The Nano Cache

It was over a year ago when my friend Pete first suggested geocaching. I’d never heard of it before then.

“I bet there’s a lot of them around here, especially down at the beach.”

I loaded the app and looked at the video online. The children were beyond excited at the prospect of a real life treasure hunt, particularly when we discovered there were three of them within a walking distance of our house. We set off in a huddle, crowded around the phone like the paparazzi.

Nothing. We found nothing.

After following the map and using the compass provided we seemed to be sitting right on top of something but just couldn’t see it. We kept looking.

Nothing. We kept trying.

We took friends.

Nothing.

And then finally weeks later on a trip to The Monash Playground with Granny and an Aunt we struck gold.

“I wonder if there’s one here?”

When I watched my 63 year old Aunt slide on her back underneath a spider ridden bench I realized that maybe we just hadn’t been trying hard enough.

Bingo! Found one.

Since then we’ve become a little obsessed. We’ve climbed into caves, under bushes and up trees, but there was one that continued to elude us. Located only 300 metres from our house we just couldn’t find it. G and I both tried looking for it on our own. It was listed as a “nano” which meant it was small, we looked for a matchbox or a tin. Every time we drove by we’d stop for just one more try, and as the days of our holiday came to an end we became more desperate, more frustrated.

We left Australia with an itch, we’d come back, we’d get it next time.

A couple of days ago we went back. We checked all the clues again, looked at the log in – someone had found it the day before. I stood on a fence and scaled the top of a shelter. We were all beginning to feel the same frustration again. And then the first little traveller thought she’d found a magnet about the size of the eraser on top of a pencil.

“Hey, it screws open…”

We were hysterical. There was hugging, screaming, maniacal laughing, and then the fear of muggles (non geocache participants) set in.

“Sshhhhhh, the muggles will know what we’re doing.”

And just like that, we put it back where we found it and moved on. Triumphant.

I have no idea who invented geocaching but thank you. Thank you for hours of walking, climbing, searching, giggling and adventure. No screens, no batteries, no devices.

Bloody good fun.

Have you tried geocaching?