I set up this cache a couple of weeks ago as a means to propose to
my girlfriend (the other half of Team Ironman). I had been trying
to think of a unique way to propose for quite a while and when this
thought came to me, I just had to do it. I filled the cache
container with goodies and wrote "I love you. Will you marry me?"
on the inside of the lid. On Saturday afternoon I headed out to
what would become the coordinates for this cache to find the
perfect hiding spot. With the cache hidden, I headed home to plant
the idea of doing some caching the following day. I emailed her and
told her that I had just come across a Geocache that someone had
just hidden. If we headed out early the next morning, we would have
a good chance of logging a first find. With the stage set, I had to
scramble to make up a fake printout of the new cache's "website." I
copied another cache page and with the magic of MapPoint and
Photoshop, I had a believable fake including accurate coordinates
and a map of the area before long.
As usual for a Sunday morning, our early caching departure ended
up being closer to noon (maybe that's why we haven't got many first
finds yet 
). She was feeling bad because our
sleeping in would likely cost us yet another first find. I
assured her that it would be a nice hike even if we didn't get
there first. As we headed for the cache, I of course had to
play like I'd never been there before. Along the way I made my
usual attempts to suggest bushwhacking when we got close while
she did her best to get me to stick to the path (of course her
way always works out best in the end ). I led her to the cache area and
then pretended that tree cover was blocking GPS reception. As
I wandered around "trying to get a signal 
," she was busy finding the cache.
She found the cache, opened the lid, and noticed that there
was some writing on it. It took a second but when she realized
the message was for her, she looked up and there I was
grinning from ear to ear . She freaked out! A few minutes
later she finally calmed down long enough to say yes .
Now on to the real business; the cache is located along the
Bruce trail on land owned by the Royal Botanical Gardens. A
beautiful, well marked trail winds its way along the escarpment
with lots of signs along the way to point out interesting plants
and other information. The trail also offers some great views
overlooking Hamilton and Dundas. The area is a nature reserve with
many rare plant species so please stick to the trails. Once you get
to the final location, the cache is only a few steps from the
trail. Park at the RBG parking lot along Rock Chapel Road.
The container is a large "Rubbermaid" with a blue lid. It is
full of toys for the kids (and a few for the older folks). There is
also a nice surprise for the first team to find it 
. The contents of the cache don't have a theme,
but I ask that everyone go and dust off those old wedding
photos and scan them, or if you've gotten married within the
past couple of years, just find the digitals on your hard
drive, and post them with your log. If you were married in the
70's or 80's (perhaps wearing a brown tuxedo) and are ashamed
of the photos, share them anyway . We'd all love to see them. Got an
interesting wedding story, or some sound marriage advice? Feel
free to share them in your log.
One final thought. While you're in the area, make sure to check
out Borer's Falls. The falls are just 350m north from the parking
spot (N43 17.625, W79 56.183). Well worth the hike!