Geocaching, Sombreros, and Trundling, Part I

Halfway through my freshman year of college, I changed my major from Astronomy to Geology. The reason for this was completing my first physics course and realizing I would have to take NINE more. I’m not sure why I chose geology exactly, other than the fact that I liked volcanoes and shiny rocks and always had a rock collection when I was a kid. My mom laughed when I made the decision to switch and used to say I could never make up my mind between the heavens and the earth. 

It was a great decision, though. There is something magical about geologists – we are down to earth people who love camping and drinking beer. What’s not to love? On a side note, you should check out the Uncyclopedia's definition of a Geologist some time – it’s great (be sure to read the sections titled "Geologists in Popular Culture" and "How to Spot a Geologist"). 

Some of my best (and worst) memories are of my college geology field trips. There were only 4 other people in my major in my year, and they were all guys. I tended to prefer the company of boys at this point in my life, since I enjoyed living drama-free, so this was a bonus. Jeff, Jim, Ryan, Rob and I were immediately close friends, and our class trips were always a blast. 

I will always have a fond place in my heart for our first trip together – to Rainbow Basin outside Barstow, CA. As soon as the five of us were set loose on our own, our attention span quickly wandered from structure mapping to goofing off and checking out our surroundings instead. 

Our first major discovery was up on the edge of a thrust fault we had to hike our way up. Taking a rest at the top, we found an old bobcat lair that had been abandoned (atleast, we were pretty sure it was). Wondering how deep it went, the boys lowered me into it (I’d say they forced me to do it but I more likely volunteered myself). I could stand at the bottom of the hole with barely my head poking out. Threatening to leave me there forever, the boys scampered off and went exploring a few feet away. 

After a few moments, I heard a voice say “hey guys, someone left a box up here” and the boys came back carrying a small Tupperware container. Curiosity outweighing their desire to leave me in the hole, they got me out and we gathered around the plastic box. Upon opening it, we found a small notepad, and a collection of odd-ball objects. After flipping open and reading the notepad, we learned we had just discovered our first geocache. 

Geocaching is basically treasure-hunting for adults. It is an outdoor recreational activity where you use GPS (Global Positioning System) to hide and/or seek containers located on public land. These “caches” are sometimes filled with fun objects and can be used as a “trading post” – take an object, leave an object. 

For five college students, this was a discovery magnificent to behold. An entire world of fun had just opened up for us. We all took an object from the box, but having nothing to leave, we scrounged through our school supplies and pooled the following bootleg items for the next lucky finders: a ruler, a couple pens, keychain, stickers, and hand lens, all courtesy of the USC Geology Department. Which of course, is how we came up with our official Geocaching Team  Name: Bootleg Tour. Thus began a legendary mission and beautiful journey to discover as many geocaches as possible on our geology field trips. 

To Be Continued...

Read Part II here!