Blair Witch? (how it all got started)

It's September, 2010, and we are camping at Priest Lake with Cassie, Matt, some of their friends, and his dad and step-mom.  We have just hiked the short hill to see Hunt Falls, and after all of the oooo's and ahhhh's, Cassie nonchalantly says to me "Hey Debbie, there's a geocache right over there."  Huh?  A what?  "A geocache."  I had no idea what that even was, and said as much.  She just smiled and said "Go look in that bush by that log."  Ok. So I pull this thing out, I had no idea what an ammo can even was, I had no idea how to open it, and what to do with it AFTER I open it.  Matt opens it up and .... whaaaaat is all this stuff?  Cass explained, you trade items.  Take something, leave something. And then you sign the log.  How in the heck do you sign the log?  It's a LOG!  She explained no, the paper log.  Duh.  And all I had to trade was a couple of mints in my pocket!  (Yes, I have since been schooled about leaving edibles in caches).  I was hooked, and wondered aloud if there may be more close by.  Cassie just looked over at her FIL and made sure his laptop was back at camp with service.  We 

my first geocache!!!!

headed back to camp and did a search.  There are SO many!  Ok, so we found a few to find, but we have no equipment.  How did we survive back in 2010???  We have a notebook and a pen.   Nothing to do but write down the coordinates, every clue, the hint, and anything in previous logs that may help us.  Our list consisted of about 8 caches.  We are off!  Found one in a log pile.  found our first fake rock at the base of a tree.  Found a couple along the road.  Pesky Priest River bugs had us in the woods just going in circles, so we had to return to camp and grab that cell phone so we had a compass.  Amy finally found it in the trees!  And the container was so cool!!!  Then we have just one more.  It's 

pesky bugs

a little bit of a drive, and it's getting to be dusk.  To go or not to go?  That was the question.  We went.  We have a little guy with us, but we think we can find it (because we're getting so good at this), and be back before dark. We park, start walking down a trail into the woods.  Let me tell ya, it was a lot darker in the woods than out on the road.  We have our trusty flashlights and a lantern, but I think they are making the surrounding area look even more creepy if you want the truth.  It's not much farther, so we trek on.  The clues are saying to not let this one "stump" us.  Ok, it's a stump.  And we see one, off a little to the right way up ahead.  Yay, we found it!   "Wait, shine your light over here, I see something......" and we all stop breathing.  What in the realm of all evil is that thing?  It's a cage?  Chicken wire formed  around an iron arc about 4 feet long, and about 2 1/2 feet high? With what's left of a critter, and we can't tell what type of critter at all, but it was a critter,

Right out of the Blair Witch Project!!

hanging from the middle?  And skulls laying around on the ground too!  I am thinking two things at this minute. Well, ok, three.  First, I want to run.  Second, we have a little with us, and can he keep up?  Third, are we brave enough to go to the stump, collect the log and then run, hanging on to the little so he doesn't get left behind?  We huddle, and even though Cassie says she just wants to go home, go home right now, we quickly make our way to the stump, snag out the ammo can, rifle through the swag, do our trading, and then skirting WAY around the scary cage thingy, we run.  Who had the little?  Shamelessly, I have no clue. More than likely his momma?  I wish I could say it was me? And maybe I  

quick pic before we ran!

did help keep track of him?  In my heart, I helped, but I really have no recollection of anything till we got to the road.  I actually think it was a group effort to carry him while running through the woods.  In pitch black.  With just scary flashlight beams that were weaving everywhere as our only light source.  Trying not to get caught by whatever scary thing that may choose that very minute to come back and check on his scary cage thing.  Who leaves things like out in the woods to scare of bunch of girls who are just wanting to find a cache?  I mean, jeez!  We were done caching for the night, for sure.  BUT!  We found the cache!  Despite being scared half out of our wits.  That was "A Soldier Meadow View".  My geocache number seven.  It has since been archived.  Whether the scary cage thingy had anything to do with that, I don't really know.  What I DO know is that weekend was the beginning.  It was all about laughing, meeting new friends, finding treasures, and being scared so silly that you can't wait to do it again!