GC1Q20Q: Philipshill

Found on 2009-07-20 at 19:00:00
Placed by: marsden29
Size: Small (Difficulty: 2 / Terrain: 2)
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Geocaching.com: GC1Q20Q

[:P] FTF!

I had about an hour before my wife got home on the tube, so I decided that's gotta be enough for 1/2 in the woods. Boy, was I wrong.

I parked up on Old Shire Lane, got out the car and switched on my Garmin. No response. Aah, Ok, batteries - good thing I brought spare rechargeables. Popped them in and off we go.

Lovely woods, thought I, reminded me of geocaching in Canada last month when I first started doing this. The sun was low and the sunset cast a perfect light through the tree trunks - I'll grab some photo's on the way back, said I.

Finally getting nearer to GZ, what's this, a steep hill of course. Make my way down and the coords are pointing me right on top of a pile of logs. I searched around a bit and then checked out the hint. Yup, this seems to be the right place.

Now, of course I read your little warning about the trees affecting the GPS, but I was in the middle of an opening and this GPSr is not bugging around, so I thought I was having a good day, so far.

But after searching around a few different piles of logs, both in and out the woods, I decided that I best lift some. And lift I did.

I think it was mainly my sweat that brought out the mosquitos. Pesky little things, hovering behind my ears, after a bite at my arms or forehead. You see I got bit a few days ago on the calf of my leg and it swelled up like a watermelon. I don't react very well to mosquitoes you see - I didn't want to get bitten on the forehead and end up coming out of the woods looking like the elephant man.

So here I am lifting logs, looking like a madman in the woods arms flailing trying to fend off these mozzies. I am definitely going to by some repellent for my next hunt.

Anyway after about 25 minutes of hauling logs I decide to go back and read your description again, then it dawned on me. What if GZ was literally under the trees (I thought the trees was just a warning for GPSr reception).

So then I decide to go hunting round the log piles under the trees and found your sneaky hiding place!

I opened the cache and retrieved my prize - a geocaching pen - very useful, but at this point I think I would have preferred to find a cigar. Signed the log and left a ribbon with a bell attached to it, and placed the cache back where I found it.

By this time it was getting dark, and it was then I realised I was in a bad phone reception area. Walking back up the hill I got 4 texts from my wife in order:

1. "Hi, which station are you picking me up from?"
2. "Going to Watford as I haven't heard from you."
3. "Walking home now."
4. "At home. Where are you?"

Doh!

I called and a tearful and worried wife answered and asked me to get back right away. So I dutifully stepped up my pace through the now very dark woods - couldn't take any of those planned photos anyway - and the batteries of my camera had now decided to cop out.

Back home to chicken and chips and much apologies to the wife.

TFTH.