Geocaching

I've heard about this craze, and also know several people who love it, so when I mentioned at work, that I had never done one, the guys promptly organized one for today. And what a beautiful day it was to be outside seeking a little Tupperware box. I found it - and earned a new nickname, Eagle Eyes.

Our destination: "Hot Prospect" at N 42° 23.626 W 071° 15.035

Description:

A quick exploration into a public green space with a long and varied history, the cache is located in Prospect Hill Park in Waltham. The original cache coordinates have been modified based on commentary; signal accuracy at the cache site on the day it was placed was ranging between 35 and 65 feet but there was still a great deal of foliage on the trees.

Finding the cache itself can be a fast excursion, although it is located a short distance off the main trails and therefore requires a small bit of hiking. Prospect Hill is made up of about 250 acres of green space on the west side of Waltham, just east of 128. Information about the park is available here.

Along with the cache itself, the area is filled with weird bits of discarded history, including a decommissioned Cold War radar site at N 42 23.313 W 71 15.233. Two giant cement water storage tanks cover a large section of the park, and burned-out concrete huts are scattered across the hillside, either other parts of the radar installation or possibly leftovers from a period in which Prospect Hill was a ski area. There are some nice views of Boston and the Blue Hills now that the foliage has dropped for the season.

FMI: http://www.geocaching.org