What do you get when you cross a love of the outdoors with techy goodness? Geocaching. Wikipedia sums it up best describing it as an outdoor treasure hunting game in which the participants use a handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called “geocaches” or “caches”) anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook and “treasure,” usually toys or trinkets of little value.
I hadn’t been out geocaching in quite a while and today was just too beautiful not to play outdoors, so I grabbed my GPS and a print out of nearby cache coordinates and headed out the door.
When I got down to the lake, I took a break under a tree to plug in the coordinates of the boxes of treasure I hoped to find. (Notice I plunked myself right next to the sign that says no trespassing? Good job, me.)
I stomped around in the woods for two hours without finding anything and was becoming very frustrated. While the GPS unit will get you close to the location, it won’t drop you right on top of it due to variations between indvidual machines, so usually you’ll have to scrounge around in about a 100 ft radius to find the spot you’re looking for. I gave up on the first cache I was seeking and upon returning home and checking the website again, I discovered that the cache had been moved and I was using the old coordinates. Grrrr. But I was successful in finding my second one.
After climbing over logs and boulders praying that I wasn’t coming in contact with poison ivy again, I found the pile of rocks covering the sought after ammo can of goodies.
I was sooooo happy! While I would have been content with having had fun and getting my daily exercise in the fresh air, finding the treasure is the name of the game.
I opened the canister and sorted through the trinkets to decide what, if anything, I would trade.
You never know what you might find. Often times it’s just junky Happy Meal toys, but sometimes there’s really cool stuff or even small sums of money. This was a pretty decent cache with a wide assortment of items.
I signed the log book and then selected two scout badges in exchange for three pretty pencils. I’d love to come up with a signature item to leave, but I’m not sure what. It can’t be anything naughty as a lot of kids and families geocache and it can’t be anything food or food scented so that rules out candy.
I know. Maybe I could start leaving wooden spoons. They’re relatively inexpensive and only naughty to those with naughty minds. Yes, that could work. And I know just the one to start with …
May 5th, 2008 - 6:22 pm
I loved your geocaching story. As for a “signature item” … would it be too obvious to leave a little miniature pixie figurine?
May 5th, 2008 - 9:13 pm
Or something in the general pixie vein…stickers, maybe?
May 5th, 2008 - 9:29 pm
I’ve been onto the Geocaching website, but everything seemed kinda complicated. No, I’m not a techy…it’s all I can do to get website updates done. When you’re here, you have to show me how to get going on that. I even have a signature item planned for myself. We’ll do our spanking scenes and I’ll spank you into showing me how to geocache. There isn’t a hiking trail within 20 miles of my place that I haven’t been on…some even a little further. Can’t wait till your here!
May 5th, 2008 - 10:03 pm
Also, do you ever find bills that have been entered into http://www.wheresgeorge.com in your caches?
May 5th, 2008 - 10:14 pm
Ditto Spenser and JC’s suggestions; there are Pixie figurines and such all over the Web. Worthy family fare. As for “The Beast,” rather than the wood chipper or some other ignominious fate, perhaps you might consider auctioning it off at some future date. That way, it could pay for its sins, the proceeds going to some worthy cause. (Better do it before it figures prominently in your next Blogiversary… muahaha!;) )
May 5th, 2008 - 10:47 pm
May 6th, 2008 - 12:28 am
I’ve never gone geocaching but it definitely looks like fun.
When I was an older teenager, my friend and I went into the woods once and put a firecracker underneath a small Army man, lit the fuse, covered our ears and ducked, and then spent the next 30 minutes combing the leafy ground to try find where the Army man went.
When we finally found “the absent minded general”, who couldn’t understand he was supposed to stand *behind* the cannon, not in front of it, we got so excited!
Then we put him on another firecracker, lit it, and started the whole process again.
Geocaching seems like a much safer and less noisy way to have the same fun.
Plus, for girls, it has a nice side benefit of being an easy way to keep your legs toned.
May 6th, 2008 - 3:18 am
Geocaching sounds like really good fun………but don’t think its come to the UK yet. Your idea of leaving a wooden spoon seems like a fine idea……..particularly if you can leave spoons which would otherwise be used on your behind!
As always, seeing a great photo of you over Veronica’s knee with that lovely bottom of yours on display and being well-reddened has made my day……..and it’s only early morning here!!
Look forward to seeing pictures of you over Chelsea’s knee whilst she spanks you into teaching her how to geocache. How about you spanking her if she gets it wrong?
May 6th, 2008 - 3:48 am
Hey, wait a minute. Was that a small ruler in the box? Why didn’t you go for that?
Back in my day we didn’t have any fancy-pants navigation systems. We just had a maps and compasses. AND WE LIKED IT THAT WAY!
-Alan
May 6th, 2008 - 8:42 am
I think you should only leave spoons that HAVE been used on your behind.
Yes, geocaching is great fun. I’ve only done it for about a year now, but I love it. Glad to see we share more than one thing in common!
May 6th, 2008 - 8:52 am
Geocaching has been around for quite some time and my EX boyfriend and I used to enjoy finding the hidden items. But, since it is pretty much based on the “honor” system it has lost it’s interest for us because a lot of people are just taking all the items and it’s frustrating looking for something thatisn’t there. Geocaching was initialy a well kept secret that was passed by word of mouth between well trusted friends. But, then the media found out and people started posting about it on web-sites and ….
I think a spanking is in order possibly!!! LOL
Linde
May 7th, 2008 - 1:49 am
Dear Pixie,
For a signature item, how a little keychain of some sort? Maybe one of those with the initial “P”….
Dr. Ken
May 7th, 2008 - 7:42 pm
Hello Pixie,
Long time fan, first time commenter. I’ve been lurking about the internet spanking scene for a while now, but now I’ve decided to express myself in prose… or is prose the narrative story telling, or is prose poetry? I could look it up on wiki…. but the mouse is all the way over there. Hell….
So I’m making the rounds to introduce myself, and I’ve been a fan, as I’ve mentioned, for a while, so I thought I’d say hi. Hi. Spanking stories are my game. I’m not as photogenic as you.
Well, I guess I’ll be going. I’m glad you’re enjoying your treasure hunting, but the James Bond toy is sort of cheating if you consider that Indiana Jones IV is coming out soon. Did you at least fight a Nazi into a plane’s propeller? Save a third world village with a magic rock? I’ve never played the game myself.
Yours,
PB
May 8th, 2008 - 2:18 am
As always, I love your outdoorsy posts, Pixie–absolutely wonderful. Have heard of the geo-caching thing, but have not tried it. You are inspiring me to maybe do some posts, on non-”s”-word topics, inspired by your journeys.
Dave
cherry red
report
May 8th, 2008 - 10:25 am
Spenser – that might work as long as I can find some that are inexpensive enough.
JC – Stickers would be a great idea! I’ll have to get some from the local craft shop. I always liked stickers and there are sure to be fairy / pixie ones.
Chelsea – I’ll be more than happy to give you a geocaching tutorial. It’ll be a lot of fun!
JC – Nope, never found one of those bills in the cache, but I have gotten some in my change occasionally.
Dreams of Horses – Gah! Now don’t go giving anyone any ideas about including the spoon in my blogiversary spanking! Thankfully I still have 9 months or so to bury this comment.
2Good – It is lots of fun! And you’re right, I was awfully smiley for once, wasn’t I.
Alan – Yes, it probably is a bit safer. Wouldn’t want to accidentally start a fire by setting dry leaves and brush aflame with the firecracker or melting army men! That could result in an adventure you wouldn’t want to have.
Aristotle – Geocaching is big in the UK. Check out http://www.geocacheuk.com, http://www.gagb.org.uk, and http://www.geocache.co.uk if you ever want to get started.
No plans in the works for me spanking Chelsea. She’d probably end up spanking me for failure to teach properly!
Alan Boatsman – Oh no. No rulers. Especially not RED ones! And tsk. Don’t diss my GPS. I happen to know you are rather fond of gadgets and tech stuff yourself!
Marcus – Oh no! If each spoon has to be tested before given away to a cache, then I’m definitely switching over to pixie stickers.
Linde – That’s awful that you’ve run into problems with cache robbers. I haven’t come across any like that yet. I didn’t realize that geocaching was ever such a secret, but hopefully as more people play, they will outnumber the less than honorable ones and we’ll have more hide and seek adventures to go on!
Dr. Ken – that’s an idea too. Maybe the dollar store will have something like that.
PB – Nope, didn’t save the world or battle any evil guys this week. And while I do enjoy my Bond-esque tech toys, I will be donating my $8.50 to see Indiana Jones in a few weeks.
Dave – You always say you never have found a Pixie in your woods. Maybe your GPS could lead you to one.
And I’d also be very interested to read a vanilla entry or two to learn more about the man behind CRR.
May 8th, 2008 - 6:55 pm
Twilight and I have went geocaching some. I think leaving innocent looking spanking items is brilliant! Who knows who’s day you might liven up… and yet vanilla people will think nothing of them.
Thebes
May 9th, 2008 - 12:09 am
Geocaching is a blast! I’ve been an avid cacher for a few years just for the reasons you suggested, a love of the outdoors and technology. Oddly enough, buried in the swag in the first cache I ever found was a paddleball game. Too flimsy to deliver an effictive spanking but I thought it was a sign from above(: