Camel+Girls

==** Geocaching, "What is that?" we thought to ourselves, as we sat in our social studies class while Dr. Roukema assigned our assignment to us. This sounds like fun and an easy grade we thought, BOY were we wrong! **==

==** We were anxious and excited as we began our adventure on a Friday afternoon on the small campus of Campbell University in little ole' Buies Creek. "This shouldn't take that long" we were saying to each other, we can go out and quickly find three or four caches and then our weekend can start! Our first attempt to find a cache called "Camel Cache" took us to Saylor Park on campus. With our iPhones in hand, we used the geocaching app to guide us to our first find. Score! We quickly located the cache in a small plastic ziplock bag in a little box on the side of the pole. We were so excited! We just could not believe how easy this was! We quickly signed our names and then proceeded to head back to the car so that we could proceed to find our next cache. **==

== As we walked around campus, mother nature decided to throw a wrench in our plans. The sky began to pour! We had to wait and wait and wait for it to stop raining. Finally we were able to head towards the convocation center. This cache location was called the "Fighting Camels." Our hint was "Magnetic but not on the Camel." Ok, so we knew we did not need to search Gaylord. The geocaching app kept moving us towards the right of the steps that lead up to the front of the building. So we starting looking around. As we were discussing were the cache could possible be, we realized that something magnetic would stick to the metal benches that were located in front of us. But which one? There were only four or five benches sitting in front of us. So, we started with the first bench and swept are hands all over, behind and under the bench. Nothing! Then we continued to do the same sweeping motion and eyeballing each additional bench until we FINALLY found the teeny, tiny cache! We started to scream with excitement and relief. The paper that was inside was so tiny you could barely sign it. This cache which was known as one of the hardest caches to find, had been found by us! ==

==** Our next attempt led us to Erwin, North Carolina. We were looking for a cache by the name of "Ode to the 80's, Series #1." This cache was to be located on a beautiful walking path right off of Hwy 421. After several attempts of turning around and finally having to pull over at a park to find out where and how close we were to this particular cache, we had never been so grateful for Google Maps! We were able to plug in the cache location into Google Maps and it carried us to the location of the walking path. Granted, we had to pull over on the shoulder of the road and park which turned out to be a very busy country road that runs beside a high school, and then had to proceed to walk to the path, but we found it! Once we started walking down this path, we began discussing how sketchy this path was. It wasn't beautiful like the description had read, it was remote and looked like a path a four wheeler or tractor may would travel down. Then, thoughts about whether it was safe to be there started running through our minds. All we could think about is what would our parents and spouse say if they knew where we were? Anyway, we were already there so we started our search. We walked as close to the location the geocache app told us to, stopped, and looked around. The hint that we were given was ** ** "Don't step on the fraggled one." None of us knew what that was supposed to mean, so we just started looking at the wood line and woods. **** And then all of a sudden it started, first one mosquito bite, then another, and then the next thing we knew we were a lunch buffet for any exposed skin that was showing for these mosquitos! We were swatting and spitting and miserable! Finally after what seemed like thirty minutes of searching and contemplating whether we should go into the woods, we gave up! This cache find was a fail! **==

==** Next, we loaded up in the car and drove to Dunn. We were in search of a location by the name of "Top of the Hill." Thankful again for Google Maps, we were taken to the top of the parking lot in the old Dunn Walmart parking lot. Our hint for this cache find was ** ** "On guard at the old Dunn Walmart." We started looking around us at first trying to figure out where the cache could possibly be hidden. Then we quickly realized there was a guard rail that ran from where we were parked to the top of the parking lot. All three of us started looking all over the guard rail. We were walking up and down and even climbing over the guard rail searching for this silver bullet looking cache. We searched everywhere and then the next thing we hear is Alley saying "I just got bit by fire ants!" Her poor foot was covered in red, swollen ant bites from where she had stepped in a pile of fire ants while searching for the cache. Victoria and I felt soooo bad for her! Being bitten ourselves before, we could only imagine how bad her foot was hurting and itching. So, we decided we needed to just stop searching for the cache and head back to campus so Alley could put something on her bites. Could this geocache adventure get any worse? Oh yes, yes it could! Meanwhile, while walking back to the car we hear a "splat" noise. Alley had dropped her phone, and guess what? The screen had shattered! This cache find ended up being an EPIC fail! **==

==** After searching for over four hours, we were done for the day. We decided we would go back out the following week to find the last one. Our last find took us to Sanford. (Mainly because we wanted to go to Hobby Lobby to get some stuff for a lesson plan) The cache location was located right off of Hwy 87/421 and was called "A Drink and a Sub." Thankful yet again for Google Maps, we made it to the geocache sight. There was no hint given to us for this find, so we had to put our thinking caps on and really think hard. The geocaching app took us to a spot that was located out in the parking lot between Subway and the Kangaroo convenience store. We started walking around looking under bushes and shrubs, turning around multiple times in the same spot looking at other places the cache could potentially be, and then for some reason, we decided to see if we could lift up the lamp base that was on the bottom of one of the light poles in the parking lot. YES!!!!! We found our third cache! This cache was in an old medicine bottle that had so many pieces of papers rolled up in it, we were scared that if we took them all out that we would never be able to get them back in. The oldest date we were able to see dated all the way back to 2008 so we knew that this cache had been around for quite some time. **==

== After two days of geocaching and enduring mosquito bites, ant bites and shattered phones we could easily say that this project and experience was down right horrible. However, this experience was humbling and we made some great memories along the way. Our group learned that you cannot trust a geocaching app, that mother nature is not always so kind, and that having three minds working together is a lot better than working alone. Geocaching can be very frustrating at times but it also can be exciting and rewarding when you have patience and put in a lot of effort to find a cache. ==