Fast forward another year or two (my timeline is fuzzy... I've slept since then): I found it AGAIN and decided that I wouldn't ever use it. It went to eBay and sold rather quickly. A week later I got my first iPhone and while searching for the best apps to start with, found a free one for that thing I'd once read about in a GPS unit's owner's manual. I created an account and promised myself I would try it if it didn't use up too much of my limited data plan. I also kicked myself for getting rid of the GPS receiver. Timing, it seems, really is everything.
My oldest son was just getting to that age where I felt comfortable taking him hiking. I hadn't gone in a long time and I thought it would be a fun way for us to bond, one on one without Mom and little brothers around. I selected a place in San Marcos (Texas) that had decent reviews and reportedly easy trails: perfect for a beginner and his out of shape, former Boy Scout of a father. We put on our boots or sneakers and headed out to Ringtail Ridge Natural Area, water bottles, pocket knife, and hiking sticks in tow.
While there, we spotted several kinds of birds, tasted some raw prickly pear, and collected a few rocks. We also chased some lizards. One particularly large (i.e. catch-worthy) one led us down the trail for a ways. It finally darted into a large hollow at the base of a tree and, not wanting to give up, I got down on all fours and went after it. Unfortunately, it was gone but I suddenly didn't care: in the back of the hollow, there was a pile of sticks that didn't look right. There was just something off about the way the sticks were stacked; they don't grow that way; animals don't nest that way. Wondering what the nearby college students had hidden, I moved a few sticks and spotted a container that was obviously made to attract as little attention as possible. It was a large orange pill bottle wrapped in camouflage duct tape. "I wonder if this is one of those geocache things..." I popped it open, found a crumpled piece of paper, and called my son over to see what we'd found. I confirmed my silent suspicion, signed our names, and rehid the container under what I later learned was a UPS. Eager to get home and discover which cache I'd found, I encouraged my boy to walk a little faster as we headed back to the car.
Once back in front of a computer, I pulled up the map on geocaching.com, navigated to Ringtail Ridge, and then had to identify which of the six caches in the area we'd found. Through trial and error, reading cache descriptions and logs, and Google maps, I was able to do it. It was GCVPP2, "Cactus Tree." I submitted a simple log and sat back in my chair, smiling, dreaming, and nodding happily. Yep, I was immediately hooked! Since then, my oldest son and his two brothers have developed their own love for caching. I've dubbed them my "myrthlings" and we cache together as often as we can. I've also purchased another GPSr just like the one I had had before and have learned how to use it. Who knew a lizard would lead me to this hobby with grand adventures, great new friends, and so many more fun stories? Maybe it was Signal in disguise. Hmm... I may never know.
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This story has since been published in FTF Magazine and the myrthlings were featured on the cover!
