Gators,+Snakes,+and+Skeeters...OH+MY!



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We began our geocaching adventure in the small coastal shrimping community of Sneads Ferry, North Carolina. As our group was already going there on a short weekend vacation, we thought it would be fun to geocache in the area. Our inaugural day of geocaching provided us with less than perfect adventuring weather, complete with rain, wind, and air so thick with humidity that even a bald man’s head would frizz. We had no internet access, so we searched for nearby caches via McDonald’s free WiFi. media type="youtube" key="9gsAVIJZoWc?hl=en" height="349" width="425" align="right" Our first attempt, for the cache entitled “Gator”, was an epic failure. First of all, it being our first time geocaching, we did not know to use the map on the website to first find the site; instead, we attempted to follow the compass arrow in the car. It pointed us down a not-so-promising small, winding side road which surprisingly led us to an area that matched the description of the site perfectly. As promised, it had access to water and wildlife; we even spotted the gator rumored to lurk at the site! So, we knew we were at the right place. We trudged out of the car to start looking and quickly found that we were not aptly prepared for caching. Rain soaked our heads and mosquitoes quickly took advantage of our bare arms and legs. But alas, we trudged on. With Britni as navigator, we searched high and low around the area for the cache. We also quickly found that we could not always rely on the GPS to lead us to the exact spot to find the cache. After a good 20 minutes of scavenging, we resigned, rain-soaked and mosquito-eaten, to head back to the house and gather bug spray and long pants and sleeves before resuming our adventure. media type="youtube" key="qzMHOzvY6BI?hl=en" height="349" width="425" align="center"

Once we were properly equipped, we decided to try for another cache before going back to “Gator”. We set out to find “Jump”, still attempting to follow the compass in the car. The hider of the cache described it as “along one of those side streets on our drive home from work daily that makes you wonder ‘what's down this road?’.” Well, we found a dirt road that perfectly matched the description and optimistically turned down it. Our optimism quickly faded when we found ourselves among a village of trailers, many looking quite abandoned, and posts bearing the warning “NO TRESPASSING”. We daringly defied the signs and continued down the road a-ways until we came to a dead end. media type="youtube" key="BH79DUiZu_M?hl=en" height="349" width="425" align="left" We decided it would be unwise to venture out of the car onto private property to comb the woods for the cache, so we turned around and headed back to the highway. While driving on the highway, the GPS miles started to go down again and the arrow was pointing us in the direction of a car wash and small mini-strip mall. We quickly parked the car and began tip-toeing through large weeds and grass that was almost towering over us. We kept going farther and farther, but eventually we lost signal and were worried about the possibility of snakes and other creatures being in the grass. After several minutes we retreated back to the car to regroup. We fixed ourselves on finding “Gator” again and drove back toward that site. Arriving once again optimistically at the water’s edge, we got out, now properly clothed, and started searching again. This time we searched harder, walked father down the road,and even searched the surrounding woods, but still found nothing. When we were again thoroughly fed up with the mosquitoes who had apparently become immune to the bug spray we loaded back up in the car and set out for a different cache. This time we decided to search for a cache that was described as a “quick grab and go” on the website. “Four Corner Oasis” was described as being “in a situation or place preserved from surrounding unpleasantness; a refuge: an oasis of serenity amid chaos.” As soon as Sara heard the name “Four Corner Oasis” she recognized it as the name of the intersection where McDonald’s was located. So, once again confidently, we headed out to find another cache. As we approached the intersection, we immediately spotted the “oasis”—a patch of trees and vegetation planted in one corner of the intersection. We pulled up to the oasis and counted two palm trees, which we knew were important from the cache hint “palm”. Excitedly, we jumped out of the car and began scouring the oasis. We looked everywhere, high in trees, low in trees; we dug in the mulch; we searched in the bushes. But, to no avail. Our fourth failure was logged at “Four Corner Oasis”. media type="youtube" key="vLV2h1ssnKE?hl=en" height="349" width="425" align="center"

Once again, we needed a break. Since we were already at McDonald’s we went there to grab some food and to research for more clues. Sitting there, eating our double cheeseburgers and drinking sugary drinks, we decided that we would look for any pictures that fellow geocachers had placed in the comments. We found so many helpful clues, and already were frustrated so, we decided to try “What’s Cooler Than Being Cool?” since everyone commented “easy find” or “great grab and go.” Our clue was from he song “Hey Ya,” so we listened to song an got the clue “Ice Cold.” There was a “Twice the Ice” machine around the corner so away went.Another clue on the website also said, “not for people who suffer with Triskaidekaphobia,” so we searched for thirteen items. We couldn’t find the cache around the ice machine, so we got in the car and the GPS led us to a sketchy mobile home park. The inhabitants stared at us as our car slowly crept down their dirt road. All of us made the decision to turn around, forget finding the cache, and try once again to find “Gator”. media type="youtube" key="8WZ5ilbfNlA?hl=en" height="349" width="425" align="left"

Driving back, there was a feeling of determination to find this cache. When we arrived, the sun was sinking and we had to search fast! Walking and looking for a “path that needs some maintenance,” Britni screamed, “I found it! Here it is!” We all rushed to see this hidden treasure, a container with a turtle figurine glued to the top. Excitedly, we opened the container, looked at the contents inside, and placed our octopus figurine in the box.



Hungering for more loot, we decided to try out “Noah’s Landing.” We knew the clue, “look between the cracks”, and automatically thought-public beach access. It was dark before we made it to the cache. After missing the spot and parking in a cul-de-sac across the road, we used our cell phones as flashlights and scoured the stairs for the cache. In a matter of minutes the cache was located, the log was signed, a fish figurine was taken, and the octopus figurine was placed in the box. Quickly we searched another cache at a nearby park, but it was so dark we couldn’t find it. Disappointed by only two cache finds in seven hours, our group left the gentle beach breezes to soothe our feelings with ice cream and lots of chocolate syrup.

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We left Snead Ferry early Sunday morning, but not before going back to “Four Corner Oasis” to search some more. We knew we could find it if we just looked harder and more thoroughly; however, this determination was short lived, and we ended up leaving without finding the microcache.

Back in Town media type="youtube" key="6K9dS7wwLCU?hl=en" height="314" width="382" align="left"

After an encouraging lesson about geocaching, we decided once more to venture into the unknown world of the Lillington, Coats, and Erwin. We decided to go to a cache called “Between the Pines” because Sara knew the location. We parked at New Breed Baptist Church and counted by our clue, “13 pines will lead the way.” We walked in rows and rows of pine trees, but we could not find the cache.

Having many other caches to search for, we left the site and went to the cache called, “Does Anybody Know What Time it is?” This proved to be an easy find. All we had to do was dig in the decorative rocks, and there it was. The cache was in a film canister and was broken, so the log was soaked. Finding the cache so easily made us believe that all of the searches would be easy today, unfortunately that was not the case.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008080; display: block; font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Moving on, we ventured <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008080; display: block; font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">to the Coats Municipal Park to find “ Day At the Park.” We thought it would be an easy find like all of the comments listed, but we ended up finding everything but the geocache. We started walking on the nature trail and followed the GPS to an area of trees off the trail. The only thing we could find at the “base of two” were broken beer bottles and trash. Sara almost stepped on a snake that had raised its head up to give a warning, she ran through the woods yelling, “SNAKE! I ALMOST STEPPED ON A SNAKE!” We decided to move down the trail. After walking for a while, Britni noticed a round object at the base of a tree. She moved in like a hawk, and questionably scooped up the object in her hands. She looked at it closely and screamed, “It’s a crack pipe!” Fearing for our lives, and seeing the snake and crack pipe as signs to quit, we left the Coats park for greener pastures.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008080; display: block; font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Searching for our next cache forced us to drive on a scenic dirt road. We passed by pastures and houses, and ended up on Delma Grimes Road. We were told on the website that, “the land on either side of it is "POSTED" land, but the cache is not located on either of those tracts of land.” Unsure what this or the clue, “step over the logs” meant, we parked on the small shoulder of the road and crossed back and forth from Delma Grimes to Highway 27. Trying not to step on rotting roadkill, we looked for an logs we could find, but none were easily accessible. A man in a truck thought we were having car trouble, so he turned his truck around and got out. We thought to ourselves, “let’s get out of here, now!” and off we went to find another cache. “Erwin Park #1” was going to be the last cache of the day. We had some difficulty finding the park itself. We were told it was near the gazebo at the base of a tree, so when we saw the gazebo, we jumped out of the car and ran to each tree. Britni was the first one to find the little camouflaged box. Inside was a business card and a few pokemon cards. We found the log signed or names, did a victory dance, and put the cache back into its place. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008080; display: block; font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After three long days of Geocaching and only finding four out of the many we attempted, it would be easy for us to say we hated this experience and that it was a waste of time! However, this experience was among the most unique we have ever had and we made some great memories along the way. Our group was able to learn the ins and outs of using the GPS units and what to look for when trying to find a geocache. We also were given a wonderful opportunity to truly learn to work together as a cohesive team. While this was frustrating at times, it was also extremely rewarding when we did find the cache we were looking for. This definitely reminded us that perseverance is very important to have and is something that we will have to constantly remind our students when we teach. We, ourselves have been reminded that when you get knocked down you must always get back up again!

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