When you’re out hunting for geocaches, you’re going to fail from time to time. Sometimes the cache is just missing. Sometimes it gets too dark on you. And sometimes, as I experienced thrice today, you just decide to say NOPE!![Nope[1]](https://flessnerfam.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Nope1.jpg)
After receiving an alert for 5 brand new nearby caches during an afternoon meeting, I headed out to pick up just one. I wasn’t feeling super as it was, but these all looked like easy grabs. I picked up one (leaving the others for other cachers to find first), and parked in a nearby cemetery to compose my log. Also… hey cemetery! I’ll bet there’s a cache here. Indeed there was. Emphasis was. This one seemed to be a typical abandoned / muggled cache that was no longer there. The previous two seekers reported not finding the cache. Well, that was a little disappointing, so I looked for a couple others I might pick up on my way back to the highway.
The first was a T4 due to “proximity to water and barbed wire.” Sounded interesting, so I went to check it out. Considering it was on the other side of a ditch with at least a 4-foot width of standing water, this was a quick and easy “nope!”.
The next was also a T4 with a “little hike and some steep hill scrambling.” I actually parked and approached this one. I took a few steps off the path and considered my circumstances. Failing light – though now I’m well-equipped with a rugged flashlight. Fading cell phone battery – I do have an external pack but of course, it wasn’t with me today. Finally, after I took a few steps off the path and was immediately blocked by thick thorns, I reminded myself that I’ve been fighting a cold or sinus infection for over a week. Tackling something like this would definitely be a bad idea. This looks like a fun location to try another sunny day when I’m feeling better.
After three disappointments in a row, I figured a couple of easy cemetery caches were in order. The first one was a quick find on a steep incline. The other was a “nope!” of a different kind. As I approached the cemetery, I saw a truck parked by it and someone with an easel set up right next to GZ. While this might’ve been a great opportunity to meet a random stranger, perhaps introducing them to geocaching as a unique way to find new beautiful vistas to paint, my introversion kicked into high-gear, and I drove on by.
Geocaching is a great, fun hobby. It remains fun only as long as you don’t get too disappointed by a few “Did Not Find”s or at the decision to skip a cache you’d rather not approach. Since I’m not in this for the numbers, I was perfectly fine with all of my “nope!”s today.
Cache on!
