Geocaching

With new friends comes new interests, new hobbies, new stories, and plenty of new adventures. And while this statement is as cliche as they come, this fact couldn't be more true as Jennifer and I have recently found ourselves amongst a rag tag pack of "kids" better known as the MINja's. And while we are named for the media centric lives that we live, often letting hours upon hours drift by sitting in front of a computer screen, the reality is, as they have shown us, that the modern nerd has plenty of ways to geek out in today's world. Case and point...geocaching!

Geocaching, while nothing more than a bastardized treasure hunt, is not only a great way to bond with friends, but it is free. And while Jenn and I have known of these caches for years, it wasn't until we met Dan, the leader of the MINja's, that we discovered what we have been missing out on. Dan, while also new to the scene having a little more than 30 finds under his belt, took us under his GPS enabled wings and introduced us to the world of hidden treasures.

Dan FTW

It certainly didn't take us long to get the hang of what we were doing. In fact, I am going to go out on a limb and proclaim that the two of us were naturals. I was the first to find one and Jennifer wasn't far behind. Needless to say, we are hooked and have consistently craved the challenge of finding not only new caches, but ones that are considered more challenging.

Jenn celebrates another find

To date, Jenn, Dan, and I have found around 15 caches together that have ranged in size from a little medical tube all the way up to an ammo container. Some of our finds have been easy, some of them have been hard, and some of them are so well hidden that we still haven't found them. We have found these caches in parks, on the streets, in cemeteries, and even deep in the woods. And while each of these finds is as satisfying as the last, the reality is that somewhere along the lines we stopped finding just caches and started to find ourselves. What starts as a treasure hunt always seems to end with a story, with an anecdote, or with a memory that is uniquely ours.

Geocaching in a cemetery

Geocaching I'm sure represents many different things for many different people. For us though, it has become our excuse to hang out, have a good time, and escape from a world that can more often than not be hectic.

beep, boop, bop!

Tony Bot