In 2006 we began Geocaching. My daughter had heard about it and we thought it sounded like an inexpensive and fun activity. It was fun and included eating lunch in unknown places. We would make a day of it. I have written about it several times. There are several types of caches. There are virtual caches, earth caches, multi-caches and traditional. I won't describe it again, but if you aren't familiar with it here is the link from my first blog about it. https://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/03/geocaching-as-one-of-our-hobbies.html
Twenty years ago we would go to a lot of different places mostly around Wisconsin but where ever we would visit, we would look for at least one cache. We would hike miles into the woods just to find that special container. We even geocached in London in 2009. Yes, our London trip was in 2009. Boy time just keeps whizzing by. I can't say I like it, but we have no choice.
Since Mike's death, I rarely geocache. First of all I shouldn't walk miles alone into the woods anymore, at my age it wouldn't be smart. Nothing is fun alone, but for many reasons it is just dumb to drive around and hike alone. It probably isn't a good idea at any age. Stuff can happen from falling to encountering a large animal.
In an attempt to get me out of the house, my daughter gave me this kit for Christmas. It's a kit with everything necessary to geocache. The kit includes a stamp for signing in and pens that write on wet paper or work upside down. It includes tools for getting into small places and of course mosquito repellent wipes. I love it. Although I took it on a recent trip to North Carolina, and I forgot it was in my carry-on. When it went through the scanner, it was dinged. They had to go through my luggage and found a small little multi-tool. This tool had a tiny blade. My teeth could do more damage than this tool, but we couldn't keep it. Fortunately there was time to take it back to the car. That is the beauty of flying out of a small airport like Appleton, WI. This kit and a phone are all the equipment I need.
Now I am back Geocaching in a modified way. When they have time my daughter and her family will take me out. We actually went on Mother's Day. I am a simple person and that was more fun for me than a fancy brunch and a bouquet of flowers. I look for easy ones on my own. I am planning a couple easy ones after the busy weekend. During the week things are pretty quiet out in the country. In twenty years some of the caches are too tricky and hard to find. Having two sets of eyes is helpful but not always necessary. I just move on to another rather than trying to kill myself. I have found 885 caches. This year we have done 23. It's still a fun activity and it gets me out of the house. It takes me to places I am not familiar with but still safe. My sense of direction isn't what it used to be but that's what GPS's are for. I gotta keep on going and this is one way I can do that.
