Since I’d been hearing glowing reviews about geocashing over the last few years, I figured it was high-time our family tried it out. After all, could there be a better activity for children? (a) You’re outside; (b) you’re plotting coordinates; and (c) you’re real-life treasure hunters. Now, I’m not promising that you’ll find the lost city of Atlantis or Aladdin’s magic lamp, but there is something magical about knowing treasures have been hidden all over the world.
Naturally, after declaring we were going to be a geocashing family, it took us eight months to actually become one. I could blame being pregnant, but honestly, this sport is so easy, I could have waddled behind my family well until the day Miss C was born.
When my parents gave us a geocashing GPS for Christmas, we had no more excuses. For those curious to the brand, it is a Garmin, and apparently on sale at London Drugs before Christmas. I know not much more, other than it’s the basic model; a glorified compass.
Armed with coordinates we’d taken off of the website: www.geocaching.com and plugged into said, GPS, we suited up our family for some fun.
These days suiting up our family depends on how snackful Miss C is feeling, and how frisky our other felines, Miss S and Miss Q are; though usually the latter are excited about being released into the world, so their cooperation level is generally high.
The December air was cold as we hiked down the sidewalk towards our plotted point. My husband knelt down at various spots along the route to show our daughters the progress we were making. They seemed interested, but I knew Miss Q’s only reference to what we were doing was the Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure movie, and I hoped she didn’t expect us to stumble into Pixie Hollow.
Arriving at our location, we started searching – for what? We didn’t exactly know. I hadn’t done any research, and only assumed the container was hidden from the general population, and out of the flood line.
This lack of prep in what we were looking for, though fun for my husband and I, became tedious for Miss Q and Miss S. After we didn’t immediately find the treasure there was much sighing, and moaning, and groaning, and well, you get it.
Miss Q didn’t want to be there. I knew she didn’t understand, and she probably was bored. Being dragged back and forth as your Daddy searched couldn’t have been much fun; but there was humour to her constant groans of, “I’m tired.”
Meanwhile, feeling like fools for missing what should be obvious, my husband and I scoured the riverbank, consulting the GPS, and re-consulting the GPS. Finally, after about an hour, in what can only be described as a Kahplah moment (a little Klingon for you), we, well, to be perfectly honest, I found it.
Kahplah
Then the littles perked up.
We marveled at the camouflage, inspected the treasures left by past seekers, and logged our team into the book.
We had originally decided that we weren’t going to trade on our first time out, but the lure of the blue button proved too much, so we swapped it for a shell. (You have to trade for something of equal or greater value.)
Tradesies
Miss Q beamed at the found treasure as my husband replaced the cash. Realizing that my house could suddenly be filled with little trinkets from our new hobby, I quickly suggested we make a family treasure box. (Okay, I was also sizing up the germ factor, coupled with the fact there was one treasure and two girls eyeing it.)
We have gone out geocashing a total of three times in the last week. The second and third times, dare I say, were for the same cash.
On New Year’s day we dragged my parents and brother into the wilds of our neighbourhood searching for an “easy” cash. The creator of the cash wrote that you didn’t need gloves or any other tools to find it. People who’d found the cash previously had written that it was well camouflaged. Surely 5 adults armed with a GPS could find it.
Sadly, none of us possessed Indiana Jones genes that day. We left empty handed, feeling gypped.
This afternoon, as a stormfront started blowing in, my husband, the littles and I trekked back to the elusive spot. Within minutes I spotted it. Once again, there was much joy as we inspected the cash, and admired the fantastic camouflage. (It had to be fantastic seeing as 5 adults missed it the day before.)
Though we are new to this world, it is definitely something we will continue doing as a family. There’s something for everyone in this secretive game. While Miss Q and Miss S covet the treasures, my husband has his bushwhacking stick primed and at the ready.
Our family treasure box, complete with alarm bell.
