The cache had been taunting me for weeks. Being familiar with the area, as soon as I read the description I knew where it was: "Your GPS may zero out on the yellow lines of Route 30 at an elevation of about 1625 feet above sea level... The cache container can be found at the given coordinates, but at an elevation of about 1590 feet above sea level…Tevas (or similarly amphibious shoes) and a headlamp are recommended for this cache." Claustrophobia Meets Arachnophobia (GCPRXG) is the cache name. After reading some of the early logs and knowing the penchant this cache owner has for horror movies, I figured there was no way I could do it. Spiders (completely and irrationally) nearly top the list of my worst fears and I was picturing an Indiana Jones-like experience with big hairy monsters crawling down my back. *shudder!* I mean, what business do spiders have possessing that many eyes? And that many legs? It's just wrong. And then to add hair? What is the biological significance of hair on a spider? If it's to make them look bigger and more intimidating, that's just plain mean. And if it's for some sensory purpose, then why on earth do they need all those eyes?

Enter if you dare!
Photo courtesy of GeoLobo Now for my first confession: I had mentioned to NFA, the cache owner, that this cache was taunting me and he took pity on me. He e-mailed me one day and told me that some cachers had recently visited the site and had not found any hairy spiders and were disappointed. ??? Go figure. So the coast was clear. Since my caching team was planning to visit another cache in the area, I figured we'd take a moment to check it out. On that particular day, the team consisted of 8-year-old Tweety, 4-year-old Violet, and me.

Confession #2: I fully intended to retrieve this cache myself. But what's a mother to do when her daughter takes one look at the cache location and BEGS to go in after it? Especially when said daughter can walk upright and not even touch the potentially spider-encrusted ceiling? I mean, who am I to break her spirit? Besides, one of us had to stay outside with Violet (this is not a cache for young children). We investigated the entrance to the cache location and only saw one spider and it had no hair. This distinction was important to us both. So Tweety forged on, flashlight in hand, with me watching from the entrance. She paused part way in, looking unsure, but I urged her forward. We knew the cache was in the middle, but it seemed a lot farther from inside than from outside. She finally found the cache, unclipped it without trouble, and brought it out so we could make our trades and sign the log.

Claustrophobia Meets Arachnophobia cache container and anchor on dry land.
Photo courtesy of GeoLobo Although my brave child was keen to trek back in and replace the cache, I told her I wouldn't be able to log this as a find and still look myself in the mirror if I allowed it. So I squared my shoulders, donned a hat, stooped low, and plunged in to replace the cache myself. It was a humbling experience to shuffle along, water swirling around my ankles, trying my hardest not to touch the inside walls, heart secretly pounding but smiling nonchalantly, while my 8-year-old shouted out encouraging messages like "You're almost there mom!" and "You're doing great!"

Once we were all on dry land again, we congratulated each other on a job well done. Not everyone would find this cache to be such a challenge, but we all have our demons. I could tell that my daughter was experiencing the same thrill of accomplishment that I was; a thrill founded upon facing one's fears and triumphing, with the celebratory cache booty to sweeten the occasion. The whole experience was a terrific female bonding experience, which I now add to my list of "Reasons Why I Like Geocaching With My Children." Tweety immediately bestowed Claustrophobia Meets Arachnophobia with the honor of "Favorite Cache Find" and wanted to know when she could do more like it. Watching her learning to push her comfort level and try things she isn't sure she can do at such a tender age, when I myself am still learning to do the same in my mid-thirties, was really amazing.

The cache is located off of Route 30 in Saranac Inn, NY. There is no parking area but there's room to pull off to the side of the road and hike down the hill to the stream. I wouldn't recommend attempting to find this cache after a heavy rain or during high spring stream flows. Keep in mind that the stream current feels stronger when walking upstream on the way out than downstream on the way in. Also, thanks to the fish hatchery upstream, the rocks in the stream around the entrance are very algae-covered and slimy and therefore slippery. The cache is not recommended during the winter months.

That NFA sure has a sense of humor in creating geocaching adventures for the rest of us. "Bonus points for doing this one at night!" Yeah, right!