While visiting Mount Desert Island, Maine, back in October, we had the opportunity to do some geocaching. One of the great values to geocaching is the different and interesting places they can lead you to. That was just the case with the following found cache. It led us exploring for a cave!
I have the Geocache App on my phone, so I often bring it up and have a look at what caches are around to find in the area we are at. They can often take us to sites not well known, but of a historical nature or interest. The App is so easy to use since it shows you exactly where caches are to your current location. You can choose which ones you want to look for according to your plans.
We were going to hike the Great Head Trail to Sand Beach in Acadia NP, and when we saw a cache that was off the trail just a bit, we decided to include that one in our adventure for the day. The Geocache was titled, ‘Watch Your Step’ and was a Virtual Cache. A virtual cache is one which the location is found but there isn’t a ‘Cache’ so to speak. It’s locational only.
(For those who know the trail, yes, we stopped by the Old Satterlee Tea House Foundation on Great Head Trail but that is another story for the Fandango Treasure Hunt worth $10,000 (which, btw, we didn’t find that day).
Once a Geocache is chosen, the Geocache App shows ‘you’ as the ‘blue pulsing dot’ on the phone, and as you move closer to the Cache’s location, it moves closer to it. It also has an approximate distance displayed as well. How simple it is to use! There is often some searching for the CacheBox to do once at exact location, but most times the Caches’ are found relatively quickly.
For the ‘Watch Your Step’ cache we were looking for a plaque. We didn’t know what the plaque was for though, so it kept us curious and offered a fun time.
The GPS for the Cache took us to the edge of the cliff with the ocean down below on the Great Head Trail. The title for it was appropriate! It was beautiful though.
Realizing we were within feet of the exact location (which the App provides this as well), we started looking around the rocky edge, watching our step, and discovered the plaque. It was a memorial for ‘David Phillips Mckinney’, a gentleman who got washed out to sea in 1969 from the ‘Cave’ below the plaque’s location.
Prayers and RIP.
And then we thought, What! There is a cave below? Now, this got us more curious. We wondered if we could climb down there and see this cave?
We found a way down (maybe not recommended), and although the cave wasn’t much of a cave that we could explore, the adventure and view the cache gave us was wonderful. We sat by the ocean there on the rocks for a bit and enjoyed the day. This trip was actually part of our 29th wedding anniversary. Next year, for our 30th, Italy is in our sights.
We were glad we checked the Geocache App and took a few extra moments to explore.
Please feel free to share your favorite adventures in Geocaching below in comments!
And here is some video footage of us looking for the Cache and Cave.
Thanks Jenny. Looks like it was a fun time and a nice place to visit. Beautiful video.
Thanks Ramona, it was a great time. (and btw, Gwen is loving her soft booties and hat…thanks so much for them)
I go to MDI all the time for business and to hike the mountains, which incidentally gives me opportunities to look for fandango. Glad you got a chance to visit our island paradise!
Lucky you! It is an island paradise…..so many different hikes available to enjoy for the day…… and bike trails too.. … we do love our visits there….(I’m glad the Fandango hunt introduced us to the place– that’s one of the best things about treasure hunts– the places they lead us too. (just like the geocaches). Treasures are found…..
Hello Jenny. Looks like a great adventure. Enjoyed the video and the wonderful views. Congratulations on your 29th wedding anniversary.
Thanks pdenver…..
Nice video.
Are Roman ruins on the agenda?
Hi Buckeye Bob…..YES, definitely…And I will share them here on MW…. as I’m sure I’ll find lots of mystery, adventure, and treasure in them! We can’t wait! (although details aren’t worked out yet)
Jenny thanks for sharing… I’ve never searched for any geo caches but I have researched MDI extensively looking for Fandangos key 🙂 What a special beautiful place I hope to get there some day!!!
Mount Desert Island is full of hidden places! We have been there (on that trail) quite a few times before, and never knew of that plaque. It was the GeoCache that took us to it. That is mostly why we geocache- to find treasures like the one we did (the location).
Of course, Fandango, is what took us to Mount Desert Island. lol… and that is why we mostly treasure hunt- to lead us to treasures of so many kinds and places all over the country!
Nice find, though it is always sad when some one has lost their life at a site – I have the young man listed on my blog of deaths in Acadia National Park. The Great Cave and Anemone Cave are also worth checking out. There is one cave out on Bald Porcupine Island that was once known as Goblin’s Gold, its real name being Schistostega Cave – no gold found there that I am aware of but an extremely rare very bright glowing moss does grow in the cave, the rare moss only grows in a couple places in Maine and has been the object of scientific curiosity for many years.
I’m going to have to research those caves, and that mysterious moss! 🙂 Thanks for sharing… and visiting MysteriousWritings….