kj-mclean (+piper) was here ...

Geocaching is something I've wanted to do for quite a while now, and my brother-in-law Stephen (an avid geocacher) keeps inviting me, but something always comes up. Well, when I found out that the school club was having its first meeting/hunt of the year, I decided that it was time to check it out. And, because I knew she'd love it, I took Piper along too. (Note: She's wearing her official SJHS bandana to show she's part of the team!)

Hubby's business bought a GPS a few weeks ago, so I borrowed it for the day. Ever since he brought it home, I've made it clear that I want this device for myself, to the point that I refer to it as a named entity (ie Where's Garmin? Can Garmin come with me today?). Santa had better get this BIG HINT, I tell ya. *grin*

We didn't have a very large crowd (which is good in a way, since I tripped over some roots in the brush and did a spectacular face-plant which went unnoticed. Knee: seriously bruised; pride: intact.). But we placed a cache and found another, and looked for two others (unsuccessfully), and I got the hang of all of Garmin's buttons.

And now, of course, I'm completely hooked. Garmin has been with me for the past few hours, and since I don't have the software or the USB connection for him (see what I mean?), I've been meticulously entering coordinates for local geocaches by hand. (Think: like the monotony and tediousness of text-messaging, but where precision really counts.)

I've programmed in about ten new caches I want to go look for, but today I'm so stiff and sore (both from the trip-and-fall and from trudging around when I'm this out of shape) that I might have to wait.

Plus there's the issue of muggles. I have decided that part of the thrill in geocaching (for me, anyway) is going to be the "stealth" aspect of it. In the mid-80s I was convinced I wanted to be a spy. My clever disguise is now a well-rounded, nearly middle-aged body and a black-and-white dog. (The other part of my plan is to go in the early morning when no non-geocaching types in their right minds are up and about.)

I also need to go find some swag so I can place it in the geocaches I find. Yesterday my friend helped me out by giving me a SJHS lapel pin to place in the cache. What did I choose to take out as my very first piece of found geocached swag? Why, a small plastic stegosaurus, of course!

In all seriousness, Piper and I really had a great time yesterday. She was completely tuckered out by the time we got home, and she's still pretty quiet today. I think that this is something we'll be doing together a lot -- as long as I can swipe Garmin from Hubby on a regular basis! *grin*