Geocaching 102--Stealth Required...

On Thursday His Highness and I searched out three geocaches that were within jogging distance of the house. The first was Stage I of a multi-stage cache, which I found with little trouble, although I did resort to using the hint. It was a tiny container (aka a 'microcache') with coordinates to the next stage. So once I decode the coordinates (yes, we are a nerdy group) I will find Stage II, and eventually Stage III, which will have the logbook and trinkets.

As for the other two caches, I couldn't find them. The problem was that they were marked "stealth required," meaning they were hidden in highly visible places. This is a problem for several reasons--

1. The potential for surrounding "muggles" (non-geocachers) to become suspicious of the strange person looking through bushes (and in my case muttering to herself) and call the police. I most likely wouldn't get into trouble, but I'd have to convince the cops of my sanity, which would annoy me.
2. The possibility that hostile muggles might see me messing with the cache and then go back & steal it (or move it, or mess it up) after I leave.
3. The possibility that there might be other geocachers in the area. Since the fun of geocaching is in the hunt, I'd be spoiling the find for them.
4. My neuroses, which make it hard for me to concentrate fully on finding the cache since I'm distracted by worrying about #1.

So I gave up on the second two after a cursory search on Thursday. I went back last night to try under the cover of darkness, but I was having a hard time "thinking like a geocacher," and again couldn't find them.

I finally got them this morning (Sunday--very quiet out). I had to use all the given hints, and it still took me longer than it should have, but I got them. On the last one I had actually given up, gotten in my car, and started for home, but I was compelled to give it just one more shot, and voila. I was so pleased I decided to take the above pic--from in the car so I'm not giving away anything.