Only Cachers Understand Somethings

I posted this pic earlier. This is me. There's nothing better for me than to grab my gear and go for a good wander. You never know what you'll find, although today I knew exactly what it would be. 
My hobbies are varied. I love being creative. Photography fills part of that. To pull a picture off as I imagine it will look is an incredible high for me. There is so much out there that we miss in our daily lives as we rush the kids to school, go to work, or just hurry off on any of a million tasks that preoccupy our minds in the world. Writing does it for me too. You might not find mine that interesting, but it's a kind of therapy for me. Everyone needs an outlet. To tell my story does me an incredible amount of good even if it's pretty normal most of the time. 

Then there's geocaching. Those of you that are in the know skip ahead a paragraph and I'll be there in a minute...

Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device^[2] and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world.

A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook where the geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (Tupperware or similar) or ammunition boxes can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little value. Geocaching shares many aspects with benchmarking, trigpointing, orienteering, treasure-hunting, letterboxing, and waymarking.

Geocaches are currently placed in over 200 countries around the world and on all seven continents, including Antarctica, and the International Space Station. After more than 12 years of activity there are over 1.7 million active geocaches published on various websites. There are over 5 million geocachers worldwide. 

And that in a nutshell is geocaching. But that doesn't cover the social aspect. We get to meet people from all 

walks of life. If we are lucky we get to attend events both large and small and that's where the fun begins. I 

have been lucky enough to meet some very interesting people in our sport from as far away as the UK, the 

Netherlands, Austrailia, New Zealand, well, you name the country! I've also met people in caching that I had 

forgotten from just the next town over. Weird how life works out. 

Today I went to Monroe, N.C. to try something new in caching. Well, new to me. And at the same time kinda old

 hat. I'm talking about Opencaching. Before you get too excited, I'm talking about OCUS not OCCOM. one is  

very different from the other, but we aren't going into that here.

This is a happy place.

 And down the rabbit hole I went...

I started out today with a BIT cache:

A BIT cache^TM consists only of a laminated tag with a password and other identifying information printed on it. This password is needed to log the cache. A BIT cache^TM may also be placed inside a container but this is not required... it is actually discouraged. - D. Self (I guess. Credit where credit is due I say!)

This first one was at the water tower pictured  above. I have taken pics of this tower so many times that you'd think I'd get tired of it. I love the structure of it and haven't seen one like it anywhere else. 

The BIT cache was neat. I loved the functionality of it loading straight to OCUS from the scanned QR code and I can see other uses in less hospitable environments where a regular cache can't go. It's not always about the find, sometimes it's the journey for us as cachers. Some us go into some really dangerous spots to hide caches. I have been forty feet underground for a cache and I have been seventy five feet up as well on a rusted out steel tower. These might do the trick where I like to hide. We shall see. Caching is all about what's next. You can only find so many LPC's. You hear that all the time. On the other hand, you can only find so many ammo cans in the woods before you start wondering "I wonder where that tunnel goes?". I go find out. I love caching underground. But that's another post.

I found several BIT caches, a traditional small in the form of a hide a key, a virtual, and a multi. A multi consists of two or more stages usually with a task somewhere to find the answers to figure out where the coordinates are for the final container. I usually don't do multis much. To much work and I am too lazy. But I wanted a well rounded day so that I could try out this alternate version to what I've become accustomed. And wouldn't you know it? The multi was cross listed with GC.com! But hey, two fer! I'll take it. 

As often happens when I cache, I bled. I shouldn't be surprised. This one was a DNF (Did Not Find) but I will be back. (By the way, TermiteHunter you kinda suck! LOL) When I got back to the car I put my phone in and started the car. I closed the door and went around back to hit the first aid kit up for a little assistance. Forgot to unlock the back hatch. Worse, I forgot to unlock the drivers side door when I closed it. So there I am, thirty miles from the house with no way to get into the car and my cell is inside. And the car is running. 

Luckily a lady sitting nearby in the parking lot had a nice long piece of wire and I was able to very easily get into the car. To easily. Now I'm concerned about that. Lol. I can break into a 2005 Ford Escape with electronic locks in less than thirty seconds. If you need to know how, hit me up at an event some time.

Other than that there were no major problems. I have been geocaching since 2003 under different handles (MPD, don't ask) so I didn't expect any. Something I didn't expect today was the feeling I got. I felt like I had just started caching! It was exciting to get that feeling again. I felt free. Which is what my handle Freekacher is supposed to be all about. 

I am excited about this. To actually be able to place a true virtual again is very appealing. So much so that I've already placed one and had it approved (thanks Dave!) on OCUS. 

I found five today with one DNF. And a bonus smilie on GC.com. I had a great time. I got to wander and take pics and do something I really enjoy. I may ease into some of the other sites. Who knows what could happen!

I am not leaving GC.com. I'm just going to see this other site from time to time. We're just friends. Don't be mad. She's a lot like you when we first met. All wild and free and new. Kinda exciting. I'll be home later. Seriously, we've been together to long for me to just throw this all away...

Some will understand, some won't.