N 38° 40.190 W 090° 32.781

from Local Treasures

N 38° 40.190 W 090° 32.781

The man we saw was there to hunt. He asked us about trails, had a shotgun, was wearing camo. It was obvious that he hadn’t come to enjoy the exotic butterfly house, to admire the historical buildings, to take a leisurely stroll. He was in this sprawling park in Chesterfield, Missouri to shoot something. Still, for a moment, I genuinely convinced myself that he was there to geocache.

It’s silly. When I am on the train, I don’t presume everyone else on the train is going where I’m going, doing what I’m doing. Ditto on the highway. I don’t even do it when I am simply hiking. But when I’m looking for a cache, and the trails narrow, and the number of other people dwindles . . . well, then when I look around and see someone, I can’t help but think that maybe we are searching for the same thing.