On Friday April 28, the sixth grade (Class of 2029) took off for a day of Geocaching at Duke Farms in Hillsborough, NJ. Before leaving they reviewed some background information on the history of Duke Farms and what it has to offer. The students also learned about the meaning of geocaching, how navigation coordinates are created and how to use a hand-held GPS device. Armed with that knowledge, they were off on the bus to find hidden treasures in the vast park.
The group started the day with a snack provided by Sage and a few games of “The Biggest Fan” to warm up in the cool morning. They were then introduced to Geocaching by two volunteers from the Central Jersey Geocachers Club who showed the students some very interesting types of caches and best tips when following a compass or map to find the hidden caches.
The students then broke up into four groups with chaperones Sra. Tamica Van Dunk, Mrs. Erika Del Rocco, Mr. Jeffrey Martin and trip leader Mrs. Andrea Barnett and were given separate trails around the park. Each group’s challenge was to find five caches and meet up by 12 noon at the Great Falls. Armed with a hand-held GPS device and maps, the students sprinted along the trails, found the caches and wrote “LA Class of 2029” on each log that was found in the container.
The students and chaperones were thrilled to find each other at the Great Falls and sat down to a well-deserved bagged lunch (Thank you, Sage!) while watching the Great Falls. After some free time, the group hiked back to the bus following alternate trails to take in some of the other property highlights like the Orchid House, Old Foundation and Mermaid Pool.
Some students commented on the way back: “I felt like we went back to Frost Valley for a day!” Mission accomplished and many found a brand new hobby in geocaching!