Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The Unsolved Mystery

I have a little story about a mystery to tell you. As a few of you know, a short while ago I bought a little toy called a GPS device. I have been using it to help me know my general location when I'm out hiking. Mine is specially made for things like that. There's another use for it too.

The other use for this little hand held device is a thing called geocaching. Geocaching is a treasure hunting game, using GPS, that is now being played all over the world. You use these devices to hunt little treasures that other players hide. There are hundreds of these things within ten miles of me. I started doing this as a way to bring you new stories here.

Since my device is still new, I'm really only a beginner at this game, so it's understandable that I have some learning to do. So far though I've been a complete failure at it. I just haven't really been able to find any of these caches yet. I know I'll get better, but no luck so far.

"But what does this have to do with the title of this post", you ask. "What is the unsolved mystery?" Well, while I was searching for one of these caches I found something. It was a similar thing to a cache but there was no treasure, and it was not in a location where a cache should be. It was only a plastic baggy with some things inside.

I didn't get a chance to examine it or even look much closer because there were people coming. You might guess why it's not good to let most others know about the location of these things. So I decided to continue my hike through the park that day. I knew I could come back at a better time, when there weren't so many other people.

So I went back yesterday. It was a good time of day to look without being disturbed, but I must have picked the wrong day. The place was crowded! When I got back to the site, there was a family of people walking by, so I decided to walk through the park and then come back. This place is not large for a nature park, so even kids can walk all the way through.

When I was finally able to investigate this place alone, I found that everything was gone! I searched for it a little bit, but then gave up. Maybe somebody hid it better, maybe somebody stole it. I didn't get a chance to find out if there was something interesting in there or just a baggy full of junk.

Now I'm left with an unsolved mystery! I should have stayed around there that first day I saw it. I guess I'm just too impatient right now. I could have just ignored this thing I found, but I have become obsessed with it. I could have shown you the pretty little birds I got pictures of, but instead I'm showing you the hole in an old fallen tree. How's that for fun?

You gotta admit though, this post is a little different from most of my others. It still has Ratty written all over it though. Who else would give you a story of an old plastic baggy in a fallen tree? One of these times I'll actually find something on a little treasure hunt, so the story ends up actually good!

The End. (I told you it was unsolved)

19 comments:

  1. I haven't managed to find a cache yet, although I've search for four :-( I can get to roughly the correct location, but find nothing.

    I wonder what someone was hiding? Curious.

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  2. I love a good mystery!
    I suspect in this case someone hid the packet for the geocaching but got the coordinates wrong. Maybe another person, like yourself, found the packet.

    But as I remember the rules aren't you suppose to take an item and leave an item leaving the packet in the same location? Or do you hide it in a different spot? I can't remember!

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  3. What a great mystery. Who knows where the mysterious bag went and its mysterious contents. I wonder if you will happen upon it in another location.

    I've always wanted to learn more about geocaching and look forward to reading your posts about it.

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  4. I agree that you should have waited on the first day you saw the package, but then again, it would solved, and not "unsolved"..

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  5. Hehehe..it was exciting though. Even it is only for a packet. Who knows what inside right. Never mind you will find something more interesting next time when you getting better using your GPS. :D

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  6. A mystery is then forever a mystery. It is sometimes good to be like this.
    A good imagination is better than a known disappointment.

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  7. Darn! Now we'll never know what was inside that baggie. But maybe you wouldn't have wanted to know. It could have been something very disgusting..Ha! I like the pics of those old fallen trees!

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  8. Hi Ratty, I'm back with a theory about the bag. :-)

    Someone had a picnic but didn't want to carry the rubbish around the reserve. So they hid it to collect on the way home.

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  9. hehehe, an unsolved mystery. great little story.

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  10. Love it! Ijust found out about geocaching recently when a friend of mine said he did it. Sounds fun!

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  11. What was in the bag? I will tell you:
    a good Ratty story and imagination (yours and ours!)...
    See? You did find the treasure, after all!

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  12. We love geocaching ,my kids love to do it as well. I have not done any in a long while but i have found that as long as you enter the longitude and latitude in correct you should be within 20 feet or so. we always look real well for it, I have found some in old ammo containers hidden under dead trees and things. Look for travel bugs they are the interesting ones since you can log them and watch their travels after you re-hide them.http://www.geocaching.com/track/
    Have fun its a great way to see new places.

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  13. welcome to geocaching, i love doing it, it adds fun to hiking. however, i have not tried it in crowded places yet, so, it is easier for us to really investigate and solve the mystery.

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  14. I think Treasure Hunt is IN this season :D
    Hope you get them next time!

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  15. What's on the beg? let it become a mystery for you and us :)
    As traveler, we love mysteries, right?
    Keep posting :)

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  16. I haven't tried geocaching. But then I don't have a GPS yet although it's on my 'to buy' list. Now I have the urge to move it to the top.

    What ever the mystery package was it is now only a figment of your imagination mixed with a bit of memory and wonder. That's a lot better than taking out the trash.

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  17. John - I'm glad I'm not the only one. That probably means we're both doing okay. I guess we just have some learning to do. :)
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    SquirrelQueen - You always leave it in the same spot as before, so it wasn't the one I was looking for. They also update things when somebody finds the right one, so I know this isn't that one. I'll have to look around again.
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    Mountain Woman - It's possible it was just hidden better, whatever it was. I will definitely have more geocaching stories as they happen.
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    Icy BC - I think you're right. Impatience has been my biggest problem with things like this.
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    Rose - Yeah, I was excited just to see something that was hidden. Hunting these things is fun, and I hope I keep getting better. :)
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    Rainfield - Yes exactly! The mystery is the fun part about this, and maybe more fun because it's unsolved.
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    JStantonChandler - That's right. I think there was a gold coin in there that was worth millions, and the squirrels dragged it away. :)
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    Ginnymo - I like to think there was a treasure inside, but it could have been a half eaten chicken wing. I have plenty of pictures of fallen trees, including that one. I haven't had much of a story for any up until now though.
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    John - That's very possible. It might have been leftover chicken bones, but I hope it was something better. :)
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    PJ - I think this one was probably best unsolved.
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    Dana - I've been reading about it for years. It's been one of my inspirations for this blog. Now I'm finally able to start.
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    The Retired One - I agree! This story is the treasure, but I think this one is fools gold.
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    Sparky - I think I just haven't developed my skill for searching yet. I've been right at where the coordinates say, but haven't found anything near yet. I think I'm probably just not good at identifying the right thing yet. The geocaching site is where I get my information, but thanks for the link. This cache is supposed to be easy, but I'm just not experienced yet.
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    Betchai - I'm still having trouble finding places that are not crowded. Most of my hiking trails aren't big enough to keep very many people away. That's okay because I'll be able to learn to be sneaky.
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    VanillaSeven - I'll have a great story with all kinds of strange things once I find a good one.
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    Indonesia Vacations - That's right. The mystery is always the fun part. One day I will solve this one.
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    WiseAcre - Even though I haven't really found anything, geocaching has been extremely fun. It adds greatly to all the other nature stuff.

    I'm determined to eventually find out what was there. Hopefully it was something good.

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  18. lol.. maybe it was a cache or maybe just a bag full of litter. But if it's the latter, not a very good place to dispose of. So maybe it's a lil treasure after all. =D

    And ya, the next time you see something unusual, don't be afraid to boldly check it out and bring us some snaps too. =D

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  19. Harumi - I learned recently that it might have been a strange kind of cache that isn't listed at the regular website. If it was, it had been vandalized.

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