Geocaching: Just the adventure I was looking for!

Today as a part of my job as a naturalist intern at a state park, I learned to geocache. The park is a geocache demo-site for Minnesota State Parks' "Wildlife Safari" program, so it is necessary that I know how to operate the GPS units that we loan to park visitors.

I wasn't too excited about geocaching at first. I guess when people told me about it I just couldn't see what the big thrill to finding a plastic container in the woods would be. But I welcomed the chance to get outside on the trails and get paid for it. Then, to my surprise, I actually enjoyed myself. I found the cache quite easily, as there is a lot of traffic to it by park visitors. But I did feel a sense of reward that I did not think that I would feel.

I decided to look up more geocaching sites around my house, and I was surprised to see that there are 10 within a five mile radius. My brother Matt and I went out looking for the closest one after dinner. It was on state forest land, and it was hidden very well. Even though it was less than a mile away, it took us over an hour to find. It was a challenge, and we had a great time searching for it. Plus my brother traded a marble for a Batman pen, which made his day.

I think geocaching is just the adventure I've been looking for. It is something that I can do close to home after I get done with work, and it takes me to places I usually wouldn't go. Plus it gets me outdoors, which is always a top priority for me.