Team+Smith



__The Treasure Hunt __ Driving endlessly around my small, quaint hometown with my boyfriend, Josh, was not only relaxing, but invigorating! We were on the search for our first geocache.

“So it’s like a treasure hunt?” I asked Josh. The idea of hunting for buried treasure to find a hidden container filled with items of all shapes and sizes blew up in my mind like a balloon.

“Kind of. It’s like a wide spread treasure hunt all across the world with no end. Each geocache is like an X on the map…only there are millions of them” exclaimed Josh as he drove across the rugged dirt path to our first geocache. It was at this moment that I realized geocaching was something crazy, unique, and exhilarating, which was unusual for my small hometown.

 Fast forward three years. I found myself sitting in a social studies methods class. The topic of the day: geocaching. My ears grew with anticipation to hear what we could possibly do in the class that involved this remarkable activity. As I listened, my mind began to race with the possibility of seeing what new geocaches were around me. //I never thought about looking for geocaches here!//

 The day in which I decided to go on my hunt was upon me. With anticipation in my heart, I suited up for the exploration. Geocache app? //Check.// Tennis shoes? //Check.// Sticky notes with the exact coordinates of each pre-determined geocache including each comment and hint? //Check.// Feeling like Dora the Explorer, off I went to find my first geocache on Campbell University’s campus.

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 The first was called “All Around the World” and was in a really easy spot to find! I walked a short distance, following the GPS on the geocache app. The closer I got, the more rapid my thoughts became. //I wonder if it’s big! The website said it was big. Trash can big? Soda can big? I bet it has a toy in it or something! Ooh, I want to put something in it! // The more I thought, the less I paid attention to the GPS. I walked right up to the house/building and started looking on the WRONG SIDE. //Blonde moment, Kaitlyn. // I didn’t notice that I still had 80 feet to go from the geocache. When I finally realized this, I managed to gather my thoughts, laugh at myself, and travel around to the other side of the building.

media type="youtube" key="VCXwSmWMiyY" width="420" height="315"  Finally! I found my first geocache on CU’s campus! The bright orange container, surrounded by waterproof labeling to resolve any issue with unwanted finders, was an easy find. Within the container was the log, a pen, feather, band aid, a hair tie and clip, and… a Trackable!

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 When I saw this I got super excited! The metal dog tag stuck out like a sore thumb in the container. Attached to it was a poker chip. I thought about taking the trackable and leaving it in one of my hometown’s geocaches, and I might surprise myself and go back and get it, but I wanted to see if someone else who lived further away might want to instead! Instead, I decided to fill one of my mini fantasies and leave something in a geocache container for others to see!

media type="youtube" key="oLJ-NbGXIKg" width="420" height="315"  Finally, I signed the log to prove my find for the future geocachers, and off I went in search of the next X on my treasure map.

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 The more steps my feet lead me, the faster my heart began to race. //On to the next geocache!// //I wonder if it will be as easy to find as the last one! I hope I can find it!// Multiple thoughts ran laps in my mind like they were on the track team in high school.

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 Like the inquisitive OCD woman I am, I researched every aspect of each geocache I intended to go to before exploring. While some may deem that unneeded, I saw it as a chance to find the geocaches with better ease.

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<span style="font-family: Aparajita,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> The next geocache was not too far from the first. This one named “Camel Cache: Saylor Park” made me excited. Although it was generally in a more open area, the idea of the geocache being smaller intrigued me. The closer I got, the more excited I found myself becoming.

<span style="font-family: Aparajita,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> It took me a couple of minutes to figure out where this one could be hidden. According to my trusty geocache app, it was on or near an electrical post and smaller electric boxes. Hoping not to disrupt the current of energy running through the boxes, I guessed it was not hidden within them. That helped me make the conclusion that the geocache was located in a smaller, easier-to-access location.

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//<span style="font-family: Aparajita,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> I found it! I found my second geocache for my assignment! //<span style="font-family: Aparajita,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">I was happier than a kindergartner that got to play on the playground. I literally jumped up and down and created my own touchdown dance for geocaching (which I luckily did not get a chance to video for the sake of embarrassing myself). Once realizing I was being watched by onlookers driving past, I decided to get a little more serious and sign the log.

media type="youtube" key="7vbqlz0kZ4I" width="420" height="315" <span style="font-family: Aparajita,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> I finished off my treasure hunt by taking on the daunting task of quickly trying to find the mysterious geocache “Camel Cache: The Fighting Camels.” This geocache, according to my professor and multiple commenters on the geocache website, was hard to find. When I say hard, I mean HARD. I did not want to get my hopes and dreams crushed by a seemingly impossible geocache find, but the type A personality in me felt determined to take the small amount of time I had left to look for it.

<span style="font-family: Aparajita,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> When I got to the location, I immediately knew that it was not going to go well. With close to 20 people sitting around the camel statue, it was pretty uncomfortable for the students to watch me look up and down around the building and in the bushes for something they knew nothing about. I’m not one to get uncomfortable around people, but I think even the strongest willed individual would have had a hard time looking for a miniscule geocache in such a large area.

<span style="font-family: Aparajita,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> I finished my geocache adventure with that. I have yet to go back and once again look for the microscopic geocache located near Campbell’s most well-known location on campus.

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//<span style="font-family: Aparajita,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> I wonder if my hometown has added more geocaches… I think it is time for another treasure hunt with Josh. //

**<span style="font-family: Aparajita,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Links ** <span style="font-family: Aparajita,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Located here is the page to the lesson plan component of "Our Great Geocaching Adventure" assignment. <span style="font-family: Aparajita,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Located here is the Youtube playlist for the videos above in order. <span style="font-family: Aparajita,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Located here is the Geocache website, which links to the Geocache app used in this assignment.