Cache Me If You Can!

**If you didn't read our blog entry about geocaching a few entries back you might not have any idea as to what we are talking about. If you want to catch up, click here**

Geocaching (aka - treasure hunting) has taken our household by storm. Once you start, it becomes pretty addicting and well....it is just fun. So far the weather has been great every weekend so we have been able to get out both Saturday and Sunday each time. You would be amazed at how close some of these caches really are to where you live. What I love about it is just being outside and exploring some of the areas that are right in our "neighborhood." We have some great hiking trails and state parks with in a 10 minute drive that we have never really spent time, so this gives us a great opportunity to do so. Emma has also been learning a lot about hiking and staying on the trails, following the marked paths, and lately we have been looking for animal tracks (mainly deer). Our walks usually consist of her filling her pockets with rocks, pine cones, and whatever she can fit in them and then will fill our pockets as well. Sticks usually come along for the walk as well. We have just been having a great time with it and we look forward to the weekends when we can get out and go caching.

Usually Bill or I will find the spot where the "treasure" is (you can usually tell where it is by the way that the rocks are places, the sticks are piled up, etc - little hints that others have left) and then we tell Emma that the treasure is close by and to see if she can find it. She learned quickly that she needs to get down low and look behind things and move things around in order to find it. She can usually find it pretty quickly and is so proud of herself when she does. After writing in the log and looking through the cache, Emma always helps "hide" it again in the same place where we found it. We think it is important that if she helps to find it, then she helps to hide it - the whole process.

Here are some pictures of our recent geocaching adventure and fun on our hike.

GETTING READY FOR OUR HIKE


EMMA SHOWING US WHICH TRAIL TO TAKE


HAVING FUN ON THE WALK





FOUND IT!




CACHE IN, TRASH OUT (PICKING UP TRASH AS WE LEAVE)