Walk Off Those Holiday Pounds!

Geocaching!

Button your pants, get off the couch, stop complaining that your miserable because you ate too much! It’s time to get outdoors with that new GPS Device you got for Christmas and put it to use the “Healthy” way. What better time to join the fastest growing outdoor activity, Geocaching? Like hiking? Enjoy a brisk walk in the park? Need a place to get away with the family, pet or friends? It’s easy and with the right outdoor equipment, can be an exhilarating experience. In a moment I’ll share our experiences over the weekend while out geocaching that might inspire you to get out and try it, if you’re not already a cacher… In the meantime, while you have your New Year’s resolution checklist in front of you, write down the following: I will spend more time with the family by introducing them to geocaching and engaging in the sport on weekends in order to get more familiar with the great outdoors as a healthy means of entertainment. This will include (insert dog’s name here).

After a long week and a half of steady eating, napping to forget the miserable feeling of being

High Falls in Alabama

stuffed and laying around watching Ebenezer, Ralphy, Rudolf and George Baily on TV, we decided to put an end to it all and escape to the outdoors, fresh air and exercise! We loaded the GPS (ETrex Vista) with geocaching coordinates from the Geocaching.com website and broke out the jeep and headed for the trails. We have lived in Northeast Alabama for six years and never realized how beautiful the surrounding area really was. One of the caches directed us to “High Falls” near Geraldine, AL. Absolutely Spectacular and only seven miles from our home. Shame on us for taking so long to visit it. As you can see in the photo, it compares with locations shown in National Geographic, The Discovery Channel and many outdoor nature publications. Leave it to geocaching to introduce this majestic waterfall into our neighborhood!

Following the directions on the GPS led us directly to the cache. Kind of like an “over the mountain, through the woods, across the bridge we went” type of deal… A slight climb and “bingo”, there it was! Nothing to it, right? Not if you don’t have a GPS unit or a degree from M.I.T. in orienteering. A bit of sightseeing and water for Meisha and we were on our way to the next catch…

Next was a cache located along the “Lick Skillet” trail in Guntersville State Park. That’s right, I spelled it right, Lick Skillet! I can only imagine a group of campers stopping along the trail for a cookout. After the beans were completely consumed, a hiker by the name of Pierre or Homer or something close, was still hungry and decided to “lick the skillet” for whatever remaining morsels were present. The trail, still un-named, thus became known as “Lick Skillet”! If you know the real story, I’d be more than happy to hear it, but for the meantime, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!

Meisha in the Hunt!

Back to geocaching… We entered the trail at the highest point, it was a well laid out trail, clearly marked with orange markers. We followed the trail a little ways and noticed that the trail led away from the cache location, or it appeared that way from our vantage point. So, like Louis and Clark, we decided to blaze our own trail. After descending a drop of approximately 380 feet through wet leaves and moss, we walked right into the trail, smart… I can only assume the trail would have been much more negotiable. The directions to the cache described a burnt log just off the trail, so a hunting we went. It wasn’t long before Pam (wife) spoke up and the cache was found. Two things to note here… One, had I followed the GPS directions, I would have tripped over the log, literally! Two, since my back was turned, it is not clear whether Pam actually found the cache or Meisha. They were both at the spot together. In either case, the cache was found and a great hike it was. Though a bit more extreme than expected, it wasn’t like we didn’t need the exercise.

Mama and her babies

It was a great day! We had great fun! And, as an added bonus, got to see something that many outdoor adventurers never see! A mama and her two babies allowed us to get within 10 yards for a “Kodak” moment. See for yourselves…

Until next time, enjoy the outdoors, it’s God’s provision for relaxation.

Posted in Geocaching, GPS Devices, Outdoor Adventures, Outdoor Gear