Wise Words of Warning

My good friend sent me some additional advice for new geocachers out there. All the common sense things which I figured everyone would know and do anyway, just like me (*cough, cough*)

Good advice for the people for whom it does not come naturally to be prepared (unlike me, of course ^^) Hey! At least I told them to bring a flashlight, can I get a few bonus points for that? :)



I'm "the friend" who got Karen into this, years ago now. My family has done over 1000 caches.....and still going strong! The things we've seen and found, right in our own community, still amaze me. If you aren't geocaching, you are missing out on a whole world of beautiful places, hidden treasures and secret handshakes :)

I'm commenting so as to not neglect *practical* aspects of geocaching......ie: you can avoid some of Karen's more daunting adventures with a few simple precautions :)



First off, your car needs an emergency kit. Yes, one of those medical ones is good (bring bee sting and poison ivy sticks), but I mean a "we're stuck here and it's dark" kit. Blankets, towels, dry clothing (I have t-shirts and sweatpants in a range to fit multiple kids), socks (lots!), water bottles and energy bars. During the winter include hats/gloves etc. I pick things that can just be left in the car for several months at a time.



Secondly, flashlights, flashlights, flashlights.........and more flashlights.



Thirdly, batteries, batteries, batteries.........are you getting the idea? Good, then repeat with the words cell phone and maps too lol



Lastly, be willing to give up. Sometimes you have to call it quits and I've found if the giving up thought crosses my mind, we really need to begin seriously considering it right then and there. Some caches and some locations are challenging. It's good to know when to stop and try again later. Sometimes we've gone back a different day and immediately found a cache we'd searched high and low for the first time there. Be *okay* with not scoring. Just like with life, some days suck :)

Sorry for jumping into your show, Karen, but you've had far too many *special* adventures for me to sit back and watch you lead a pack of trusting newbies lol



BTW, someone asked us how long we had been going geocaching, we started in September 2004, so about 2.5 years now. I have been digging up old geocaching pics for the illustrations with those posts, it's amazing how much my kids have grown in only a few years.