When I first moved to Delaware from Colorado about five years ago, Middle Run Valley quickly became my go-to playground for familiarizing myself with the region's new and unfamiliar plants, animals, terrain, weather, and hazards. It's where I first got bit by a tick in the spring and learned about the monster that is Lyme Disease, it's where I thought I had discovered an alien when I first saw a skunk cabbage emerging out of the ice in the winter, it's where I got lashed by multiflora rose for the first of many times in the summer, and it's where I was first entranced by a blackbird migration (still mindblowing) in the fall. Among other things, it's where I found my first Geocache in Delaware!
Now, at the time I did not have a Geocaching account, but I was familiar with the concept as I've accidentally stumbled upon many hides over the years. Recently I was able to escape familiy responsibilites for a couple hours and snag some finds in this wonderful area, this time equipped with a Geoname.
When I got to this location, I was surprised and a little disappointed to discover that the cache I had found two or three years prior was nowhere to be found and was no longer posted on the app. Local or experienced cachers may have a better idea about what I'm referring to. I suspect it was posted as a letterbox cache as I recall there being a stamp included, but I could be mistaken.
Anyway, I was about to move onto my next find when I remembered I had brought a cammoed film canister and log along with me...you know...just in case.
I wanted to leave this cache here not only to honor the one that came before it, but also to celebrate my love for this park and its significance for connecting me with the natural world in a new environment where I felt like a total stranger. There's nothing spectacular about the cache itself. As I mentioned, you're looking for a small cammoed film canister hidden behind an osage orange tree - placed exactly where I serendiptously found the one that used to reside there years ago. I am fascinated by the bright green "brains" that gather at the base of this species in the fall, so I was psyched to be able to leave a cache here (I also must admit that it took me a while to break the habit of calling them "oh-saw-gee" oranges). There's a log and room for small swag. BYOP.
Also a big shout out to any native Coloradans who might happening to be passing through the area!
Thanks for reading. Enjoy the find!
~ Congratulations to oboegary & delaware hiker for FTF! ~