Weekend

Went geocaching this weekend at Round Lake with Mike and several of his familia (for more info on geocaching look at Mike’s blog from awhile back, or just google it). Had tons of fun; the weather was amazing (70-ish, slight breeze, a few puffy clouds) and the scenery lovely. We hiked quite a ways around the lake, up and down hills, over and under trees and all around again. Found 5 out of 6 caches (I think) and we decided that the max time we want to spend searching for a cache before we find it is 15 minutes, because it’s not so much fun when you’re searching for half an hour or more! Some of those geocache placing people are positively evil. One was in a green painted film canister with little branches attached to it hanging inside a cluster of more green branches on a tree. GPS’s only get you within 20-ish feet of the coordinates, so that can be a lot of looking. Good thing we had lots of snacks. For four hours of outdoorsy adventures Mike and I had 2 Oats and Honey granola bars each, a small container of pita chips (my new favorite salty type snack), and half a package of thin mints. Plus lots of water. God forbid we starve to death.

Just recently, for the first time, I was able to go down to the mercantile (5 blocks away, approx. 1 minute of driving) to buy corn starch with just my debit card. I did not bring my purse, or my chapstick, or my coat in case I got cold. No cell phone, but there’s no signal in Bayview so it’s a moot point anyway. I didn’t even bring my driver’s license. I felt naked. Yet somehow lightened.

Informal survey: what events or activities do people find themselves overpacking or overpreparing for?