Cornell Finch

Monday Night FTF Adventure

For those that don’t know, FTF is a Geocaching term that means First to Find.

One of the benefits of premium membership[1. It's only US$30 for 12 months too. Bargain!] of geocaching.com is that the member is able to set up notifications for various “events”. For example I can create a notification to email me whenever a new cache is published.

These notifications are essential if you are an FTF “Hound” like I can be when the opportunity takes. Like everyone I have other considerations and can’t always join the hunt when that email arrives. There are 6 or 7 FTF hounds in my area and I have met one of them on 4 occasions when trying to get the prize.

So, last night my Blackberry pings to let me know there’s an email. I am sat watching 90210. Without even looking at the email I look at my wife and say “that’s a new cache”. Opening the email I realise it’s only two and a half miles from home and is a Traditional[2. Click here for a list of different cache types.] cache called Dave’s Detour.

A quick trip upstairs to the PC to download the details to the GPS and the PDA, a quick kiss (with my wife!) and I’m off. I expected to meet at least one of the other FTF Hounds on the way to the cache but it was, thankfully, empty of fellow cachers. The log entry I wrote tells of the adventure so I will reproduce it here rather than try and re-write it:

Well, I must have been mad. When I was younger (in my 20s) I used to walk and cycle these woods regularly. They scared the bejeesus out of me then and this time it was no different.

On my own, 9.30 at night, walking through woods where it was getting darker and darker, strange noise to my left. It’s just an animal. I hope. Another noise to my right. Eek! Just watch the arrow, think about the box, there’s nothing to be scared of! And yet the subconcious was telling me there was someone or something following me all the way there and all the way back.

I found the cache nice and easily after a couple of minutes and was surprised to have beaten the Funtley lot(s) to the cache. Took the FTF certificate and left nothing as I had rushed out with just the GPSr, torch (which was pathetic!) and the PDA.

The walk back was even more, um, entertaining and I expected at any moment to see torches or the GPSr glow coming towards me. Nothing came, nothing got me and I survived without incident until I got back to the car and walked into the gate!

Many thanks for the cache.

It was a great hunt, got the adrenaline running and I got a lovely FTF certificate (my first) for my troubles. This puts me at 99 caches. It would have been nice to make it 100, but you can’t have your cake AND eat it.