. Try it and see if you don't become hooked too!

TTFN...

~Sheila