Constellations...

Just returned from camping with the in-laws at Odell Lake! More on camping later, but just wanted to share a little about our family's new hobby...geocaching. A friend of mine recently introduced me to geocaching and we're all hooked. Kid3 calls it "Treasure Hunting", which is pretty accurate, although the "treasures" generally have no value other than the satisfaction of the search and find. It's great fun. Learn more about it at www.geocaching.com.

Anyway, Kid1 and I went in search of a couple of caches that had recently been placed and we were hoping to be the "First to Find" (aka FTF), which is kind of a big deal to geocachers. After parking at Gold Lake, we began the 1/2 mile hide towards Marilyn Lake. Everything was going well as we reached the coordinates for "Marilyn Lake 1". According to the GPS, we were within 2 feet of the cache, but we couldn't locate it. Bummer. Then we decided to walk another 3/4 of a mile toward "Marilyn Lake 2" to try and locate it. Again, no luck. Oh well, at least we had a nice hike through nature. And then...the fun begins.

During the trek back to the car, I stepped off the trail into a knee-deep muddy bog and promptly lost a shoe. It wasn't long before both Kid1 and I were covered in mud and still no shoe. We decided then to just head the final 3/4 mile back to the car. But first, I ingeniously decided to try and clean off some of the mud (mostly to keep the Bride from killing me) in the scenic and undisturbed Marilyn Lake. Curiously enough, I also managed to wash off all of the mosquito repellent applied back at camp. Now I was a one-shoed tenderfoot, with no deterrent for the bastard a-hole of all insects and 3/4 of a mile from my car with only woodland forest trails and a gravel road between. No problem. I'm tough.

Well, now I'm covered in what can only be described as a Milky Way of itchy mosquito bites. Great. Just great.

For the record, I have not been deterred from geocaching by any stretch of the imagination (In fact, I successfully found 2 more the following day, including one that provided a breathtaking view of Odell Lake.), but I did want to offer the following packing list for when you decide to try geocaching.

1. Extra insect repellent
2. Extra shoes
3. A raft would be nice
4. Better yet, bring a jet pack just in case you lose both pairs of shoes.
5. More insect repellent
6. Tent and sleeping bags in case you get lost.
7. An air mattress as well.
8. Food for you and your woodland visitors.
9. A map
10. Bug spray

There you go! Try geocaching, but make sure you're prepared!