I did my first nighttime caching – the initial starting point was a trailhead specified by the GPS coordinates on the tick sheet. Because I wasn’t sure how long the route would be, nor was I keen on carrying a flashlight in hand, I used the helmet-mounted bike light, its battery tucked into my rain jacket pocket. The route was marked with a white trail tack every few hundred feet. “Trail tacks” are little reflective thumbtacks that you’d completely miss during the daytime, but stand out moderately well with a flashlight aimed in the general direction. (I guess they’re primarily used by hunters?) Even in the rain, they worked well.

There were several turns onto other trails. The off-trail portion was marked by an additional orange trail tack. After ambling down and into the bush for another 20-ish feet, we spotted the pair of orange “eyes” marking the final, a camouflaged ammo box.

Like Chris, I will need to check myself into Geocacher’s Anonymous.