Geo-what?

Monday, July 5, 2010
10:00 a.m.

Last night was the final night of our short, sweet stay in Killarney. I had originally planned to just stay in with some of the girls to order food, finish our wine and watch a movie (all of which we did), but those plans soon changed when I ran into members of our group congregating in the hall. They all were dressed in tennis shoes, sweatshirts and jackets, appearing as if they were about to go outside, disregarding the fact that it was already passed midnight. I asked the group what they were up to.

“We’re going to go exploring,” one answered quietly.

Exploring, though, was a sliver of what they’d really be doing. Turns out they were going Geocaching.

Never hearing of this term, I decided I wanted to be part of the adventure anyway. One of the girls tried explaining to me what it was they would be doing, describing it as some sort of scavenger hunt done all around the world. Still confused to what it was I had just decided to be a part of, I looked the term up before heading out.

According to its website, Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share the experience online.

Given that we didn’t have a GPS, Katie wrote down line by line, and detail by detail, where it was we needed to go and what it was we needed to look for. So here we are, 11 American students who have been in this small Irish town for a mere three days, walking into the ominous darkness of Killarney National Park, searching for given points known to hold secret treasures. Why no one decided to bring or buy a flashlight I’m unsure of. With the dimming light of two cell phones, we moved through the moderately lighted streets of downtown and into the obscurity of the park. The blackness creeped closer and closer as we made our way to the park's gate. Yes, the park’s gates were open approaching 1:00 in the morning, another thing I’m unsure of why.

It was like a scene out of a horror movie; here goes a group of adventurous students trekking through pitch black woods, scared to death, hearing foreign noises and imagining movements in the distance. Many of us must have had the same thought, because a majority soon decided to link arms as we scaled up the rocky path. Our clues led us to Knockreer House and Gardens, where we were instructed to find an object relating to an eagle that in turn would lead us to an opening in a wall where the geocache could be found. Complicated much? By day, these gardens abound with overflowing ivy, vibrant pink-colored flowers and antiquated stone steps and walls. By night, these gardens are subdued, lacking life, color and vibrancy. A persistent, high-pitched alarm became louder as we approached the Knockreer House. A flickering light illuminating one of the house’s windows immediately frightened us, but upon further inspection we saw the light was reflecting from an exit sign. A few of us though it would be better to turn around and head home, but we ended up sticking together, moving farther into the gardens.

We searched the gardens the best we could, circling the house and walking farther into the woods along unmarked paths. We found some holes in stone walls, but never found that darn eagle. An hour later, after a tiresome and unsuccessful search, I decided it was time to give up on the complicated treasure hunt and call it a night. A few stayed to roam other places, but majority of us left to head back to our warm, cozy rooms at the B&B. I’d like to believe we would have been much more successful if we had started this adventure during daylight. I’m sure the geocache is in those gardens somewhere.