Hiking to the Flag

A few years ago I noticed a flag pole way up on top of a mountain near our home in Herriman. It was especially visible on windy days, when you could just barely see the rectangular flag flapping in the breeze. For years I have thought about that flag and what it must be like up there all alone looking over Salt Lake and Utah counties. In November, Finny and I decided that we wanted to take the trek. Finny is generally excited to get in the back of my truck, because it's typically a hike...but every once in awhile his excitement is dashed by the fact that we have just driven up to the vet's office. Anyway, this time the excitement remained as we pulled up to the bottom of a trail that I believed would get us to the flag. The trail was quite steep as we worked our way upward. Soon it split and I took the trail that seemed to continue toward the top, only to find out soon enough that we had ventured onto a deer trail. It ran right along a steep slope and Finny and I had to be pretty creative at times to at least work our way upward. Most of the time the flag was out of sight, so we had to just guess on which way to go, getting scratched up as we made our way through bushes and scrub oak. Because I knew that there was probably no other person who had taken our particular route, I started to worry a bit about rattlesnakes. Each time we neared a rocky area I was extra cautious. Finally, I noticed the flag just above us by about 100 yards, and I was pretty relieved because I hadn't seen it for at least 30 minutes. We worked our way to the top and eventually reached our goal. We stayed near the flag for a few minutes enjoying the view of both counties, as well as some of the Camp Williams training area, but it began to get windy so I decided to find the best "human" trail and follow it. Luckily after awhile it got us back to where we had made the incorrect turn, and the hike back to the truck was not nearly as perilous. It was another great hike. I won't ever be able to look up at that flag without thinking about this adventure.

Our Geocaching Hike on the Smith and Morehouse Trail

Caching at the Watertank

Last Saturday, Sept. 29th, Aidan and I went to find a cache up above Herriman near a large watertank. We can see this water tank from our house way up atop one of the peaks near the Camp Williams National Guard training grounds. The watertank provides water for the High Country Estates area, tucked away up in Rose Canyon. We parked at the top of the Cove subdivision and started our hike. Finny was excited to take another hike again. I think it makes his whole week. He's getting used to the area and loves to chase lizards, mice, ground squirrels, and flocks of birds that are resting in the grass. On the way up we checked on a few of the caches that I had earlier left along the route to make sure they were okay, and they were still in good condition. They are not getting a lot of traffic because they are not simple neighborhood caches. People actually have to work a bit to get to them. Well, we hiked for a while and got up to the spooky house, which is the broken down house the size of a garage (see the picture of it in the last post). Aidan started to complain that she was getting tired, but I kept trying to motivate her to keep going. She was interested to see the totaled RV and camper shell we saw off the trail and I promised her that if she made it to the watertank we would investigate them on the way back. After a while, she started to lose interest again and was walking really slowly. She saw me spit and decided she was going to chase Finny and spit on his back. This got her moving faster, running up the dirt road behind Finny, who didn't know what was going on. Well, we made it to the top of the last hill and there it was in the distance...the watertank! This motivated Aidan to move faster, especially when she saw that I had a map of the area. She became the navigator and led us the rest of the way. The cache was up above the watertank on a hill, and wasn't too hard to find. Aidan had made some earrings that she traded for a matchbox car, as there was not much swag to trade. We stopped to check out the views from way up there. The recent fires had made the Salt Lake Valley pretty smoggy, so it wasn't very clear, but the morning was a perfect temperature and even started to get warm by the time we headed back. We did end up stopping by the RV and camper shell that hadn't been lived in for quite some years. We ruined a ground squirrel family's peaceful morning, as they had moved in under the RV. Finny was too tired to chase them and just rested for a few minutes while we checked out the mess. As we approached the "Thorn" or camelback hump rock above Roase Canyon on the way back I thought I saw a person sitting atop the formation. We got out the binoculars to get a closer look, but it wasn't moving much. Once we got within a quarter mile or so the figure took off into the air. It was a massive eagle with an impressive wingspan. Aidan and I were amazed by its size. We finally made it back to the truck after a slow climb down the steep rocky trail. It was another great morning of hiking and exploring yet one more area above our city.

The Big 50!

So when I began geocaching back at the end of June, I set a personal goal of finding and logging 50 geocaches by the end of July. It was a fun month, and I think I have really found a hobby that I can continue for years to come. Geocaching has motivated me to get out and discover places I would have never visited otherwise. It has also allowed me to spend more time with my kids, which is always a good thing. A few times either Kali or Aidan has wanted to go, but not the other, so it has created opportunities to spend time with them individually. They are growing up fast and I think we will all look back fondly on these geocaching times...not necessarily for the geocaching, but for the time together. Well, anyway...so number 50 was a milestone. I didn't want this to be a quick neighborhood cache. It had to be something more momentous. I had been eyeing ".50 Cal with a View", a cache up near the "thorn" or camel back hump above the Cove area. It required a hike to get to the top of the mountain, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to take Finny with me (the girls had school). Well, Finny was so excited he peed in the back of my truck on the way there. Thanks, Finny. It turned out to be a great hike...about 45 minutes to the top. I saw plenty of deer, hawks, a few squirrels, and a chubby little horned lizard that Finny wanted to eat for lunch. We passed a spooky abandoned shack to add some excitement. The view was impressive from the top. It was a little smoggy, but I could still see to Salt Lake City and the edge of the Great Salt Lake. There was also a great view of areas of the Oquirrhs I can't see from the Salt Lake Valley. Well, the cache itself was a little anticlimactic, as it was just a simple water bottle with a wrinkled piece of paper for the log. I guess a couple of years ago the original cache went missing, so someone improvised and used what they had with them. I will contact the person who created this cache and see if s/he needs me to place a new one there. I figure if someone makes the trek to get to it, it might as well be something that at least looks official. Well, I took a few pictures at the top of me celebrating #50. I had to take my own pictures, so they had to be close-ups. Now that I have reached #50, I hope to be at least to #100 by the beginning of the summer next year, and I'll try for another 50 at that time. I have found that some caches are very simple to find (especially the LPC's or lamp post caches), and they take just a few seconds, so you can find and log several in an hour. Well, an hour like this to make it to the top of this mountain and spend some time out in nature to just log a single cache was far more worth it to me.

Meet Our Own Travel Bug

So one thing we like about geocaching is finding travel bugs. Remember in our very first geocache we found the Snaffle Bit Travel Bug, which we took to the Oakley Rodeo to get its picture taken with our own cowgirl, Gentry. We then placed it in a cache up there and it was soon moved by another geocacher. Well, we purchased our own travel bug and we are calling it the Compass Bug because we attached a compass to it. The first goal of the Compass Bug is to go east. So each cache it is placed in should be further east, so that it moves eastward around the world. Who knows...maybe one day it will make its way around the entire globe! The second goal is to have its picture taken by various city signs on its eastward journey. I created a couple of caches up Yellow Fork Canyon and placed it in the "Back to Your Roots" cache. It was picked up by a fellow cacher and his kids on the 24th, so it is on its way. Good luck Compass Bug! We'll be tracking you along your path. For anyone interested in watching its progress eastward, go to geocaching.com, then go to "Trackable Items" and type in our Compass Bug's code, which is 03XCYJ. It will allow you to see a map of the U.S. and where it has been.

Caching with Aidan and Finny

Last week, I woke up the girls early to go take a hike up the switchback trail just above Herriman to find a cache, which was at the top. This time it was Aidan that woke up, while Kali kept sleeping. I think Aidan was excited because we were going to take Finny on his very first cache. Finny had never even been in the back of my truck, so it would be a pretty big adventure for the mutt. Anyway, we had a great hike, other than Aidan falling down three different times. Her knees and legs are starting to look like mine due to this whole geocaching thing. We successfully found the cache and were able to get a great view of our city and south end of the Salt Lake Valley. Finny had a great time being out of the yard and off of a leash.

Jordan River Parkway Caching

We took a family walk along the Jordan River Parkway a few weeks ago and did a bit of caching together. We ended up finding a few regulars and micros, totaling 4 altogether. There was one that was hidden too well and we couldn't find it. I have learned that it is helpful to have so many eyes looking for a cache, especially the micros. Some were hidden in tough spots, but we are getting to the point after finding quite a few, that we can walk up to a spot and have a general feeling of where the cache is hidden. It makes the searching time go a lot faster. Besides caches, we found a rainbow and we received a huge smile from Brielle. She is really getting cute! It was a fun family activity that we may continue to do every few weeks...we get to take a family walk, see new places, and find a few caches.

What are Geocaches?

The Travel Bug Goes to the Rodeo

So in our very first geocache we found the Snaffle Bit Travel Bug. We logged on to the website geocaching.com and found out that the goal for this travel bug was to get its picture taken with cowboys, cowgirls, or horses. Before we placed it in another cache for it to continue its trip, we had Gentry hold it up for this picture at the Oakley Rodeo on the 4th of July. We had a fun time with all of the country folk. Yee-haw!!!

Hannah's First Geocache

While we were up at our cabin for the 4th of July weekend, we decided that it would be great just to get away for a few hours to find some caches. Hannah, my niece, came along with Kali and Aidan. We headed toward Smith and Morehouse. The first cache was a nano, a pretty small cache, which was hidden near a bridge leading up to the reservoir. Low and behold it was Hannah who actually found this nano! She needed tweezers to get the log out for us to sign.

We next went to our second cache which was located in a huge tree stump. Aidan used her great eyes to spot this one. We let her choose one of the items due to her keen caching skills. You've gotta love this picture of the caching trio...

Finally, our last cache of the day was along a trail on the far side of the dam at Smith and Morehouse. Here's another great picture I took on the dam of these "Dam divas" (excuse my language):







Well, at the final cache, to Kali's delight, there was a mouse...not a real mouse, but a computer mouse. She "caught" that for her own use.

We were three-for-three on this caching trip up by Smith and Morehouse, and I think Hannah had a great time. Who knows...maybe she'll become a caching geek like the rest of us!

Caching with Kali: Butterfield Canyon

On Friday, July 3rd, Kali and I took off at about 7:15 a.m. to find some caches up Butterfield Canyon (Aidan was too tired, so she missed out on the fun). I'm not a huge fan of this canyon because of all the privately owned land (thanks, Rio Tinto). We actually found a few caches on private land, but weren't caught. In all, we were 5 for 5 and were able to find them in about two and 1/2 hours.


Kali made off with a calculator at one cache and traded a bunch of Pokemon cards at another one.

The final cache was Boy Howdy's First Cache and it was hidden in the middle of a bunch of sagebrush. Once I mentioned to Kali that we would have to check for ticks afterward she stayed as far away as she could. Luckily after a thorough check, I'm tick free. It's all in the name of geocaching. Hey, geo-geeks have to have guts!

Our First Adopted Travel Bug

So in the very first cache that we found (Cove Pond #2) we received this geobug. We didn't know what to do with it, so we brought it home, taking extra-special care of it. We logged on to geocaching.com and searched for this bug based on the code. We found out that this guy was placed into his first cache up in Montana. Since then he has been traveling around the western U.S. for several hundred miles. We learned that the strange metal thing that is attached to it is actually a bit for a horse. There was a reason for this to be included with this bug. We learned that with most of these travel bugs there is a goal created by the original placers. Our bug's goal was to have its picture taken with horses, cowboys or cowgirls. We were excited to hear about this, as we are on our way to the Oakley Rodeo where we will come across MANY of these. Our plan is to get some pictures taken and then place it in a cache up near Oakley. After we place it, we can follow the travels of our adopted travel bug. We will also purchase our own family travel bugs in the near future, create goals for them and send them out into the world. I will include links about how to watch them in future posts. Hey, this is fun stuff for a geo-geek.

We've Caught the Geocaching Bug

So two years ago for Christmas, Jeff gave me a handy-dandy Magellan Explorist 100 GPS. Great, I thought, what do I do with a GPS? I really don't get lost that often...at least physically. So the GPS sat in a closet for two years. Well, Jeff mentioned something about geocaching two years ago, but I was just too busy with other things. Now that summer has hit and I'm trying to lose a little weight, I was thinking about how I could get more exercise AND spend time with my girls, who are growing up way too quickly. Geocaching came to mind. I did a bit of research and found out that I could go to geocaching.com to become a real geocacher. Wow! On that same site, the most fascinating thing was to look at the Herriman area and see that there were at least 50 caches nearby, some of which I have walked by without knowing it. So for those of you that don't know about geocaching, it is basically like a big treasure hunt, but instead of a map with an X that marks the spot, you look online for the exact coordinates in the world and then you use a GPS to help get you to that spot. I have learned that some caches are close to a road or parking lot, while others are miles away from civilization. I have also learned that some caches are large, containing VCR machines, old tools, etc., while others are so small that it takes a pair of tweezers to extract the log. A log is found at almost all caches, and each person who finds the cache is asked to write their geocache name and sometimes a note of some sort to future geocachers.
The kids love the trading element of geocaching. Most items found in these caches are tradeable. The kids can take an object of their choice if they leave another object. Each time we go geocaching we take along a bag of items to trade...usually inexpensive things like toys, foreign currency, stickers, etc.
We are novices at geocaching, but we have caught the bug. Each evening the girls ask if we can go geocaching, and within two weeks we have gone out several times. I've truely enjoyed being with my girls while geocaching and would recommend this simple hobby to any family out there. Try it...you'll get hooked!