John Carrol McGarrigle October 25, 1938-March 11, 2010
This cache is a tribute to my Dad who passed away this year. His battle with pancreatic cancer lasted only 8 weeks.
I regret never taking my Dad geocaching with me. He loved my hobby, how it took me outdoors to all sorts of neat spots, that I did it with my wife and daughters, and that it helped me to lose weight. He loved hearing stories about my caching adventures, the places I went, the things I saw, the events, the people, coins and travel bugs. Most of all, he loved how much fun I had doing it.
My Dad was born and raised on the shores of Lake Utopia. This lake and his garden behind his house were his two favourite places on this Earth. Some of my best memories are of being out on the lake in his boat with him. For that reason, I thought this was a suitable place for a cache in his memory. If you look in westerly direction from the cache location you should be able to see off in the distance Duck Island, and to the right of that, the far shore which is locally known as Scout Beach. Duck Island has been owned by McGarrigles for generations. Scout Beach is now private property, but it used to be public access; as a kid I spent many scout outings, family picnics, and Sunday school picnics on that beach.
The picture on the cache page and accompanying the cache is one I took of my Dad out on the lake in the summer of 2007; he was taking his granddaughter (my oldest girl) on her first fishing trip. His smile says everything that needs to be said about that moment.
In July 2012, I upgraded the container and contents. You are now looking for an ammo can. In the loc 'n' loc within the ammo can you will find the log bog, a pencil, a photo of my father, and two other items: a fishing lure from his tackle box, and a small bag of dirt from his garden. He loved gardening, fishing, and his grandkids more than anything else on this Earth. The photo and the two items accompanying it are to remain with the loc 'n' loc with the log book and under no circumstances are they to be removed. There are kids toys for trading in the cache. I try to make my caches as kid-friendly as possible as my girls frequently cache with me. It is also appropriate that this cache is full of fun stuff for kids as my Dad loved his grandchildren dearly.
Cancer is a horrible disease. Not just for what it does to the person who has it, but for what it does to those left behind. God took him home to heal him, leaving a huge hole in hearts that can never be filled.
Thank you for taking the time to visit this cache. Please make sure the log book, picture, and personal items remain in the loc 'n' loc to keep them dry.
Be careful on the approach down from the road to this cache. It is a bit steep, and gravel/rocks are loose.
Please rehide EXACTLY as found, and Happy Hunting!