I was wrong! The other night my daughter and husband went for a walk after dinner, right from our front door. Christine pulled out her phone, checked her "app", and discovered that there were 10 caches within walking distance of our house, along the road - who knew???
Their leisurely walk turned into a fun, competitive hunt. Dad and Daughter each trying to find the next cache before the other. The next day I had to check out an acreage for a client, so when we were done, Christine again pulled out her app, and found two caches near the acreage. Off we went!
Now caches come in many forms. They are whatever the first person started. They can be as small as a pill container, or as large as a Thermos. There is always a small notepad so that people who find it can sign and date it. People leave little trinkets -anything really. We saw rubber bands, buttons, a toy car, stickers....anything to say "we were here". Christine has a friend who has gps "buttons" that you leave behind, and then other people take them and put them in different geocaches. You can track your buttons to see where they go. She has one that is now in Germany.I don't know where she got them, but I want to find them!
Our outing took us to Scotts Dam - a truly beautiful spot in the Highlands. We discovered a walking trail along the rushing water, and there is a lovely bench with a view! It is a great way to find nooks and crannies in the area and get you off the couch in the evening. Most are easy to find - no skill required. Although I will say we made one mistake. Since my brain regularly forgets that my body is not 20 years old anymore, I tend to make ill-thought-out decisions. One of the caches warned of heights and being careful. We got to a rock cut along the side of the road and quickly looked around to see if there was an easy way up - a trail of some kind. When we didn't find one, we went to the lowest part of the rock cut, scampered up, and then followed the ledge looking for the cache. We hit a spot where rock was jutting out and Christine quickly slipped around it. I, on the other hand, stood there for a minute, was definitely concerned for my ability to get around this big rock without becoming a pancake at the bottom, then proceeded to step around the rock anyway! A second later Christine's blood curtling scream disturbed the local residences as my foot slipped and I headed downward. Luckily my hand grabbed on and I was able to pull myself up to safety.
Now, this sounds dangerous but let me assure you that geocaching is not! There really was a trail - a safe trail! We just didn't see it!
This was so much fun - it was simple - it was free - anyone can do it - and a great way to see the Highlands! We will be doing this again, and again, and again!
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| The View at Scotts Dam |
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| Rushing Water at Scotts Dam |
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