Always be prepared...

I am a geocacher. Some of you don't know what that is so...

Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.

At times these caches can be in place that you wouldn't normally go.

Always be prepared is what I want to write about today. My cache pack is also my daily pack. I carry a range of things that most cachers wouldn't think about and probably wouldn't need to think about. Why? Because on rare occasions I might get to go underground or reach for the sky. That requires special equipment and a real need for that Boy Scout moto, Be Prepared.

I of course carry flashlights, first aid kit, a knife, these are all necessities that any cacher would find handy in the field.

But I also carry a climbing harness with a safety line, gloves, kneepads, waterproof boots, a UV light and marker, headlamps, a pair of short range two way radios, matches and a lighter, even disposable rubber gloves, 75’ of rope, caribiners (not the Wal Mart kind, real load bearing climbing type) and an even bigger knife!

Some cachers I know carry a handgun. That, in the past, was not my thing. I can see the need for protection of that sort in everyday life nowadays, and if you are out in the wilderness caching. The only problem I ever had was seeing a gun on someones belt or in a shoulder holster at an event. 

Something you might find strange that I carry in my pack is diapers and wipes! LOL (Stay at home Dad). I always grumbled about making room for them, but, my wife reminded me, in a pinch me that a diaper could make an excellent pressure bandage. Everything can have multiple purposes! You just gotta think outside the diaper bag!

 
The types of caches that I love to go after, it’s necessary to be prepared. I am not the most extreme cacher. I don’t get to do them that often and there aren’t that many around here. If it weren’t for one of the Dirtbags, Vortexecho, I wouldn’t have as many under my belt now.

Do all of these things fit in my pack? No. I keep the back of the car usually well stocked when I know I am going caching. But we tend to buy hiking boots that are waterproof and carry most of this stuff on us.

The most important thing I can say that you need to have with you is a partner. It is at best unwise to ever go at it alone. Someone who isn’t fearful of the “what might happen”. If you don’t have the right mindset, you’re going to get in a tight spot and freak out. That’s not good for you or anyone else with you.

It’s also good to know you’re limitations in anything in caching. I have a buddy who loves to tunnel cache, but he is rather tall and after awhile, the stooping and bending gets to his back and he has to back off. That’s when he removes himself and becomes our ground support. 

And speaking of ground support, this is an important aspect as well. I have climbed up for a cache with my partner probably 75’. We had no one on the ground. In hindsight that was foolish. If the improbable happened and we both fell, who was going to call for help? Always think before you do caches like this. A good back up team is just as important as the team finding the cache.

Do your research on caches like this. You can find out loads of info from others who have done the cache you’re looking for. They don’t have to give it away, ask them not to spoil you before you ask about the cache. The extreme caching community is a bit smaller than the regular caching community. All of us don’t like the dark underside of the world, some of us live for it.

There are also those times when you don't know quite what you might run into. Sometimes you need a special tool like say a screwdriver to get the cache log...

While this may not be an extreme cache, I was prepared. And some of you are probably wondering why that screwdriver looks so weird. In caching, as in life, you never know what you're going to run into and sometimes in one day out of a thousand, you get lucky. And some things might just need to be a little more sonic.

We'd went as a family to the beach for the day to do a little caching and to attend an event. While there I ran into some fellow Whovians as they found out my handle used to be Doctor Who. My daughters handle is still Tin Dog and she is a wonderful caching and time travelling companion, full of wonder still, at age seven. Imagine how excited we were that day! One in a thousand days but this was a jackpot.

Freekacher