October 15, 2016

  • Looking for a Cache

    In the geocaching community there are many who place a high value on being FTF (First To Find). It is an obsession for many. As soon as the notification that a new geocache has been activated they are a scatter of bobby pins and shoes as they depart to find the cache. Some cachers keep statistics on how many FTFs they have accumulated. Others like myself are thrilled to get a first to find but aren't willing to be late for work to try to find a cache, nor rummage around in the dark as one is activated at 10 PM in a snowstorm. This week was a geocaching challenge related to FTF. Instead FTF meaning First To Find it meant Friend To Find. The object was to introduce new people to geocaching. I had invited a coworker to go out at lunch with me to find a cache on campus. It is one that is about 380 feet from the entrance to our building so it wasn't a far walk and it didn't take much time to find it.

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    The GPS led her to this sun dial. Since we knew the cache was magnetic she had to find a place on the stone and marble sundial that would hold a magnet. She looked low...

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    She looked high...

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    She even felt around and disturbed some cobwebs...

    Once she found the cache she was puzzled. "This is it?" It took a moment for her to figure how to open the cache and then she thought it was empty. I showed her the log and she signed it with the date and the abbreviation of her geocaching name - Drop The Donut.
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    Here she is victorious and quite pleased to pose with her first ever geocache. I don't know if she will want to continue to geocache but I think she enjoyed the adventure!
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    As a post script to the adventure, I earned a badge. I had thought that it would be a "souvenir" that automatically appears on your geocaching page. After searching my statistics page and not locating it I contacted geocaching HQ. They were very nice and let me know that the badge is HTML code that I have to insert on my page and that it will be sent to me at the end of FTF week which is tomorrow. So if you are a geocacher there is still time to earn the badge by taking a muggle caching and capturing it on film!

Comments (8)

  • It's so tiny!!! But her excitement is definitely evident!

    • It was a micro container - nano to be precise. She was very excited! I hope she had enough fun to do it again...

  • I am glad she was able to go with you Val. you are such a veteran at this sport!

    • It was fun and she did a good job of following the GPS. I had to assure her that the cache was really what she was looking for!

  • I'm glad it was just spiderwebs and not a bees nest that she disturbed while feeling around inside there.

  • I confess, I do not understand this whole thing, but it looks like good clean fun ~ :)

    • It is lots of fun and it take you to places you'd never discover on your own. You use a GPS to find little containers that others have hidden. You sign the log and put it back where you found it. We have walked through woods and swamps and cities and towns that are off the beaten track. We have seen all sorts of wonderful treasures in nature. And we have met lots of good people and made great friends. Outside of xanga there is no other place with such terrific people!

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