Hike, Climb, Explore!

Hi — I’m Kim from Snug Harbor Bay. I’d like to thank Shellbelle for asking me to be her first guest blogger. I am fairly new to blogging and she’s helping me to get my feet wet, so this is quite an honor for me.

Shellbelle was intrigued by my favorite past-time, which is geocaching, and she wanted me to share it with you. It’s more of an obsession really. I started 2 years ago and I am hooked!

Did you look for Easter eggs when you were a kid? Can you remember the thrill you felt when you found an egg hidden under the sofa, or behind a chair cushion, or tucked beneath a blanket? Can you close your eyes and conjure up the tingle that spread through your body as you raced around the house searching for those pastel goodies? Well, if you can, then you would probably like geocaching.

Geocaching is a game that is played by millions of people around the globe. Geocaches are hidden everywhere — in parks, in parking lots, under benches, in the woods, in the mountains, in the water, and on every continent. Yes, that even includes Antarctica.

What does a geocache look like, you ask? Well, there are many different kinds and the more you cache, the more you will realize how creative some people can be. The basic ones are: Ammo cans, pill bottles, small square plastic containers, and test tubes. However, I have seen caches made out of ceramic turtles, carved figures, telephones, baseball bats, rocks, logs, and Halloween decorations. It’s basically some type of container with a logbook inside that you sign and then re-hide the cache in the same spot for someone else to find.

The thing I like the best about geocaching (other than indulging my inner child) is the places I have gone to. I have seen historic things that I would never have heard of otherwise. We have gone to National Forests, lakes, nature preserves, hiking in the mountains and canoeing.

Caching is also a fantastic way to spend time with your family. Children love the thrill of the hunt and get quite excited about looking for treasure. I’ve met many new people through caching and if you are so inclined, you can attend picnics, bashes and parties all centered around caching. Young and old alike can partake in this hobby because there are such a wide variety of cache types that can satisfy every fitness level, as well as every intelligence level.

You can do something as simple as find them in parking lots or hidden in a neighborhood park. If you prefer to hike, then look up caches that will take you to the forest preserve or a nature center. Some caches are hidden in trees (my personal favorite because I will never be too old to climb a tree), some are hidden under water and require a snorkel and mask, some are hidden on fence posts or guard rails or under a lamp skirt.

Now you’re probably wondering what the point of this is, since you can’t keep the cache. Well, there are a couple of things. First, some of the caches do have swag in them. Swag is little gift items that people leave for trade. You take something and you leave something. It can be a coin, a small doll, marbles, etc. But the main point is the finding. It’s getting out and exploring and having fun.

Well, I could go on and on, but you get the gist of it. If you’re at all interested, please come over and check out my blog. I love to talk about the places we go and the caches we do. I have a whole section about geocaching that will give you more information and how to go about getting started.

My favorite tag line is: Hike, Climb, Explore! Go ahead, get out of the house, breathe some fresh air and stretch your legs. Go alone or better yet, grab a friend. Re-awaken your inner child and search for that hidden egg. If you find one, please be sure to stop by my blog and let me know.

Happy caching!

And thanks again to Shellbelle! I hope I did you proud.

Note from Shellbelle: Thanks Kim, you did an awesome job on this post and I am honored to have you here today. To my blogging friends, I hope you'll stop over and welcome Kim to our online community. She's a real sweetheart and writes such interesting posts. For all you gardeners out there, be sure to read her post on an orchid farm she recently visited, it has the most incredible information on how they are grown that I never knew before. AND, you have to see all the sea glass she found while geocaching on Lake Michigan, so cool!

Plus, if you've never "phooned" before you have to check out this post! It's hysterical and I'd love to see some photos of all you phooning!

Anyway, Kim's blog is delightful, entertaining and so interesting, she teaches us how to make hot pepper jelly, takes us to wonderful places and she's just downright NICE. Be sure to visit her at Snug Harbor and tell her I said hello!

Now before I go I have to post today's:

Ocean Fact: Even if you live a long distance from an ocean, chemical fertilizers and pesticides applied to your lawn can wash into your storm drain during the next rainstorm, travel through your watershed and end up in the ocean. These chemicals can harm aquatic life. –Earth Gauge