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View Full Version : My first time ;;)



Gackt
21st July 2015, 10:49 PM
316

The first caching event I ever attended was A quick Flash in Stow (http://coord.info/GC2FPEM) in October 2010. It maybe be memorable to others because of the fun stocks, or the Morris Dancers that turned up at the end, or walk tall's cool birthday hat :D But for me it was memorable because it was my first, obviously, but also because it changed me somewhat.

I didn't know what to expect, except for what was written on the cache page of course. I was a little nervous. At that time I wasn't the sort of person that would often make idle chatter with strangers, unless I had consumed a couple of pints at a pub perhaps. But this event was to take place at 10am on a Sunday morning, and I was driving myself there.. no pints before obviously :p

I soon found I had nothing to fear. The flash event started, and whilst I would have been happy to stand to one side and observe, it wasn't long before friendly cachers approached me to strike up a conversation. The first was RoobyDoo who is in the one photo I took below. Since then I have met him on numerous occasions, out in the field and at events. Looking at the photo further, I think I can name pretty much most of the cachers, because I either passed a few words with them there, or have done at events since.

And, I have been to few more since, nearing 40 now.. official geocaching ones that is. Plus I have been to others, that were not published on the site, and also many 'expeditions' you could possibly call them, including ones with cachers actually in this photo, on a couple of outings to London, CacheWalker caching walks, clambering miles under the ground in disused quarries, and tackling tricky rift caves.

I am glad I decided to get out of bed that Sunday morning and do something different :) The proof it changed me.. here's a pic four and half years on exiting a caving birthday bash of mine in a disused quarry. Three of the cachers in it can be seen in the above flash mob photo.

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Thank you walk tall for hosting that first flash mob event.