My wife is awesome. She puts up with my sarcastic ways so you know she’s got power beyond the ancients. I’m surrounded by women actually- both home and at work. Being a father of six girls has its fun .... sometimes...
When my wife and I got together, her kids had never been hiking, didn’t know what a rail trail was, had never faced certain death sled riding down a hill on a metal circle, never gone geocaching.
Now, after six years, they live to get outside. The youngest of them, number six, was barely two when I applied for the job of Dad. We owned the outside. We slid into huge piles of leaves. We searched for every shell we could find. We made the coolest pine cone feeders. We laughed at squirrels getting into the bird seed. The we showed her geocaching.
“You mean people just leave stuff places? “
We started hiking along the Elkala trail beside the resort at Blackwater Falls. We had already introduced her to hiking by then, and even at three, she was up to a mile ... almost.( the last few get were always on my shoulders, not that I minded...) She was excited about her first Geocache. When we got to the GZ, not far from the soft roar of the small set of falls behind us, I showed her where to look for hides. Was it under that tree stump? No? How bout behind that rock... no? Hmmm... she climbed up a small root ball and pulled out a ammo cam bigger than her head. She was beaming. It was child triumphant. Her roar of , “I FOUND IT!” was said to be heard across the canyon and above the larger falls of the Blackwater. Eagles flew. Behind us another couple of young hikers applauded. I let her, and only her as her sisters watched on, pick a piece of swag to trade for the hot wheels she brought with her.
She chose a bicentennial Quarter. Then proclaimed it to be the best day ever.
She has gone with me to several hikes and Geocaches since then. She even earned herself a few Geocoins from Geo-trails we have done. They rest in a box she keeps on her dresser. Along with the shiny bicentennial Quarter she earned that day. She takes it out every so often and asks if I remember when she found it. I tell her yes I do. It was the best day ever. I get a warm gushy feeling when she beams like that.
I have a reputation of being a crusty hard ass- sarcastic, blunt, take no shit... but ever since that first time we peered out the back window to watch squirrels raid the bird feeders, she turns me into a jelly donut- just gooey inside. And why not?
Road Music: Run-Boss Gremlin
I'll Tell the World About You- Joe Walsh
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