Patrick Blindauer and his search partner Penny at an undisclosed site.
It was a gloomy day in Forest Park. I stood a few feet off the John F. Kennedy trail, my head down, kicking leaves. Watching me was Patrick Blindauer (who s published over 60 crosswords in the
New York Times) and his dog, Penny. Blindauer pointed at a fallen tree. The V, he said. Oh.
I bent down to where two branches made a V and rummaged through wet leaves. Beneath was a plastic container wrapped in camouflage duct tape. Nice. That s it.
There is a world hidden to the unsuspecting eye. It lies in faux screws, ruffled foliage and S.P.O.R. s (suspicious pile of rocks). To the muggle glance, it is all but invisible. This is the world of letterboxing and geocaching.