A beautiful spring afternoon

Geocache report for Friday, May 8

I had finally finished a challenge cache called the Slacker's Half Dozen Challenge, by finding one of my Belding caches last week. So my destination this Friday was the area around that cache, in southwest Kent County. Started off heading south on Byron Center Avenue, stopped in a park for a cache I'd started last summer, couldn't find the second stage of what looked like a long multi. Found that second stage today and to my surprise it was actually the final. So my long walk took about 10 minutes tops. I had put off going back to that one several times because I didn't want to take the time I thought I would have to take. Also found one nearby, then headed south.



Found one called Proud Papa, put out by a cacher who took some time off with a new baby, and is now starting back into caching. Then to a 4-stage multi where I couldn't even get the first stage because there was mowing going on right where I needed to look. So on to another park about a mile or so away. In that park, I found a 3-stage multi which was a nice hike around the park, then another single stage cache nearby. There was an entire school having a field trip near the single stage cache, but I was able to slip in and out unnoticed. Then went back up to the 4-stage multi.



This time I was lucky that the mowing was finished. This first stage was near the park entrance. So got those coords and proceeded into the park. This park was full of muggles enjoying the nice spring weather. I tried several times to look at stage 2 for the next coords, but with too many muggles. So I'll save it for another day. Went on to my objective for the day, the Slacker's Half Dozen Challenge. The challenge was that the first cache you found had to begin with the last letter of your caching name. It was hard to find a "Y" cache! The next cache had to begin with the last letter of the previous cache, and so on. Took 6 months to complete the sequence. Got to the area and discovered it was quite swampy. Wasn't prepared for that so didn't get the cache.



Then went on to another park, took a nice long walk and got two caches. One was in the middle of an apple orchard (not active but the trees were in blossom which was really pretty.) I had been to this park last fall and there was illegal hunting going on which stopped me from getting the caches then. Went on from there to a travel bug hotel that was at the far end of another park, which had been closed for winter before (would have been almost a mile walk back to the cache.) Had a "mom" moment while traveling to this park - the song "Letter from War" came on - always a tearjerker for me but especially now. I know he's in God's hands but is still hard to think about sometimes. He's now on standby, will post more in my next post.



One last cache across town, much closer to home. This cache was on a nature trail behind a school in Forest Hills. I used to sub there quite a bit back when I was subbing but nevr knew there was a nature trail there. It had just come out the day before but I was the second to find, not the first. Home after that, logging caches at the end of a beautiful spring afternoon.