This tree has appeared in my album several times throughout the years. It is my sister's favorite tree, standing there with its gnarly, bent shape and isolation. She's home visiting so we drove out to play with the Tiny Planet app using this tree, though she also had her infrared camera. I had to stop and take a few images too. Then I spotted what I thought was a bit of garbage lodged under the roots. I pulled it out and was going to take it to throw away, but she wanted to open it. To our great surprise it was a geocache. Years and years ago I entertained the idea of embarking on the geocache hunts, but I didn't have a GPS. Imagine my surprise to find a hidden treasure unaided. Not only that, I've shot this tree many times over the past few years, and I never saw this little hidden treasure. We didn't add our name to the list of those who had found it before, though we had fun reading through and seeing how long this has been lying in wait for discovery by travelers moving through the park. Before we left I safely tucked it back under the roots in the hopes that there are still geocachers out there who might be on the hunt. As to why this image with its sunflares? Because, tucked there, beneath the roots, you can just see the bit of white from the camouflaged container hidden beneath this little Ponderosa Pine.
I love this. We used to geocache with our kids in France, many years ago. It was very exciting when you actually found something, so I can imagine how it was for you finding this when you weren't actually looking!
very lovely landscape with that beautiful pine as it's main subject. tried geocaching a while back...found a couple but didn't do many more than that. it was fun though!
well done