Geocaching

HoneyFern went geocaching yesterday for the first time and found nothing.

This is, apparently, pretty standard when you don't really know what you are doing.

We chose two sites, mostly to test out our new GPS device but also because one of the sites was a cemetary, and we thought that would be a nice tie-in to el Dia de los Muertos (next year we will plan ahead a little more and make some sugar skulls to leave in the cemetary, too).

Here is what we learned:

1. Don't start with a cache rated as "micro" or "nano." These are teeny tiny caches that give experienced cachers fits.
2. Bring a trash bag to clean up as you go. It is pretty amazing how much garbage we found as we looked around.
3. A flashlight would be nice.
4. Bring extra batteries for the GPS, just in case, and The Child also feels like some gloves might be nice (and snake repellant; there is one cache listed that warns that the cache is "easy to find but usually surrounded by snakes." Pass!!!).
5. Geocachers are very helpful. They will give you directions to the cache if you ask. This reminds me a little of cheating, except that it would be nice to find something. I think we will follow their suggestions when we go back out on Friday, then look for another one that is closer by.

Overall, this is a pretty cool thing. We get to be outside, roaming around,; I am frankly surprised that the police weren't called because we looked like we were casing the building for one of the caches (although there is a cache in my neighborhood that the police have checked to make sure it isn't a drug drop-off, and they have signed the logbook!), and I think it will be a regular activity for us. We are still figuring out the kinks of the GPS, so once we are more comfortable with that things may be a bit easier.

Oh, and we will be looking for bigger caches this time around...avoiding snakes and micro caches at all costs....