Geocaching is all about the thrill of the hunt
When I heard I was going to be doing a story on geocaching, I thought I’d be doing a story on some sort of environmental group cashing checks. Needless to say, I felt a little dumb when I found out that geocaching is a high-tech game of hide and seek. To get a better feel for the subject, I contacted the Coulee Region Cachers and asked if I could get a crash course in geocaching. Mark and Michelle Davis, two of the founders of the group, were kind enough to take me on a hunt for a few caches.
With a determined look on my face I started trudging through vines, brush and prickly bushes to find the hidden cache. After about 15 minutes of random searching I began to feel like a child does during an Easter egg hunt. It’s a feeling of knowing that your parents know where the eggs are hidden and they can’t believe how far off you are.
Well, after being thoroughly amused with my completely off-base searching, the Davises said that sometimes walking away then walking back helps. I gratefully took their advice and this time before I get to the prickly bushes I notice a fallen tree right in front of me that I somehow missed the first time. Yup, that’s where the cache was hidden.
My kind guides took me on two more hunts and I found both without too much trouble.
When it was all over I found myself wanting to get involved in geocaching. It is part walking, hiking and searching, but then it’s also part cool GPS gadgets. Geocaching is quite possibly the best blend of nature and technology around.