Into the darkness of the forest...

I'm a huge history buff. I love hearing about how things came to be and how the past has influenced today. That is why I loved this cache. I had never done a multi-cache before, but this one was only two stages, so I thought I would give it a shot.

This cache is meant to teach you a little bit about history, and for those new to the GPS, it adds a little twist. I had no idea how Scarborough ever came to be, and so many people are probably in the same boat. Most people wouldn't care how this busy, multi-cultural city came to be. I think this is rather sad, and I was so happy to learn about the first settlers in Scarborough. Their names were David and Mary Thomas, and from this cache I have the most random facts from their lives burned into my head.

At first we were pretty creeped out when the first coordinates took us into the cemetery; It was kind of weird. Once we finally found the wall we were looking for it was really cool. The two other inscriptions were hard to read, but David Thomas' was very clear.

I hated math in high school, even though I was very good at it. The math part was cool, but not because of it's math. We read the inscription and learned so many weird facts about the Thomas' that I never thought I would ever need to know. That's why the Math part was so good. Facts that were unimportant that you would normally overlook were all the sudden neccesary. This was vital, geocaching to us has become all about capturing the moment. Rather than sitting at home watching our TV, or playing video games, we get outside. Capturing the moment means we take everything in, and not skip over details because the are "seemingly unimportant." All of it was necessary, right down to the fact that he had 53 grandchildren.

The second part was tricky. You see, I've been told that what most multi-caches are is, in the first cache, simply another set of coordinates. Hopefully this is no spoiler for anyone, but there were no coordinates. Just a bearing and direction. I looked hopelessly at my GPS. Bearings are easy for me if I have a compass. I could take a pretty decent guess if it wasn't such a cloudy day, especially if it was night and I could see stars. But on a GPS... I had no idea how to do it. Luckily there is a sort of compass feature on my GPS. It was great for getting me the right bearing. Then I used the map page to predict when we were getting close to the distance. It was the best, wasn't the most accurate.... but it worked. When I got home I busted out my trusty GPS handbook, and BBB and I read all about projecting waypoints. Next time something like this comes up, I will be ready.

This was by far my favourite cache. Although the cache itself needed a little maintenance, it was a fun find. I loved it. I got to learn a little about the history of the city I now call home, and I got to learn a little more about my GPS. I found it first, just lying there on the ground. After a while I let BBB and Ben4377 know that I had found it (and that they were too far). They came back over, and once they knew the general area it was really fun to find. We spent a little bit just sitting, reading the soggy logbook, and enjoying the beauty of the park. It was a beautiful spot in Scarborough that I had never been to before, but I really hope to go back. Although it's starting to get colder now, so that may have to wait. Anyways, until next time, good hunting!

Sampson028