Geocaching

I have a hobby that I don’t get to do much. Some people think of it as a scavenger hunt. Some people think of it as hide-and-go-seek. It’s called geocaching. The idea is someone hides a container of stuff out in the woods and posts the GPS coordinates on the Internet for others to find. GPS is the global positioning satellite technology used with longitude and latitude coordinates. A hand-held GPS appliance determines the coordinates usually within seven feet of accuracy. With a little help from Mapquest, the finder gets within parking distance of the coordinates. Then, once their GPS gets within a mile or a few feet, they will need to use their eyes and imagination to find the hidden container. Sometimes hints are provided in the description online.
On Sunday afternoon, my husband and I went geocaching in the woods about three miles from where we live. We hiked through palmettos and pine trees, found trails and bridges, and found clues to two geocaches. He said, “This is a lot like hunting.” His keen eyesight helped spot the first clue of the cache named “Froggy Girl”, but I deciphered the clue and spotted the camouflaged container. Teamwork was the name of the game since it took both of us to get this cache. We signed the log to prove we’d been there.
While walking back to our vehicle, I noticed another cache called “Sunday Stroll” was on my GPS and within a half mile of where we were. We decided to test our teamwork once again. My husband showed me where previously he had hiked throughout these woods and knew where streams and ponds used to be, but were dried up. We followed a trail with the GPS as our guide and found a clearing of dirt under an umbrella of trees. My GPS said 12 feet away, but the tree branches were blocking a good signal. I knew it had to be in that clearing. My husband lifted some dry palm fronds and found it. We looked in the box and signed our name. We had found another one!
We enjoyed hiking in the woods and each other’s company. I wish we had more time for this hobby.