Geocaching: To The Death!
Fun may be the death of me
Geocaching is a hobby that has been around for years and years. There are caches all over the world. Just in case you don’t know what I’m talking about, here is a brief description…
People place objects of varying sizes in hidden locations, then put the coordinates of the locations onto an app. Then cachers can go out, find them, and make a log of it.
Okay that is the simplest version of things. The game has evolved quite a bit over the years. There are even trackable items that you can take and leave in new locations. Users of the app can then see where an object has traveled. Very cool.
Why geocache?
For our family, caching is a great way to get out and explore. These hidden objects can take you on hikes through nature or on day trips through new cities. It is exercise, togetherness, and discovery.
I met someone who had lost a ton of weight after she started geocaching to get out of the house. I knew another family that, through the finding of over 500 caches, had been to just about every niche spot in Okinawa.
Our most recent outing
I don’t always remember to check the app for caches when we are out and about, but when I do, there is usually one near by. The other day, we were on the North Shore of Oahu to film for our YouTube channel. I decided to take a quick peek.
Now. Even though we were there to film, we hadn’t put a whole lot of thought into that particular location. We were supposed to go somewhere else for that segment, but parking dictated otherwise. The parking situation on this island is absolutely absurd. As you can imagine.
So. We found ourselves at a place we had never been. Honestly, I am quite happy about it because it turned out to be a spectacular area for outdoor activities. I immediately made note to return when there was more time to play.
On the map, it looked as though a WWII pill box would be a short walk through the woods and across the beach. We decided to leave everything in the car except my phone for filming. It would be a few quick shots, then back to the car again.
The distance was farther than expected. By the time we got to the pill box on the shore I was getting thirsty. I have low tolerance for thirst. It really seems medical, but all of my blood work always declares me ship shape.
When I realized thirst was beginning I started to panic. It was a long way back to the car. I stopped talking to conserve moisture in my mouth. It was pretty dramatic. But. Something made me pull out the ol’ app. Just to peek.
Sure enough, there were several caches near us. So we located one really fast and continued on the journey to the car, which had precious water in it. Another 10 minutes went by and…well this cache looked close, so let’s just look for a second.
By the third cache I was wondering if I was crazy. I was dehydrated, still far from my water, and stopping to hunt for hidden objects like I had all the time in the world. I ended up quiting the search on that last one.
Short story shorter, we made it back to the car and drank water. We need to go back and finish the hunt!
Do you like to go geocaching? Let me hear about it. ☺