Why do I write? A well-known podcaster once said that
blogging is for people not talented enough to broadcast. I don’t agree with that. For me, blogging is for people who enjoy the
visual as well as the written. Although
I write so others will share my journey, sometimes I’m still pleasantly
surprised when my journeys are noticed.
Take the wonderful
email I received last week – no April Fool’s joke. I made it on Washknight’s geocaching blogroll!
“Geocaching
adventures in the Great Lakes”Elisa a.k.a. Scrapcat lives and caches
in southeast Michigan in the USA. She was
introduced to caching by her brother on a visit to the Zoo one day back in
2011. She has many interesting, funny and informative stories to tell and they
are all laid out beautifully on her blog. In November 2014 she celebrated her
5000th cache on the 1000th day of a caching streak and as of March 2015 it
doesn’t look like she will be breaking that streak anytime soon.
I first heard about
Washknight over a year ago when Sunny of Podcacher read his ‘Twas
the Cache Before Christmas on air.
What a hoot! Check it out! And
then later when Chasing Smilies
answered his 20 questions. And now Washknight (Paul)
asked me to take my turn!
1. When and how did
you first get into geocaching?
Ah,
competition. Little brother, a Scout
leader, was going to show his Big Sis a thing or two about this new thing
called “geocaching”. It was May 28, 2011 – a
sunny and glorious day at the Detroit Zoological Gardens.
2. Do you remember
your first find?
At the front of the
zoo was this ENORMOUS tree – has been there for decades. It is so large that
it’s lush, drooping boughs could conceal several picnic tables. The limbs were so laden with leaves they sagged down to the ground. I was there with 3inaTree
(Papa, Mama and Little Tree) and WikidKriket, looking for Knoll Central GC2VXHC.
After going around and around the trunk, Papa Tree was determined to find the cache
so we could see a typical container (and I was determined to find it before
him).
“What are we looking
for?”“Something out of
place,” he answered.“Like that?”
Yep, my first find
was a green bison in a leafy tree, and I was hooked.
3. What device(s) do
you use for locating caches?
In the city, it’s my
iPhone 5 with my trusty Geosphere app (using the official Groundspeak app as backup). Once in the woods, I sport both a Magellan
Explorist GC and my Garmin Oregon 450T. No
one device is perfect in every situation, and the more toys the better.
4. Where do you live
and what is your local area like for geocaching?
I’m a proud member
of the Southeastern Michigan Geocaching group and the Michigan Geocaching Organization (MiGO).
Within a 10-mile radius of my house is over 2,300 caches! Every year on New Year’s Day, local cachers
place between 300-350 brand new caches. And two miles from home is the center of a 40-mile 210+ cache power trail,
skirting the incredible city of Detroit.
If it wasn’t for this talented and active group of local cachers, I wouldn’t be
on my 1,131st
day of streaking.
5. What has been
your most memorable geocache to date, and why?
Power
Island GC35 (Placed July 2000) It was the
most exciting and scariest adventure of my life. I’m terrified of water, bridges, docks,
boats. I can’t swim. But the darn thing
is in the middle of Grand Traverse Bay and
there was only one way to get there! I
remember shaking so hard I could barely walk down the pier towards the
charter. Seeing the gap between the pier
and the boat. Feeling the boat dip under
me as I climbed aboard. My only other boat
ride was a rowboat with my big brother, Jim,
near the Huron shore, when I was 8 years old.
Thankfully Captain Mike
let me sit up front with him for a calmer ride. But the sheer enormity of the expanse of water
before and under me. Arriving at the storm-mangled dock. Climbing out of the boat on shaky legs. And then the hike.
TaGeez and I hadn't looked at
topographical maps first. The center of the island was too steep to
be called a hill – too confined to be a mountain. TaGeez and I hadn’t lost our winter weight,
and it was a struggle. I was determined
not to cry as we ascended, fearful that after conquering all those demons to
get here I didn’t have enough strength to crest the top. We couldn’t afford to make this trip again,
financially or emotionally. This was our
one shot at this oldie.
At the top we discovered we had to descend the other side – steeper, rockier, more dangerous. Leaves covering branches concealing tenuous
footholds. Other branches jutting
upright, perfect for impalement. My fear of heights is almost as overwhelming
as my fear of water. I didn’t used to be afraid. That came later, as an adult, after I’d been
knocked down a few times. Inching down
the steep backside of the mound, not looking down and with no handholds or trails
to rely on. Believing that if all else
fails I can land on TaGeez (happy thought!).
And then, finally, sandy beach. The others
had reached the cache first and had already signed. They handed it off to me, and I stood there,
stunned at the enormity of what I accomplished.
What I overcame. I was numb.
 |
| Power Island GC35 - July 2000 |
On the ride back, I
was Indiana Jones! Lara Croft! James Bond! Fearless!
Victorious! Emanating the most
amazing feeling of pride and satisfaction (that lasted until I had to step back
onto that shaky pier again).
6. List 3 essential
things you take on a geocaching adventure excluding GPS, pen and swaps.
My camera (iPhone)
to peer into dark tree holes. My Wellies
(because there is always water and muck). My lists (can't risk missing a cemetery, a Virtual or a webcam).
7. Other than
geocaches and their contents, what is the weirdest thing you have discovered
whilst out caching?
Technically, it’s “content”
but the animal skull in the cache located in a pet cemetery was pretty
memorable.
8. On a scale of 1
to 10 where 1 is 'I am obsessed by numbers' and 10 is 'I am all about the
experience and the quality of each individual cache'. Where do you put yourself?
I’m a 5. My blog attests to some amazing adventures
(have you seen my recent Temple
of Tolerance post?) but if you offer me a power
trail, I’m on it before the car stops!
9. Describe one
incident that best demonstrates the level of your geocaching obsession.
Oh, I think the Power Island
trip above just might take the cake. Or
is the 3-year cache-a-day streak? You
choose.
10. Have you picked
up any caching injuries along the way?
Never cache in flip
flops. I’m just saying.
11. What annoys you
most about other geocachers?
People who instantly reply negatively to everything. If you can't solve a puzzle cache or use a smartphone, then don't. You have other options. Nobody is making you. But don't give me guff because you aren't willing to try new things. Move along. Life is too short.
12. What is the
dumbest thing you have done whilst out caching?
Ok, this is a
toss-up between almost getting buried
alive in a cemetery or getting stuck in knee-deep muck while caching alone
in a Massassauga rattlesnakes' habitat.
I’m sensing a theme here.
13. What do your non-caching family and friends think of your hobby?
 |
| 3inaTree, scrapcat, TaGeez, WikidKriket and SnakeyLicks |
Luckily, most of my
family caches (under the team name of Free Range Lobsters). As for the rest of them, I think they’re used
to me doing my own thing.
14. What is your
default excuse you give to muggles who ask what you are up to or if you need
help?
I’m honest. I tell them I’m on a scavenger hunt. If they give pause, then I go into the
30-second elevator speech. I'm not going to lie in case someone calls the police. One story and I stick to it.
15. What is your
current geocaching goal, if you have one?
I’m four caches shy
of completing my JASMER grid (July, October, November, and December of
2000). There is a chance I can grab 2 of
these in June, but I would LOVE to
complete my grid during the 15th anniversary year of Geocaching.
16. Do you have a
nemesis cache that, despite multiple attempts, you have been unable to find?
At the moment I’m
nemesis-free unless you count all the tree-climbing caches I wistfully desire.
This dumpling can’t get that far off the ground!
17. What 3 words or
phrases best sum up what geocaching means to you.
"Travel is
fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need
it sorely on these accounts." ~ Mark Twain
Geocaching has taken
me to so many wondrous places and has enriched my life with so many fabulous
friends.
18. What prompted
you to start blogging about geocaching?
Long Michigan winters. I wanted a way to look back at trips to
remind myself that another adventure is just around the corner.
19. Which of your
own blog entries are you most proud of.
Upon hitting my
milestone of 1,000 days of consecutive caching, I wrote a post about Tips
for Successful Streaking. I was
hoping FTF Magazine would use it, but it wasn’t even worthy of a rejection
letter. For fascinating photos, you can’t
beat This
is OUR Detroit! – a photo array of Detroit’s
urban art scene.
20. Which other
geocaching blogs do you enjoy reading?
As much as I enjoy
the big blogs and the many podcasts, I like to read the posts shared by the
local cachers in our community (like Alona Spiegal
and Wilbury Travels). It’s fun reading
their take on some of the caches and locations I’m familiar with.
Bonus Question #21. How did you choose your geocaching name?
This question fascinates me, and I seem to ask it everywhere I go. People have the most interesting tales about it. I'm scrapcat. I'm a scrap quilter with two wonderful cats, Oscar and Ginger. So, how did you get you name?
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Thank you to Washknight for asking me to participate.
