I enjoy a challenge just like anyone else. Yesterday I encountered just that, a challenge such as I haven’t experienced since I was a caver (read: spelunker though if you call someone who explores caves that and not a caver, get ready to get spit at in the eye.) Caving demands physical strength, an ability to overcome fears of tight places, high places, dark places, and unknown places. Such was our excursion for our latest geocaching adventure.

The topography of west central Wisconsin can be quite dramatic with rapid changes in elevation and steep ridges. I’ve always admired it when driving the I-94 corridor through it. I wondered too what it would be like to traverse those wild areas. And so I found out.

Our trek this past weekend was to an area owned by a school district and maintained for outdoor adventures. This was actually our second trip there. The place boasted some 28 caches. We began our adventure with a cache called, “Just Plain Evil”. The journey up the hillside, which of course was the reference to evil, was challenging, but doable with stone/lumber steps. Farther up the hill though, we had to rely on pulling ourselves up by grabbing onto trees and logs. I found myself having to stop every few steps to catch my breath. My pulse absolutely raced.

I tried not to look down. Some irrational fear of heights has grabbed hold of me in recent years. I’m not sure why, but looking at a view from a balcony or ridge, terrifies me. With my husband’s encouragement, we reached the top of the ridge. A bit of looking around and we were scoring this physically challenging cache.

Thinking back, we attempted this one at the perfect time. With a cover of snow over frozen ground, that cache would have been near impossible or at the very least, quite dangerous. Same thing with spring and wet, muddy hillsides. Though my legs ached and I was left feeling wobbly on the rest, I was glad for the challenge. On to the next one.