Cache+Me+If+You+Can+(My+Geocaching+Adventure)

Cache Me If You Can (My Geocaching Adventure)  “Oh, this will be easy,” I told myself on Saturday, October 6, 2012, as I set out on my first geocaching adventure. Having dominated numerous Easter egg hunts and games of hide-and-seek as a child, I expected I would achieve similar success in this worldwide scavenger hunt. Earlier in the week, my Social Studies Methods class had started a unit on geocaching, and my classmates and I had been tasked with participating in a geocaching adventure of our own in the community of their choosing. Eager to take my geocaching adventure, I set out the following weekend to locate caches in my hometown of Sanford, NC. However, I soon realized geocaching anything but “child’s play”.

 The first stop on my geocaching excursion was the Kiwanis Park, a popular recreation area in Sanford, where I had learned numerous Smurf-themed caches were hidden. Accompanied by my mom and equipped with my digital camera and iPhone (featuring a handy geocaching app), I journeyed around the park hoping to find the sought-after caches. However, my searches quickly became perilous. As I journeyed close to each cache, I found that each was surrounded by dangerous hazards. According to my GPS app, several caches were apparently hidden amidst tufts of poison ivy and ant hills; one cache was apparently hidden under a log, on which I spotted a copperhead and several frightening lizard species; and another cache was apparently hidden in a creek that housed water moccasins. Sensing that Mother Nature didn’t want me to invade her habitats and realizing that venturing further could possibly lead to injury or death, I decided to continue my geocaching adventure elsewhere.

 The second stop on my geocaching adventure was Campbell University, a location presumably less hazardous. My mom and I set out to find caches at the Bell Tower, Saylor Park, and the Old Well. My GPS app first led me to a grate near the Bell Tower, on the underside of which I found the first cache (a magnetic key holder containing a log). I eagerly signed the log, posed for a quick photo, re-hid the cache, and set off toward the Old Well. Having no idea where the Old Well was, I sought counsel from my mom, a Campbell alumna, who pointed to a small gazebo-like structure across campus. My GPS indicated she was correct, and soon we were searching around the small structure for the next cache. After a few minutes of searching, my mom spotted the cache (a small white tube containing a log) on top of one of the well’s columns. I signed the log, re-hid the cache, and headed toward Saylor Park. Once at Saylor Park, my GPS app steered me to a light pole, where I found a cache hidden. I signed the log and re-hid the cache. Gaining confidence in my abilities, my mom and I then decided to try once more to find caches near our home.



The third stop on my geocaching adventure was Broadway, NC, a small township bordering Sanford. My geocaching app indicated several caches were hidden in this quaint community. First, my mom and I were led by my GPS to the Veterans Memorial, which was located in the center of town. At the memorial, we paid our respects to the servicemen, whom the memorial honored, as we hunted for the cache. I quickly found a cache (a small yellow tube containing a log) hidden in a juniper bush. I signed the log and re-hid the cache. My mom and I then headed to find our final cache of the day, this time at Watson’s Pond, a small recreation area I never knew existed. Once we arrived, my GPS app led us to a wooded area where I found a cache (a small sandwich container containing a log and several small trinkets) hidden beneath a rock at the foot of two trees. I signed the log and re-hid the cache. “This was hard!” I lamented. “But fun,” my mom added, as we headed home, now experienced geocachers.

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