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After our adventures in Door County, Wisconsin, I recognized the need for new hiking boots. My pair have served me well over the miles, but it was time for another pair. Enter Berghaus Explorer Ridge GTX Walking Boot.

My first consideration for purchasing hiking boots is whether or not they are Gore-Tex. In fact, if they aren’t Gore-Tex, I just won’t buy them. I’m looking for a multi-purpose boot, and I certainly don’t want to be replacing them anytime soon. Hiking boots are an investment. I’m willing to take the time to research and am willing to spend the money to get what I need. When geocaching, I never know what the terrain is going to be like or what the effect the rain last night had on the trails. So, it’s definitely a waterproof boot with Gore-Tex.

Another consideration is weight. When hiking, a boot that isn’t horribly heavy is a must. Hiking can be tough at times, especially in the summer. I’ve long resigned myself to the fact that I’ll need another hiking boot for winter conditions, but that’s another story. My intent is on a reasonably-weighted boot to get me through the other seasons of the year. For this, I like a leather-constructed boot. My experience has always been positive. As I’ve mentioned, this is an investment. I want a boot that will last for many miles.

Lately, our geocaching has taken us to some areas of challenging terrain, like our adventure in yesterday’s post. We’re going off trail more where the terrain can be slick as well as challenging. Good traction, therefore, is important. A sprained ankle far from the car is not an experience I want to experience. So, when looking at a boot I’ll check the traction on the sole. Again, I’m looking for a durable material that will last.

The Explorer Ridge GTX Walking Boot has a unique feature that truly sold me. The lacing construction allows for expansion in the foot area. The longer you walk, especially in the summer, the more your feet expand due to swelling. Also, later in the day, your foot will naturally be wider. The Berghaus boot allows for this while keeping your ankle stable. This is truly a boot created with the hiker’s specific needs. So, check out the video on the Webtogs channel. Happy hiking!

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We had one more adventure in Door County. Certainly, there were more stories to tell, more treasures to find. This post is about a truly physically challenging find.

The shoreline of Door County is ringed with rocky bluffs. Some of the bluffs can be quite steep. While there are some sandy beaches, many are just rocky shorelines. We logged a few finds at the Door Bluff Headlands County Park. The views on the bluffs are magnificent. Fortunately, the abundance of cedar trees keeps the bug population down. With a breeze, it’s a non-issue.

We searched for our first find. We met a few muggles on the trails, but not much. This park is more of a hiker’s park, rather than a casual walk. The weather was perfect, just slightly cool. We walked the trail in to our first find, relatively easy for the terrain. The next find was close–directly under us. In other words, down the bluff.

Now, I’ve never been a real fan of heights, but in recent years, I’ve become downright frightened of them. I remember touring a sailboat at a boat show a few years back. We were maybe 15-20 feet up. I was sweating, in absolute fear of falling. You can imagine how I viewed a bit of rock climbing. My husband, Norm, coaxed me down the bluff. He’s so good that way, so patient. We managed the climb down the slope. Now it was time to find the next cache.

We walked along the rocky shore for a bit. We soon located the cache located in a cave along the bluff. The cave was cool and damp, a welcome respite form the sun. By this time, though, we were both tired. We had postponed lunch to find this cache. The need of food and lack of water (!) were making us spacey. We searched for a way back up to the parking area. Soon, we hit a dead end. There wasn’t a clear way up. The path back was a bit longer and more demanding. To add to our dilemma, a sudden storm appeared on the horizon.

Storms in Door County are like nor’easters. They come up fast and furious. We knew that we had to hurry. I quickly pulled up a topo on my Geocache Navigator. It was easy to see where the parking area was–up another bluff side. Exhausted, we made the climb. Almost like a mirage, we passed a couple sitting on a rock, watching the incoming storm. Had they no clue? You don’t mess with storms here.

Finally, after a lot of panting, we made it up and to our car. The bit, albeit slight bit, of danger made the find that much more satisfying. I suppose that is why I like geocaching in Door County best–the find is in the challenge.

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Now there are geocaches, and there are geocaches. Hopefully as a geocacher, you’ve stumbled upon at least one of the latter. During our trip to Door County, Wisconsin, we were lucky to encounter a few such caches, including this one that is definitely in our top 10 geocaches.

It’s always fun to go someplace new to geocache. Somehow, that fact alone makes the finds that much more satisfying. Door County is unique in that it offers several 5 terrain caches. You know the ones. They are the geocaches you may or may not find. These caches earned the 5 for the necessary water travel.

I love boating. To combine boating, hiking, and geocahing is a perfect day in my book. The aforementioned geocache involved probably about a 30-minute boat trip. Fortunately, we had a boat to use. The weather was absolutely divine. It really couldn’t have been better. What made it even a bit more fun was the fact that the boat trip itself had its own element of challenge. Shoals surrounded the islands. We had to keep an eye on depth as we approached the cache. I’m remember thinking, ah, that’s why it’s called “Death’s Door.”

The island had a nice sandy beach. There were a few other boaters, but frankly, the long journey was probably something of a deterrent. Lake Michigan is mighty big water when you’re on a 22-foot powerboat. The cache was close to shore. We ran out to find it. As luck would have it, poison ivy surrounded the cache. Having discovered last year geocaching just how allergic I am, I had to tread carefully. I wasn’t expecting the cache where it was. I was looking under logs and bushes. It was my sister who discovered its hiding place.

What a find! This is one great cache owner. Not only did he create this marvelous cache with its well-documented history, but he added oodles of swag, the perfect swag for a cache reminescent of pirates and treasures. Indeed, I added a dollar to the cache to retrieve my gold coin and bangles. Now this was a geocache!

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We’re back from our vacation to Door County, Wisconsin. What a place! The geocaching was excellent. We found many great geocaches, albeit the setting is enough to make any geocache worthwhile.

Many of our finds took us to the east, i.e., “quieter side” of Door County. And as caches will do, the finds also took us to places we hadn’t discovered before, always a nice bonus. Our first finds were on a dead end. However, this was the view of that “dead end.” It was an unexpected, but delightful find of itself.

The cache here was a bit of a challenge at first. We searched for some time. Unfortunately, we were way off. We were convinced the cache was closer to the water. The only thing we found there was the set for “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” There were spiders, big nasty ones, everywhere. As if that weren’t enough, there was a snake too. Actually, there were two snakes–two snakes in love, that is. I think you get the idea. They certainly weren’t interested in geocaches or finds or us, for that matter.

Other caches took us to other interesting landmarks. Though located in a wayside, our next finds took us to a wonderful park adjacent to the stop. We thought that we were close to town. The park, however, opened up before us. What a place too! Large cedar trees and ferns dotted the rocky landscape. Wildflowers were also in abundance.

Though we took the high road to the cache when we should have taken the low road, the extra time in the park was fabulous. The hide was a good one, tucked away in a small cave on the hillside. Downed trees made the grab a bit harder than it might have been.

Now I should clarify. The path that we ended up taking was a bit rough at times. We had to do a bit of scrambling. I guess our first clue that we were on the wrong trail was the cache ratings. We were making a 1.5 cache into a 2.5. No worries. We found a way down to the cache.

Surprisingly, during most of our geocaching, we were able to get Sprint coverage. I mention this because we rely on Trimble’s Geocache Navigator to lead the way. We had packed the old Garmin 12 Map GPSr. I don’t think we used it at all. In years past, we were not even able to roam, the coverage was so spotty.

Next time, I’ll write about one of the best caches we’ve ever found.

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Tomorrow is the first day of my long-awaited vacation. Our destination is a favorite of ours, Door County, Wisconsin. It’s a wonderful opportunity to rest, boat, geocache, of course. Vacation geocaching is a pleasure all its own.

I’ll be blogging on the road about some of our finds and the joy of being away. Hope everyone has their own vacation planned! See you at the Door!

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What better way to celebrate Great Outdoors Month than to geocache at a new park or even a familiar park. In recognition of the high value people place on outdoor recreation, Great Outdoors Month was declared by Presidential designation in 2004.

As geocachers, we have a unique relationship to the outdoors. We often find ourselves in the places that no one wants to go. We’re rooting around old tree stumps and forest debris. Before you got into geocaching, did you ever think that you would look fondly upon an old dead tree? Or that you won’t mind trashing through brambles, poison ivy, tick-infested woodlands all to find a tupperware box? No, we geocachers see beauty with a unique set of eyes.

This month, let’s celebrate the outdoors that has given us a new and exciting form of recreation. Let’s celebrate all the great parks that give us such wonderful hiding places. Let’s celebrate the muggles in the parks that add that extra bit of excitement to placing and finding a cache. Certainly, let’s make it a point to do at least one CITO cache this month.
Photo by axel-d

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When geocaching, we often seek the cache well off the beaten path. Those are the type of geocaches I enjoy most.  There are minimal muggles. The walk is usually a good one, with other sights to enjoy along the way. This time of year, though, the weather can be unpredictable. Day-to-day, or even hour-to-hour, you’re never sure what to expect. It can be raining one moment and blistering hot the next. It’s not just the weather, however. Trail conditions often vary widely even in the same park or on the same trail.

As I’ve often blogged, if you’re going to be outdoors, quality, performance clothing and gear will make your time more enjoyable. Besides that, quality gear lasts. Summer geocaching is an example of where good gear comes in handy. In Minnesota, we come across several challenges. Weather can be hot–or not. Insects can pose a challenge. Trails can be passable–or flooded.

The latter is something we encounter a lot. For me, I hate wet feet, wet socks. It’s definitely one of my outdoor pet peeves. Not only are they uncomfortable, but they can easily lead to blisters. Blisters are the absolute worst bane of hiking. Prevention is definitely key. During this time of year, I prefer footwear up to the challenge such as The North Face’s Hedgehog GTX XCR Trainers. Gore-tex footgear are the only options I consider. I want to always be prepared for wet conditions. A slippery slope poses it own hazards. I want a shoe with good traction with vibram soles. Certainly, the last thing you want when in the field is a sprained ankle. I actually couldn’t say which would be worse–the blister or the sprained ankle.

Another thing you want to consider is a balance between the weight of the shoe and the support it provides. When shopping around, two or three pounds might not seem like a lot, but extra ounces make a difference if you’re out hiking during that marathon geocaching session. Ounces do matter. A light weight shoe again, will make the trek more comfortable. Support is important if you will be traveling over uneven ground.

Of all the gear you invest in, your footwear is the most important. The right shoe can make the difference between an enjoyable hike or a miserable walk. Choose wisely.

For more videos about quality outdoor gear, visit Webtogs on YouTube.

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