11.11.11@11:11:11 - FTF Geocacher Magazinemonthly (6 issues per year) by Icon Creative Services PO...

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When Ground Zero is Really Ground Zero”Reachingfor the Stars11.11.11@11:11:11FlashEleventEating on the (Cache) RunA Crappy CachePlus:• Trail Tales• Puzzle Primer• My Geek Odyssey• Cacher Family Album• Caching with nanncyan• Cache Conundrums

FTFT h e M a g a z i n e F o r G e o c a c h e r s

PodCacher Sound Bytes

$ 5 . 9 9 U S · V o l . 2 I s s u e 6 · N o v e m b e r - D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1

G E O C A C H E R

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Our Two-Year 12-Issue Milestone It’s hard to believe this is the 12th issue of FTF Geocacher Magazine. Time really does fly when you are having fun. I have plans to continue improving the content, design, and layout of the magazine in 2012. As always, I welcome any feedback and/or ideas for new features. I really couldn’t make this magazine happen without you. Thanks for subscribing! – Keith Petrus

In Memoriam We were saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Schillinger (Team Luvbassn) who died in October. His wife Elaine writes, “Steve was one of your original subscribers and looked forward to each new issue.”

J Welcome In This Issue

Upcoming Mega Events 2· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·News Briefs 2· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Our Readers Speak 3· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Additional Listing GuidelinesGroundspeak Help Center 4· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·When Ground Zero is Really “Ground Zero” by dcmcveigh 6· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Reaching for the Starsby Jerry Martin (Martin 5) 7· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·PodCacher Sound Bytesby Sonny & Sandy 8· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·11.11.11@11:11:11 FlashEleventby Jørn R. Andersen (Jarun) 10· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Eating on the (Cache) Run by Kelly Glazner (Rysten) 11· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·SWYMM? by Debbie Neff (SmilingBee) 12· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·A Crappy Cache Submitted by Tsmola 13· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Discovered While Geocaching 14· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Puzzle Primer - Omniglot 16· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·My Geek Odyssey 16· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Cacher Family Album 19· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·All for Oneby Patty Fatsie 20· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Trail Tales 22· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·The Lois and Clark ExpeditionCaching with nanncyan 30· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Blue Blaze Irregulars ALPHA ALERTCustom Cache Conundrums 32

§Get PublishedWe need your stories and photos for the next issue of FTF Geocacher. No topic is off-limits as long as it relates to geocaching. Show us your most creative cache ideas, or nominate others. Share hints, tips, and the latest gadget reviews. Submit stories and photos for publication to:[email protected] via the forms on our website at www.ftfgeocacher.com

Cover Photo: The Lagoon (GC29RY6) – Calaveras, Texas

FTF GeocacherThe Magazine for Geocachers

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·www.ftfgeocacher.com

FTF Geocacher is published bi-monthly (6 issues per year)

by Icon Creative ServicesPO Box 556 · Skidmore, TX 78389

For more information, email [email protected]

For advertising rate information,email [email protected]

When does my subscription expire?Check the code on your address label. FTFV2-5 indicates that Vol. 2, Issue 5 (or the September-October issue of 2011) will be your last issue under your current subscription. You can check the front cover to see the current volume and issue number.

Subscriptions Sign up for a One-Year subscription (6 bi-monthly issues) to FTF Geocacher magazine, and we’ll ship

you one of our new FTF “Fire” Pathtags (while supplies last). Subscribe via Paypal or major

credit card online at:www.ftfgeocacher.com

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OZ MEGA ALBURY WODONGA April 5, 2012 · Australia–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

MOGA 2012April 28, 2012 · Iowa, USA–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Allegany State Park GeoBash VIIMay 19, 2012 · New York, USA–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

GeoWoodstock XMay 26, 2012 · Indiana, USA–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

COG Spring Fling 8June. 16, 2012 · Ontario, Canada–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Island Spirit 2012 (WestCan2)July 7, 2012 · BC, Canada–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

PIRATEMANIA V (GC365FT)July 21, 2012 · West Midlands, UK–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Midwest Geobash 2012July 26, 2012 · Ohio, USA–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

GeocoinFest EuropeAug. 5, 2012 · Lisboa, Portugal–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

North West England 2012 - The 5th Annual UK MegaAug. 11, 2012 · United Kingdom–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

West Bend $1000 Cache Ba$h 2012Aug. 11, 2012 · Wisconsin, USA–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Geocoinfest U.S. 2012Oct. 6, 2012 · Colorado, USA–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

8th Annual Florida Finders FestOct. 27, 2012 · Florida, USA

Groundspeak Renames Knowledge BooksThe Groundspeak “Knowledge Books” are now referenced with the more user-friendly term “Help Center.” Groundspeak explains, “We renamed it because we hope that more cachers will find the help that they are looking for with a more intuitive name than ‘Knowledge Books.” The Help Center may be found at: http://support.groundspeak.com//index.php

2011: A Banner YearThe sport of geocaching exploded in 2011 with the addition of almost half a million new geocaches. Groundspeak continued to improve the user experience with major upgrades to their website including zoom-able maps and automatically generated user statistics. The option to award Favorite Points was introduced as an incentive to those who go the extra mile to place quality hides. Geocaching Challenges were introduced for those interested in expanding the game beyond physical containers. And finally, Groundspeak announced the first International Geocaching Day! Check out Groundspeak’s fun 2011 Geocaching Year in Review video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGBkOpKF_KM

FTF Mag Android App?Those of you waiting for an “android” version of the FTF Magazine iPad app will have to wait a while longer. The necessary software upgrades have been purchased but the android emulator is not cooperating with my Macintosh. Stay tuned...

+ News Briefs Events

Let Them Eat Cake

Cake from A Cache-Mas Party, Year 3 (GC35E3T), Hazleton, PA.

Cake from the Tri-States Treasures Summer Picnic – Barry

Sullivan (Gilwell1)

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Dear Sir/MadamI have had GPS devices since 2000. Although I knew about Geocaching, and thought it would be fun, I have never tried it. Well, yesterday I received a load of the normal Christmas catalogs and fliers, which I dumped on the kitchen table. While eating lunch, I started looking through the pile

when to my wondering surprise I spied FTF GEOCACHER magazine! Now why would I get that magazine? OOPS... it was delivered to the wrong address. Not only the wrong address, but it wasn’t even the same (or even close) street. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories and now I have a LOT of questions (mostly acronyms – like “What is FTF?,” procedures, etc.) I’ll have to read up on the hobby and see what it has become. Sounds like it has really taken off! The errant magazine is back in the mail, to be delivered (hopefully) to the correct address. Meanwhile, all I can say is, “Great magazine!” – Rodger K. Strickler, Mechanicsville, MD

Love ItI love this magazine. It’s great to learn about caching in areas that I have not visited, yet. I get tips and hints and ideas for caches in the areas I do get to visit. – diverrn

Reader Wish ListN I would love to see some articles about how to get started with puzzle caches. They keep popping up around my area, and frankly, I have no clue on where to begin solving some of them, even the easier ones. I love puzzles though, which is why I am a bit frustrated. Also, I just recently upgraded to an Android phone with GPS capabilities. An article or several dedicated to using Android apps for caching for Android noobs like me would be very helpful. I have the Geocaching app installed... just need help on how to use it, and what other apps I may wish to try on my adventures. – TinaFraser

_ Our Readers Speak

Newbie TipLeave Your Mark

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Often you will come across an item in a cache that has been “signed” by its owner. It might be a poker chip with a custom sticker or a bottle cap with a label shellacked inside. Signature, or “SIG Items” as they are known, are the calling cards of the geocaching community. Unlike geocoins or travel bugs, SIG items are generally yours to keep and collect. Signature items can be made from virtually any inexpensive item, and often reflect the personality of their owner. An avid fisherman, for example, might write his caching name on a small bobber. Some choose seashells, wooden nickels, or even custom pathtags. If you have yet to create your own SIG item, you should give the idea some thought. For adult cachers, finding a new SIG item evokes much the same emotion a child experiences finding that shiny matchbox car. Spread the joy!

Where’s Sparticus?We’re always looking for fun new ideas for the magazine, so when Sparticus06 joked about somehow getting himself into every issue,

we took him up on the challenge. Every issue will now include an image of Sparticus06 hidden somewhere

within. Find and report the page number and

location of Sparticus06 to [email protected], and your name will be entered into a drawing for one of our cool new “I Found Sparticus” pathags. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Where WAS Sparticus?In the September-October 2011 issue, Sparticus06 appeared on page 28 in the lower left corner of the “GPS: The Movie” poster.

FTF Geocacher MagazineSubmit stories and photos to

[email protected]

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The Listing Guidelines apply to all geocache types. Additional requirements specific to certain cache types follow. To learn more about different geocache types, read the cache type definitions. If you are still unsure how to list your geocache, ask your reviewer.

Multi-CachesProvide the coordinates of all stages of the multi-cache by using the Additional Waypoints feature. The posted coordinates are for the first stage. If you don’t want the coordinates for the rest of the stages displayed to the public, mark them as “hidden.” Only the cache owner and reviewers are permitted to view hidden coordinates.

Puzzle CachesThe information needed to solve a puzzle cache (sometimes called a mystery cache) must be available to the general community and the puzzle should be solvable from the information provided on the cache page.

For many caches of this type, the coordinates listed are not of the actual cache location but a general reference point, such as a nearby parking location. The posted coordinates should be no more than 1-2 miles (2-3 km) away from the true cache location. This allows the cache to show up on the appropriate vicinity searches and keeps the mileage of Trackables that pass through the cache reasonably accurate. Give as detailed information as possible to the reviewer when you submit the cache. Report the coordinates for the actual cache location and use the “Additional Waypoints” feature to input any other relevant stages or clues. A challenge cache is a variation of a puzzle cache. This will typically require the cacher to meet a reasonable Geocaching-, Waymarking- or Wherigo-related qualification. An example is finding a cache in each county of your state. If you are thinking of creating such a cache, be sure to do your research first.

Letterbox HybridThis cache type pays homage to an older form of scavenger hunt. Letterbox hybrids must contain a signature stamp that stays with the box. A letterbox hybrid may have a

mystery or puzzle element, but cannot be designed to be found by only using clues. To seek a letterbox hybrid, you will not need your own personal stamp and letterboxing logbook.

Wherigo™ CachesThe cartridges must reside at wherigo.com. If a cartridge is used

as a requirement to find a geocache, it is considered a Wherigo cache, regardless of whether it also has a puzzle or multi-cache element. Cache saturation applies only to physical containers and not virtual elements. A device that can play Wherigo is not considered special equipment.

Event CachesEvent caches are gatherings that are organized by geocachers and are open to other geocachers. They are submitted at least two weeks prior to the event so that potential attendees will have sufficient notice to make plans. Events are published no more than three months prior. Some events are published six months prior if an overnight stay is expected or if the event is designed to attract a regional or international group of geocachers. For geocaching events with several elements, multiple event

¨ Geocaching 101

Additional Listing Guidelines that Applyto Specific Geocache Types

Practical Advice Straight from the Groundspeak Help Center

Event caches are gatherings that

are organized by geocachers and

are open to other geocachers. They are

submitted at least two weeks prior to the event so that

potential attendees will have sufficient

notice to make plans.

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listings may be submitted if each element stands on its own merits as an event, and meets the listing guidelines. After an event has passed, the listing is archived by the cache owner. An event cache should not be set up for the sole purpose of drawing together geocachers for an organized geocache search. Such group hunts are best organized using a discussion forum or an email distribution list. While a music concert, a garage sale, an organized sporting event, a ham radio field day or a town’s fireworks display might be of interest to a large percentage of geocachers, such events are not suitable for submission as event caches because the organizers and the primary attendees are not geocachers.

Mega-Event CachesMega-Events are large-scale, often annual events. In the first iteration of the event, it is listed as a regular Event Cache. Once an event of this type has documented attendance exceeding 500 people, it may be awarded Mega-Event status by Groundspeak. This occurs at Groundspeak’s discretion. If you are thinking of creating such a cache, be sure to do your research first. Groundspeak will decide each case on its own merits. A Mega-Event Cache may be published up to one year prior to the event date.

CITO Event CachesCache In Trash Out events are organized by geocachers for geocachers. Other organizations also sponsor similar activities. These events

could easily be developed to meet our CITO guidelines by specifying a section of the larger event to be by geocachers for geocachers. To determine if your event qualifies as a CITO event, write it up and discuss it with your reviewer.

EarthCaches™Groundspeak partners with the Geological Society of America to administer this educational cache type in which cachers visit a unique and specific geoscience feature. Additional guidelines and rules are listed at EarthCache.org. We provide guidance for creating an EarthCache.

Virtual and Webcam Caches have been grandfathered.Virtual caches and webcam caches are no longer available as options for new listings on Geocaching.com. Caches of these types that existed prior to November 2005, often referred to as grandfathered caches,

are exceptions to this rule and may still be active. New listings similar to these cache types can be created as waymarks at waymarking.com. If you currently own a virtual or

webcam cache, you must maintain the cache page and respond to inquiries. You must also check the physical location periodically and should return to the Geocaching.com web site at least once a month to show you are still active. Abandoned caches will likely be archived by Groundspeak. Grandfathered caches will likely not be unarchived. l

¨ Geocaching 101

Virtual caches and webcam caches

are no longer available as options

for new listings on Geocaching.com.

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T his is a photo taken during a practice bombing run very near Bomb Yard (GC1ANBJ) just

west of El Centro, CA. The cache itself is located just off Loom Lobby Bombing Range Complex but still in R-2510 (FAA restricted airspace). Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force aircraft use this bombing range on a regular basis throughout the entire year. It can handle aircraft strafing runs and inert bombs. As T-45 instructor pilots, we come out here four times a year, for three weeks at a time, and teach the young Navy and Marine Corps flight students how to properly drop bombs. The dive photo (with me in the backseat) shows my student in the

front seat of the T-45 during one of his dive deliveries, and was taken around 6,000’ up, about 400 knots (460 mph), a little over 1.5 nautical miles from the target, and a 30-degree dive down towards the target. You are able to see the target between the detonating cord zig-zag and the cache location on the left side. One warning for those wanting to place or hunt caches on live bombing ranges – don’t do it. Cachers can be seriously injured or killed. About a year ago I had to write the CA reviewer and cache owner a note

about a cache that was placed 800’ from the center of a live bombing target. The cache was quickly archived. If searching for a cache and you see an aircraft in the area get away. l

When Ground Zero is Really “Ground Zero”

bydcmcveigh

TargetCache

Hints@& TipsThings on a cache page we

don’t look at enough. · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

• Cache Name – The name of a cache often gives a clue to the hide-type or location.• The Cache Hider – Knowing who hid the cache can be useful if there is a pattern to their hides.• Hide Date – How old is the cache? Coordinates on older caches may be less accurate. • Difficulty Rating – If it is rated a 1, and you’re not finding it, maybe it isn’t there. If it is rated a 5 and you’re not finding it, maybe it really is a tough hide.• Terrain Rating – If it’s a 1, you should be able to get to the cache in a wheel chair. If it’s a 5, some special equipment and/or training is most likely needed.• Related Web Page – It is not just for puzzles. No telling what you might find there.• The Attributes – They are not just for sorting caches. Is this cache available 24/7? Am I going to go on a long hike?• Personal Cache Notes – Great place to put puzzle coordinates and other useful information.• Inventory – Unless the cache size has changed or someone miss-logged, if there has been an inventory in a cache it is not likely to be smaller than a film canister or pill bottle.• Maps – The satellite view is a very useful tool. • Logged Visits – If there are a lot of DNFs, either the cache gets muggled a lot, the coordinates are off, or it really is tough to find.

– Electric Water Boy –

© Editorial

LOG NOTE: Didn’t actually find the cache and log, but came pretty close... hehehehe. I’ve been out here for three weeks bombing this target in my aircraft and finally took some photos. – dcmcveigh

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B etween June 25th and 30th of this year, I set out to complete all seven of Trekly & Psychly’s

space shuttle series of puzzle caches. Starting with Space Shuttle Columbia (GC2Q002) and working my way through Space Shuttle Discovery (GC2R6BR), Space Shuttle Endeavor (GC2R6BP), Space Shuttle Enterprise (GC2R4C3), Space Shuttle Challenger (GC2R6BQ), Space Shuttle Atlantis (GC2R6BN) and a final bonus of NASA’s now current travel method, Space Shuttle Buran (Bonus) (GC2R6BD). The timing of my completion of these seven puzzles coincided with news coverage of NASA’s upcoming final space shuttle flight and the end of the space shuttle program in July 2011. All of this set me to thinking about the cache I had heard was actually located on the International Space Station itself, which was the destination of the final space shuttle flight crew. “Hmmm, I wonder if I can get one of the astronauts to join Martin 5 by finding the cache while they are up there?” So I set about to write a letter to each of the four astronauts scheduled to be on Space Shuttle Atlantis for the final flight to the International Space Station as STS-135. Included with my letter was a picture of the five members of Martin 5 on our 2000th cache find and one of our geo-business cards. I gave a brief explanation

of geocaching and of the cache/travel bug said to be on the ISS. I also pointed out my military service since three of the four astronauts had also served in our armed forces. Chris Ferguson, the commander, served in the Navy; Doug Hurley, the

pilot, served in the Marine Corps; and Rex Walheim, a mission specialist, served in the Air Force. My letters went out just in time to reach each of the STS-135 crew members prior to their July 8, 2011, launch into space. The shuttle returned to Earth on

July 21, 2011, and three months passed with no word back on my efforts. Finally, a large manila envelope arrived on our front porch on October 29, 2011 with a return address of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas. If you are thinking we received confirmation that we could log a find for the ISS cache – no, that we did not receive. We did however receive a hand written note from Rex Walheim. The note read; Gerald, sorry we couldn’t look for the ISS geo-cach. It would have been fun, but there wasn’t enough time. It was so busy we couldn’t even get enough sleep! Have fun with more geo-caching in the future! Best wishes, Rex Walheim. Included with the note was an autographed 8x10 photo of Rex Walheim in which he had hand written, “To the Martin family best

wishes! Rex Walheim STS-110, 122, 135” Finally there was an autographed picture of the four crew members of STS-135, each personally signed. So while we cannot say Martin 5 was able to log the ISS, what we did receive in the end is still pretty awesome! Of the four crew members of STS-135, if anyone had asked me, I would have probably said Rex Walheim would be the one most likely to respond, as I too serve in the Air Force through the Washington Air National Guard. l

Reaching for the Stars by Jerry Martin (Martin 5)


[email protected]

Z Astro-Caching

NSpotted in a Cache

Deepwater Horizon Challenge coin commemorating the

BP oil spill cleanup. – margaretandjerry –

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GPS NewsOur son Sean was thrilled to hear that Bert and Ernie can finally tell you “how to get to Sesame Street” with the new GPS VoiceSkin from Garmin, developed by Locutio Voice Technologies. The Garmin site also hints that Cookie monster and Oscar the grouch are coming soon. If Sesame Street is not your thing, the original voice of Wallace, and his sidekick Gromit, are also an option to guide your GPS, which they call the Gromit Positioning System. Check out all the voice options at http://www8.garmin.com/vehicles

Tips and TricksWhile in Los Angeles recently, we did some urban caching and recorded a show where we shared Urban Caching Tips from some of our smart, good-looking PodCacher listeners. Here are a few things to keep in mind when caching in an urban setting. • Always check all screws and bolts as well as anything else that looks like it could remotely be magnetic. • Cache in pairs – one is on muggle watch, the other does the looking. Trade off as necessary. A hand mirror is very helpful for looking places without seeming to. • Wear an orange vest and hard-hat or uniform; carry a clipboard; say you are inspecting something. • Pretend you lost your keys or phone • Blend in and be confident; act like you belong there; own the area • Be patient. Do a walk-by to assess the situation.

Stories fromAround the WorldWe’ve mentioned a lot of different Geo-Art on the show (including a series in Germany spelling out the word MARATHON) – and they seem to be getting more and more intricate and sophisticated! There have been geometric shapes, alien heads, words, and more. Now there is a cache-drawing of a Thunderbird fighter jet south of Boise ID – and they used different cache types to put color in the “art” when viewing it through the geocaching.com maps page. Check it out here: http://coord.info/GC35AXD

· On With The Show!

The PodCacher Podcast is a free weekly audio show all

about Geocaching, hosted by Sonny and Sandy from sunny

San Diego California. You can find all the geocaching

goodness at podcacher.com.PodCacher is a family-friendly variety show featuring news, tips & tricks, tools of the trade, interviews, caching events and stories from around the world.

Sound Bytesby Sonny & Sandy

Geo"Snippet

On May 14,2010 I went to the Lima, OH with a some friends to the 4 wheel Jamboree. One of my friends had previously started geocaching and she

said that she thought it would be something that I would like

to do with my three kids. We went to a little park and I was

the one that found the cache. It was the first cache I had found, and let’s just say I was definitely

hooked! I love geocaching now. It has taken me to some very interesting and beautiful places that I would probably

not have seen. On May 14, 2011 we found our 1,000th cache,

one year to the date of starting to geocache! DynamicD’s is a family of five, consisting of

mom, dad, and three kids. Our friend SledtheUP came up with our name. I think we have lived

up to it too! – DynamicD’s

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· On With The Show!

There are 200 caches involved in the drawing and the caches are maintained by the League of Idaho Geocachers. Part of the description reads, “The Mountain Home Air Force Base is home to the 366th Fighter Wing. This geo-art of the F-16 is a fitting symbol for them.”

Questions and AnswersWe often feature listener questions on our show. Here’s one we talked about recently: NoodlePeople wrote, “We have a question about challenges, particularly worldwide ones. Is it all right to log a challenge as completed using a picture taken from before the challenge was posted? For instance, the worldwide challenge, Be a Kid Again. If you have a photo of yourself climbing a tree, but it was taken a year ago, could you still log the challenge as completed?” We contacted Eric at Ground-speak, and he sent this reply: “Good question. The thinking on Challenges is that you’re being given an opportunity (i.e. Challenged) to go somewhere and do something. If someone challenged you to run a 100-yard dash (I’m forever a second grader)... you most likely wouldn’t say, “I ran a 100-yard dash last year, I’m good.” Challenges, like geocaching, are designed to inspire outdoor adventure. It’s definitely tempting to use past images, but the intent is for people to complete the Challenge after it has been issued.”

InterviewsWe have chatted with many fascinating geocachers through the years. Our most recent interview was with geoaware of EarthCaching fame. He told us how he hid the very first earthcache (GCHFT2) and helped

launch this new type of geocache back in January 2004. He also shared a few tips for earthcache hunters or hiders: • Be sure to read (and possibly print) the earthcache notes before you leave home – and understand the logging requirements. You might need to take along a specific tool like a ruler. • Hiders: go out and visit a number of published earthcaches, don’t just read about them online. Be sure to read the guidelines and requirements.

We invite you to come and join the international geocaching community at podcacher.com!

SpottedNin a Cache

Found this travel bug while Caching in Waterville Maine, on (not in) Waterfall Cache

(GC1QKMR). We didn’t bring a fork truck with us so we had to

leave it behind. – Rcwhit

Meaning of your caching name? It was given to me by a fellow motorcycle rider who thought it was funny that Duck Hunting came before anything else... so it stuck. Guess what year I was born.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·I enjoy geocaching because? It keeps me going to someplace new. I enjoy the outdoors tremendously and will always combine my love of geocaching with running, kayaking, mountain biking and hiking. I also enjoy meeting new people and seeing friends all over Texas that I have met through the sport.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Most memorable cache? My favorite moment Geocaching is from the 2009 8th Annual Texas Challenge. I was on my bike with Haliades and BananaPoo racing

around San Angelo State Park as hard as we

could going after the hard terrain caches. After riding 13 miles, coming face to face within inches of a rattlesnake, and dealing with the worst heat cramps since basic training, I was awarded with the highest individual score. That was the day I solidified my love for Extreme Geocaching!· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Other Comments? I use geocaching to help teach my Soldiers land navigation and how to spot small discrepancies in objects to find IEDs· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Favorite Quote? Central Texas Extreme Geocachers - We would rather go 10 miles for 1 cache than 1 mile for 10 PnG’s· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Cache-Type Icons ©2010 Groundspeak Inc.

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01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 Daffy71 Finds: 2723 Hides: 63

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Hints@& Tips · · · Creative Log Sheets · · ·

What unusual items have you seen used as a Logsheet at an Event. At GeoWoodstock VIII we signed a surfboard which

later became a Travel Bug and was seen at GeoWoodstock

IX. This photo is what we used at our Fire House B.B.Q. Event

(GC33VTZ) and now has become A Memorial TB for Firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty. – Steve ‘n’ Nancy

A lready, at 11 o’clock at the 11th of 11 in the year 2011, the roundabout surrounding N 59°

11.111, E 009° 35.811 was packed with eager geocachers. They had to wait another 11 minutes and 11 seconds for the countdown to begin. The 3-times-11 adult geocachers, and 4 small children, came from all parts of the county Telemark in Norway to gather for this magic moment in time, and the 11.11.11@11:11:11 FlashElevent (GC368KP) held in Skien, the birthplace of famous author Henrik Ibsen. At 11:11, at the sound of bells, the event was declared open by organizer Jarun. Backed by the soundtrack of Time by Pink Floyd and Come Together by The Beatles, the FlashElevent lasted the length of those two suitable songs, 11 minutes and 11 seconds. In that time, all logged, ate chocolate cake, and drank Coca Cola or coffee. They all got their participant

diploma, and one attendee won a official jacket from the local football team, OddGrenland (11 letters!) with number 11 (Frode Johnsen) on the back. We all managed to line up for the photo seen here, taken by Reodor, with

various “11” artifacts, like the 11 wall-clocks, and the 11 yellow bananas! Concluding with a joint count-up to 11, all parted and returned for work, or whatever, with a big smile on their face! Geocaching is increasingly popular in Norway. There are close to 14,000 active

geocachers looking for around 20,000 caches hidden in the country, and in the county of Telemark alone, there were at 11.11.11, no less than 2,300 well hidden caches, making Skien and its surrounding cities like an unofficial geocaching capital of Norway. So, visitors will have more than enough to keep their hands, and GPS, busy for a while. You are all welcome! l

11.11.11@11:11:11FlashElevent

by Jørn R. Andersen (Jarun) Skien, Norway

Backed by the soundtrack of “Time”

by Pink Floyd and “Come Together”

by The Beatles, the FlashElevent lasted the length of those two suitable songs,

11 minutes and 11 seconds.

% You Had to Be ThereGeo"Snippet· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Caching since July 2004, popop retired from the Forest Service

in Oregon on Nov. 30, 2011 after 32 years of employment. He plans to devote more time to geocaching, travel and his

family. Our Wednesday morning Geo-Coffee turned into a

retirement party when his wife Pat brought out the cake.

– Steve ‘n’ Nancy –

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O ne thing about geocaching: it sure changes our eating habits. While our normal meals consist

of things like coffee for breakfast, a small sandwich for lunch, and a small dinner of meat and vegetables when we’re at home, a day geocaching means coffee and a muffin for breakfast, because we don’t know how long it will be until we find lunch. Then we geocache until we get hungry, but when we get hungry we are a mile between caches and ten miles from the nearest town. So, out comes the beef jerky. Three pieces of beef jerky and four caches later the next town is becoming more important. Do we pass up caches in favor of food? Tough choice! We have tried packing water and sandwiches on geocaching days. It meets our physical requirements, but that’s about all. On a real geocaching day warm water just doesn’t hack it. Warm water is what we keep on hand in case we get stuck. It is NOT a beverage. We need something cold, fizzy, and preferably bad for us. The next town calls to us more insistently. An ice cold soda and a half pound burger are calling our names – not salad, not sandwiches. When we are geocaching we end up in little bitty towns with mom and pop cafés. It’s just the way geocaching is in our

part of the country. We have met some interesting people and seen some interesting bar and grills while out geocaching. There was a saloon in Nevada with the same old tin pressed walls it had in the early

1900’s, complete with bullet holes. A small, local band played oldies rock. Then there was a bar and grill that has been a movie set several times over where we had to wind our way through Harleys just

to get to the door. There’s one near our city that looks like an airplane crashed into it. After we fill up, we geocache until the light dims. Then the sun sets. We are not night cachers. We have enough trouble finding the elusive little boxes during the day. As the

sun sets we point the geomobile toward home, but then it’s dinner time. If we strayed too far afield it means another stop at another little café in another town. During baseball season it means driving home with the radio playing the Dodgers game until we find a town with a restaurant that has TVs. We stop, have another burger, or maybe just nachos, because the

first burger was about a quarter pound too much. We watch the game, check the GPS for any caches lurking in the parking lot. Usually we decide that if there’s a game on and we’re in a place with lots of TVs it automatically means the place it too muggly to geocache, so we make a note of the caches and keep going. We arrive home hot, tired, and with over 1000 calories too many. We only hope that climbing around those boulder strewn hillsides worked off at least half of what we ate. l

Eating On the (Cache) Runby Kelly Glazner (Rysten)

Geo"Snippet

Almost stepped on this very young fawn earlier this year while heading to a cache in

Newport News City Park.– South Texas –

When we are geocaching we end

up in little bitty towns with mom and pop

cafés. It’s just the way geocaching is in our part of the country.

P On the Road Again

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I t was getting late in the evening last summer. batman17 says, “Let’s go caching. I have a cache I

want to place.” I had on shorts – not my caching in the woods clothes of long pants. “We’re not going where there’s poison ivy or ticks are we?” I asked. “No,” he replied. We took off driving down a dusty gravel road as far as we were able to drive, then took off hiking through the woods. What’s wrong with this picture? I thought we weren’t going where there are ticks and poison ivy. I hadn’t changed into pants. – didn’t have any tick spray on either. We were going down well-worn paths so I wasn’t worried too much. We get down near the river not far from where we’ve got some other caches placed. After watching the river for a few minutes, we head back into the woods with him talking about placing this canister he’s brought along to hide. He veers off the path about 20 feet into the tall grass by some small trees. I’m not going in there. He asks what I think about the place for hiding a cache. I’m thinking to myself that

it doesn’t look like those trees are big enough to hide the size of container he’s holding but I don’t say what I’m thinking. He’s doing his best to get me to come over to where he’s at. He makes a remark that someone else has already placed a cache there. “What?” That sounds fishy. Since the sun is going down and we still have a trek back through the woods, I decide to go over to him and get it over with. He shows me the cache he found hanging in the tree. It’s a tiny ammo can. We have this understanding, rule, whatever between us that whomever is the first to find the cache is the first to sign the log. He takes it down, opens it and hands me the log to sign. He starts fiddling

with something. I hand the log, unsigned, back to him. I said, “You found it first, you sign it first.” He hands it back to me. All the while I’m checking my legs for crawling ticks. He asks me to read what it says on the log. It said something about trading the ammo can I was holding for the one batman17 had in his pocket. I finally take a closer look at the log and see the cache name, SWYMM?, printed at the top of it. I’m starting to have this feeling in the pit of my stomach – butterflies, I think. I figure out all but the first letter. He pulls another tiny ammo can out of his pocket and trades with me. I open it up and there’s a diamond ring nestled amongst some black velvet. batman17 gets down on one knee and asks me to marry him. I look at him because I’m kind of waiting to hear those three little words in addition to the question but he is silent so I said, “Why?” He gave me some nice answers and even though it wasn’t the three little words I decided to give him an answer so we could get out of the tick and mosquito infested woods. I said, “Yes!” batman17 and I married on September 18th, 2010, at SWYMM? Results (GC2DP66). By the way, I didn’t get any ticks while in the woods and SWYMM? stands for “SmilingBee Will You Marry Me?” Well that’s my story. I’m sure his side of it would be slightly different if he were to tell it. Happy caching! l

“SWYMM?”by Debbie Neff (SmilingBee)

Z Happy Endings

§CachingCommandment

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · Thou shalt not log thine

own hides.

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I n the southwest Michigan area, Team Geochef is known

as one of the most obsessed and dedicated caching teams around. Brian and Michelle have managed to rack up over 12,000 finds since they started caching in 2007. Their passion for the game is contagious, and everyone knows that there is seldom a dull moment when they are around. In October 2008, they rolled out their signature cache Vicksburg’s First Ammo Can (GC1HPK0). The “ammo can” was a very large plywood creation that Brian built in his garage and placed in the front yard of their house. The large cache quickly became very popular. It racked up 33 favorites and became a travel bug hot spot. But, about a year ago, Brian started talking about replacing the ammo can. Brian often told anyone who would listen about his grand plans for a full-size outhouse cache. He spoke with the excitement of a kid at Christmas as he described how cachers would lift the lid to get at the contents of the cache. After talking about it for such a long time, construction

finally began in November. Brian and Michelle finally revealed their creation to a crowd of nearly 30 in an unofficial “ammo can retirement” ceremony where the ammo can was archived after a meet and greet event in December. The new cache was appropriately

named A Crappy Cache (GC35T4T). The huge “two-holer” (one for travel bus and one for swag) is large enough to hold multiple cachers at once. A small shelf inside holds the logbook with a reminder, “Don’t forget the paperwork!” With the exception of the hinges, door handle and latch, the entire structure is made from recycled materials giving it a real, rustic feel. If not for the name and GC number above the door, one might mistake it for the real deal! Needless to say, this cache provided everyone with

a lot of laughs and photo

opportunities. If you ever visit Vicksburg, MI, stop in and visit Brian, Michelle, and the outhouse. You’ll be glad you did! l

A Crappy CacheSubmitted by Tsmola

Team Geochef with some “essential

reading material.”

p.boyBuhrstone Cache (GCVTBN)

Sunday, November 20: GeoJudt and I headed north to southeast South Dakota. It starts out as 11°F

and never gets above freezing. We found five FTFs along the way.

Toward the end of the day, we tried a four-stage multi-cache,

Buhrstone Cache (GCVTBN). First stage was fine. There’s supposed

to be a statue at stage 2, but that was moved. We did find the needed number at the original location, however. Stage 3 was given in the description because the physical place is dismantled.

The fourth and final stage required some math. I’m an advanced math student, but somehow

both GeoJudt and I forgot about the number 10. Once we figured that out, we started searching the final location. According to recent logs, the container needed some maintenance. It’s supposed to be a dry-erase marker attached to a string. After at least 10 minutes

I found the lone string, so we started searching the ground for the marker. A few minutes later, I spotted the marker a bit higher. This was my 2000th find, but

only my 23rd multi-cache. · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Let us know when you reach a milestone and we’ll publish it

here along with a photo.

Cacher&Milestones2000 Finds% Kudos for Creativity

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µ Discovered While Geocaching

A real shipwreck! Sunken Ship, Pirate Treasure (GC2YHGF) Ahoy! – PEARLWIND

Spotted this strange “monster” near a historic-tour virtual in Louisville, KY with City Slicker

OH and Thurston House. I only wish we could have seen it in

action! It sprays tons of bubbles while driving – I looked it up

at thebubbletruck.com– Visiting Vet Tech –

We found some amazing little fungi near a cache in Wales and later identified them as Fluted

Birds Nest (cyathus striatus). The little “eggs” are actually spore sacs. – thebuttonmushroom

I was in Gatlinburg, TN at the Pepper Palace when I stumbled

across this interesting find. Could it be a hot sauce for

cachers? It comes with a small bison tube. – Visiting Vet Tech

On an early morning cache run to find Preston’s Spring Cave Park (GC371N8) I noticed many frost ribbons on certain plant stalks. As an avid outdoorsman I had never seen such a sight. – kathysgeek

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µ Discovered While Geocaching

The owner of The Nebraska Virtual Challenge (GC21E1Y), James Bridger, is a traveling

nurse. We figure that’s why this was in the ammo can. – p.boy

Saw this moose at Rail Trail Falls (GC208ZD) while out collecting the 15 caches I needed to hit 500 caches. – vinsonbar

While looking for a nearby Cache in Kissimmee, Florida I found this really amazing mural that I just fell in love with! – npyskater

Found near the apparently misnamed Beaver Surprise

(GCRTA5) cache. – PEARLWIND

Discovered while logging the TPWD Challenge cache at Goose Island State Park, TX – ckpetrus

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While vacationing in Corpus Christi, Texas, you decide to check out a nearby puzzle cache, Bender’s Cache (GC10BTH), and are immediately stymied by the cryptic code pictured to the right. How in the heck are you supposed to make sense of this gibberish? Oh well, you gave it a shot and know better than to try another puzzle cache any time soon! But wait – don’t be too quick

to give up. There is a handy online reference tool that can help you out of this and many other language-related puzzle jams.

Omniglot.com is a searchable online encyclopedia of writing systems and languages. The site has detailed information on over 180 writing systems, including the one referenced in Bender’s Cache. With thought, a little knowledge of popular culture, and Omniglot, you’ll soon be on your way to solving the puzzle.

@ Hints & Tips

It’s not just about trinkets, tupperware, and smileys.

Submit your geocaching stories, milestones, and photos to [email protected]

Mystery Dog?· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

I was recently involved in a cool idea that a cacher by

the name of meandmydogs had come up with. Her idea was to make a collection of dog related mystery caches that combined would look like Snoopy on the map of Lake Winnipesaukee, NH.

I have attached a picture of the progress thus far.

– vinsonbar –

Puzzle Primer - Omniglot

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µ Cacher Family Album

Captain Math and Gilwell 1 found a cache and got a BIG Smiley.

Baby Carter is the newest member of Share the Adventure

caching team in Kentucky. Carter has a lamb trackable tag, and his mother’s name is Mary, thus the familiar phrase “Mary

had a little lamb!” – Ground Fox

BLOCKER DAD comparing coordinates with a local

geocacher in Roswell, New Mexico – wanda (dionne) texas

Ky Orphan and Ground Fox encountered some aliens while caching recently along the ET Highway near Rachel, Nevada.

In June 2011 we went on a Baltic Cruise. We added 7

Countries to our caching stats, got a FTF in Russia and got to meet lots of great geocachers! This is a picture of Ms. TH with a cache right at the cruise ship dock in Helsinki, Finland with

the Holland America ship in the background. – Tank Hounds

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I f Christmas is a time of giving, of caring for one’s fellow man, and of doing for others, then what has

happened today, Sunday December 11, 2011 is certainly in the spirit of Christmas. Today was the culmination of the efforts of sixty or seventy members of the Geocaching community to honor one of their members and right a wrong that targeted that member. The Geocaching community in Northeast Ohio is a strong and active one, with thousands of caches around the area and regular meetings and gatherings of active participants who use screen names online like Mattypuffy, SuzyJazz, and RexC. Sharing bonds of friendship begun over an interest in wandering around looking for hidden surprises. One of the hazards of Geocaching is that from time to time, caches are found and removed by non-geocachers. These folks either don’t recognize what the object is or they don’t understand that the finders are not to keep the object but to log their find and replace the cache so others can find it. It doesn’t happen frequently but it does occur from time to time. You can tell when your cache is missing when you suddenly start seeing cachers logging DNFs (did not find). Serenitynow is the screen name of one Greater Cleveland area caching couple who have been

active Geocachers since 2003. Earlier this fall, members of the geocaching community began to notice that a significant number of the 256 or so caches placed by Serenitynow

were starting to come up missing. The frequency of the disappearances and geographic diversity of the missing caches began to indicate that someone was intentionally targeting Serenitynow’s hides. Whether part of a practical joke or

something more malicious, by the end of November, 50 to 60 of Serenitynow’s caches were stolen. Serenitynow is a screen name, but technology can frequently cause

All for Oneby Patty Fatsie

The frequency of the disappearances and geographic diversity of the missing caches

began to indicate that someone was

intentionally targeting Serenitynow’s hides.

J Cacher Family Values

Community· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

When all was said and done, over 50 people were involved in placing 70-80 caches in 6-7 different counties. The troops

rallied all this together in 8 or 9 days – all because we wanted to show this cache thief that we as a community have had enough! We also wanted to show our love and support

for Serenitynow. This is what geocaching is all about. Friends

and community! – SuzyJazz

OrangereverieRaiders of the Lost Cache

(GC2HN2H)

In November of this year, I finally reached my 1,000th find.

I originally was going to grab this cache earlier in the summer, but my basement flooded and ruined my plans. I then moved

to Virginia in August, and I more or less gave up on ever getting a smiley for this hide. However,

as I approached find #999, I had a (very narrow) window of opportunity to return to central

PA to claim this cache for my milestone. Clarinet310 and

Benchmonkey joined me for the adventure on a beautiful fall day. The cache was more than worth the anticipation in getting to it; I

was so happy, that I did not realize until afterwards that I cut my

hand during my approach to GZ. Can’t wait for the next 1,000!

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Let us know when you reach a milestone and we’ll publish it


Cacher&Milestones1000 Finds


[email protected]

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people to overlook that there are humans behind those pseudonyms. In this case, Serenitynow is the pseudonym for a couple from Cuyahoga County who are highly active in the geocaching community and have made numerous friends over their near decade-long involvement in this growing hobby. When you lose a cache or two, you go out and replace it so other Geocachers can continue to search for and find the cache. Placing caches is part of geocaching. Like any participatory activity, if there were only searchers and no hiders, there wouldn’t be much to search for. Replacing an occasional damaged or missing cache isn’t a problem, but replacing 60 of them is another story. Add in time constraints and the holiday season, and it becomes understandable why this family team was no longer able to keep up. Shortly after Thanksgiving, a small number of members of the geocaching community in Northeast Ohio led by RexC, having recognized what was happening, put together a plan to go out and replace those stolen caches. Even with several members working at it, they couldn’t hope to replace all the stolen caches, but they wanted to send two messages. One was that the geocaching community was not happy that someone was stealing these caches. The other message was that the community supported and truly cared for the Serenitynow team members. It was agreed that the replacement caches would all be posted on the international web page on the same date, December 11, 2011. No single raindrop is responsible for the flood. The project, that started off slowly to replace about a dozen stolen caches and involved

an equal number of geocachers, suddenly revealed a growing number of cachers who all had recognized what was happening and wanted to do their part. Time was short, caches had to be assembled, hidden, and logged on the international web page. It was no longer a single raindrop. On the morning of December 11, 2011, the website Geocaching.com published 80 caches paying tribute, honoring and thanking Serenitynow for their years of service to the community and letting them know that the community cares for and appreciates them. The efforts of one

individual to take their enjoyment from them were answered by a community of geocachers who together stood up and said, “this will not be”. Eighty new caches published in the same day is certainly some kind of record for North East Ohio and it will take some time for active cachers to find all of them. It will only take a second on the web site however to find the message that was being sent. In a season of giving, of love and of caring, dozens of community members have sent those messages loud and clear. Merry Christmas and Godspeed Serenitynow. l

J Cacher Family Values

How did you choose your caching name? It’s were I was born. Bishop,TX.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·I enjoy geocaching because? It gets me to places that I never been before. Being one with nature. Grab the GPS, the smart phone, and I’m off. It’s better than sitting on the couch watching TV.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Most memorable cache? Gilligan’s Stash (GC29V53) Came home last December to see Mom and Dad for a couple of weeks. Saw that this cache has been sitting here on the water for almost two months without a FTF. I would have brought my kayak but its a little hard to bring it on the plane so I started looking for somewhere that rented canoes or kayaks. No luck here. I contacted the CO for help and he told me

that it would be a couple of days before he

could get out there. Time was running short and that night I found out that a close friend of the family has a cabin on that very same lake, and he has a boat. That next day was the best day ever. 1,400 miles away from home with a FTF and spending quality time with Mom (TexasWildflower) and Dad (8N328857) · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Other Comments? I have to say “Thanks” to MadMcAdams for getting me hooked on geocaching and to Turnersrugs for being my caching partner. Now lets go caching...· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Favorite Quote? “Everything is Bigger in TEXAS”· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Cache-Type Icons ©2010 Groundspeak Inc.

Cachers�Up Close

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Syncing UpIt is because of Geocaching that I met mmacgown back in March, 2007. I was on my way to a FTF on her cache and she was in the area that morning fixing a “bonus” cache that was dependent on the cache that I was seeking. She explained to me what those “bonus” coordinates were in that cache and that the “bonus” cache would not be

published until she fixed a proximity issue on one of the parts. Anyway, we have officially been a couple (both inside & outside of caching) since October, 2007. As we approached our 9K & 8K milestone numbers, I realized that I had to “even up” my numbers to coincide with hers (albeit 1000 less). I spent the days before our milestone day picking up a few scattered caches. It certainly felt weird being there alone since I had become so used to caching with her alongside me. Once the numbers were synced, we hit the area where Gossamer – The Lost Woodland Fairy (GC1K76C) by Sonoluminous was located. We were joined that day by hallycat and first enjoyed Sonoluminous’ other

series in the area – the Harry Potter series (another definite MUST DO). After that, we set about hunting down Gossamer. The funny thing is that we didn’t realize until that hunt was done that we had passed within 50’ of the final for this cache about 1.5 hours before. The cache owner, Sonoluminous, joined us for the last 20 minutes of our hunt and toasted our dual milestones with champagne he had stowed at the final. It was definitely a memorable cache and memorable milestone(s). Thanks Sonoluminous & Geocaching.com! – Sakiman

CITO Milestones

The Freedom Isn’t Free CITO on Nov. 13, 2011 resulted in milestones for two Melbourne, Florida cachers pictured above. Kerry Layman (Mr Magic) achieved his 5000th find and Jim Anderson (Dittocat) achieved his 1100th. The CITO was hosted by Seastar255 and over 4600 pounds of trash was removed from a local beach park. Mr Magic is retired and has been caching for 6 years. For his 60th birthday, his daughter bought him a GPS and travel bug coin to get him started caching. He enjoys Geocaching because “a bad day caching is better than a good day at work.” Dittocat has been caching for a year and caught the caching bug from his brother, Team Andies. He enjoys caching because it’s a great family

±Trail Tales

How did you choose your caching name? We used to belong to a bowling league, Brunswick Pin Seekers. Its kind of a spin off from that name.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·I enjoy geocaching because? It takes you to places that we would never have gone to otherwise. Its also something the we can do together.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Most memorable cache? Berlin After Dark (GC1C7AM) – a multi we did with the Dilberts · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Other Comments? The Geocache that started it all was Box of Junk in Moreau State

Park. It was a Mystery cache in which the first

part was an ammo can filled with junk. You have to get the coords for the final off the junk. After running all over the park with the Dilberts (Geocaching relatives we were camping with)we got a DNF and gave up. We were hooked. Funny thing is the Dilberts went back to finish box of junk and we still have not. Maybe next year we will finish it. Its the only one left in the park we haven’t done, and we camp there often.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Favorite Quote? “What’s the date today?”· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Cache-Type Icons ©2010 Groundspeak Inc.

Cachers�Up Close

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01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 Johnson Geo Seekers Finds: 626 Hides: 6

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activity that brings you to places you never knew were there, and because it brings you together with great people like his new friend Mr Magic.

Remember the AlamoMy son, StAggie99, and I traveled to San Antonio in late October on a milestone quest. We drove the 3 hours to San Antonio on Friday evening, only stopping for 2 caches along the way. On Saturday, we picked up a few more caches on the Riverwalk, then headed over to the Alamo to complete the Webcam cache out front and our first-ever Where I Go cache, Wherigo - Alamo (GC2KHVF). After the typical tourist activities, we headed north toward the San Antonio Botanical Gardens to pick up the final four that I needed and then headed next door for FIND 1000, Don’t Take Any...(Wooden Nickels).

It is a virtual on Opencaching.US by DudleyGrunt and was at the World’s Biggest Wooden Nickel. We were also FTF on this cache - bonus! Next on the list, find 1001, was Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Museum (GCB6A8). Yes, a Toilet Seat Museum. It’s all housed in Barney Smith’s garage. This 90 year-old man has a collection of 1000 toilet seat lids, each with its own theme. He has 5 seats dedicated to Geocaching with Pathtags and Trackables permanently attached to them. We made sure to sign our names as well as leaving our own Pathtags, SigMarx and Wooden Nickel. His collection has been featured on The View, Montel Williams, Texas Country Reporter and other news programs. If you’re ever in San Antonio, I recommend both of these as MUST DO caches. – Denise E. Vajdak (NativTxn)

±Trail Tales

Meaning of your cacher name: It was a nickname I got in junior high school. I was always pretending to be a “Secret AGENT” and 139 was my locker number. Therefore s(ecret)agent139 was born.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·I enjoy geocaching because: It is a great way to spend time with family outdoors. It gets us out of the house and away from our duties for a while, and we learn some awesome stuff along the way.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Most memorable cache: In a dash to be FTF on a recently published cache, we pulled

up and saw plenty of cars parked along

the side of the road. I got lucky because I am not premium yet, and just happened to see one within 5 miles of my house that had no finds. I jumped out of the chair and ran to the car and beat my partner in crime, carrotsnapper10, to the car. Had the coords plugged into the GPS and ready to go before he knew what was going on.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Favorite Quote? “This is in a residential area, man!”· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Cache-Type Icons ©2010 Groundspeak Inc.

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01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 sagent139 Finds: 294 Hides: 7

You Know You Area Geocacher When...· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

You spend hours dreaming up innovative, diabolical or convoluted geocache ideas:

“Could I hide some fresh meat next to the cache and have

the finders’ dogs sniff it out?”· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

You pride yourself on a drawer full of junk – cheap

carabineers, cereal box prizes, plastic dinosaurs – stuff you wouldn’t have been caught dead with before becoming

a geocacher.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·You have a revolving charge account at the dollar store.

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Using snap n’ seal bags for

sandwiches, food storage or jewelry seems like quite a

terrible waste.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

You consider logging a missing persons report when your Johnny Cache bobble-head travel bug isn’t logged

for two months.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Your GPS receiver is the first thing you pack for a

vacation or hike.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

The recent Groundspeak changes to allow the entry of puzzle and multicache final coordinates on the

cache page have a far greater impact on your life than any

new tax laws, presidential elections or disease cure

breakthroughs.––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Submitted by Mark Jones (himilecyclist)

24

My Favorite Caching AdventureLast summer my husband, 10 year old son, and I took an RV road trip from Orange County, California to Crater Lake, Oregon. Since it was such a long drive, I looked for some interesting places to camp along the way. One of our stops was Castle Crags State Park in California. I had loaded a few caches that were in the area into my GPS. One of the caches was Castle Creek Cache (GC176PY). Since we had the RV, we decided it would be best to hike to this one. It was several miles away, but we figured it was possible for us to make it in a reasonable amount of time. We started hiking along a beautiful trail in the woods. It wasn’t too long before the mosquitoes began making a quick lunch of us. Unfazed, we continued on, only to find that the trail was closed due to hazardous conditions! We back tracked our way out and began walking along the access road. By now it was afternoon. Without the

shade of the forest, the heat was close to unbearable. We had been hiking for quite awhile and it seemed like by now that we should be close. One look at the map told us that we still had a few miles to go. I could feel the heat pressing on my cheeks and my son’s face was as red as a beet. Finally, we agreed that it would be best to turn back. My husband said, “I’ll run back to the RV and turn the air conditioning on. That way it will be nice and cool when you both get back.” My son and I trudged back to camp one slow step at a time. Luckily we soon came across a stream to splash some cold water on our faces. This refreshed us just enough to be able to continue on. We were both so disappointed that we weren’t able to get the cache, but we knew it was for the best. At last, the park entrance was just up ahead. We barely stepped

foot onto the park’s entrance road, when a ranger pulled up next to us. I’m sure she took one look at us and figured we looked like we were ready to collapse. “Where are you

headed?” she asked. “Oh, back to our campsite.” “Would you like a ride?” Now normally I make it a habit of not taking rides from strangers, but this was a badge-wearing

park ranger after all. Besides, I was desperate! We hopped into her jeep. As she drove us back to camp she asked what we had been doing. I told her that we were trying to go look for a geocache. Her interest immediately peaked. “Really? Do you want me to take you to look for it?” I certainly couldn’t pass up that offer, so off we went. She took us four-wheeling on a few back roads. We were whooping and hollering all the way. Once we got close to GZ we all got out of the jeep. She asked if she could come and help us look for it. So off the three of us went. I couldn’t help but think my husband must be worried sick that we hadn’t made it back to camp by now, but the lure of a cache find was too strong. My GPS signal was bouncing all over the place. Oh no, I thought! I can’t have this ranger take all of this time to help us to find this thing and DNF it! We looked on one side of the river and then the other, but still no luck. Finally, the ranger shouts, “I found it! I found it!” I couldn’t help but wonder if she knew where it was all along and was just playing along. What a relief it was to sign the log! This caching adventure will always be my most memorable and favorite of all caching experiences. – Sharon Henyan (Hmnbrdlady)

Geocaching Word Cloud· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·A piece of geocaching artwork I created using Wordle.net – OrangeReverie

±Trail Tales

25

Of Mice and MomThe cache A little of Everything (GC2ABH4) created lots of memories and brought many laughs (and lots of love). I encountered ticks, thorns, mud, poison, fish, goop, glop and more on my trek through the unknown. At stage two, my mom encountered a mouse nest while searching for the cache. There is now a homeless and deaf field mouse... my mom uncovered the nest and gave a very loud “squeak.” Raccoon holes... let’s not even go there.

At least it wasn’t MY arm reaching way up in there. My mom may need therapy after caching with me. Now, for the water. The first time we took the paddle boat we had a rudder malfunction. We were out on the lake going round and round and round – you get the picture – we didn’t have oars either! We made some adjustments and attempted a second trip out on the lake. After reaching into lots of slime and water (again, it wasn’t MY arm –

I was feeling the love from my mom), we had success. We continued on, then felt like fish out of water when we couldn’t find a stage. Something smelled fishy.

We made a phone call and woke the cache owner, 4bms, from his slumber – he deserved it after everything we went through. 4bms met us at the dock and I chartered him in my “yacht”. He even got to “drive” it on our way to check out the situation. Everything is now in place again. I signed the log as FTF. Finding this cache was a blast and very memorable. A lot of hard work was put into it. – mzairboy

±Trail Tales

Licensed to Cache· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

TeamLareau’s Geocaching Plates

How did you choose your caching name? Cerebus the Aardvark is our favorite comic book character, and our first house in Canada was street number 48.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·I enjoy geocaching because? It gets us out of the house, and takes us to interesting places we would never discover otherwise. We got introduced to geocaching by our old friend Richbritty the crazy kiwi and joint caching runs with him and GeoPom were always the highlight of the caching year!· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Most memorable cache? Canada’s First Geocache (GCBBA). We went after this one on a rainy day while on vacation in Nova Scotia. We had been out for a lunch with friends and were all dressed up, but we were determined to make the find, despite the rain becoming torrential, the fact that we had

to cross a raging torrent of water, and

the bearing taking us up a sheer rock face with no obvious trail. Cerebus48 wanted to turn back, but Dr Buffy insisted on pressing on. We continued with the unnecessary bushwhacking on our hands and feet and eventually discovered the cache within metres of a paved trail! We returned to the car in the pouring rain, Cerebus48 with a flesh wound sustained in the climb – passing cars were stopping on the highway asking if we needed help, two soaked and bleeding pedestrians limping along the road, DrBuffy soaked to the skin and carrying her handbag and Cerebus48 with blood running down his face - but we got the cache! · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Favorite Quote? “it’s just a little further now...”· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Cache-Type Icons ©2010 Groundspeak Inc.

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01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 cerebus48&drbuffy Finds: 734 Hides: 54


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26

Walking after MidnightAfter a long weekend of traveling, we were relaxing in bed about to hit the sack, when this puzzle cache popped up – FTFC #86 - Prolonged Mediocrity (GC2NZ6B) – and of course, all priority shifted to it. I worked on it a bit and then asked Mrs. Geex what she thought it could be. She didn’t hesitate to tell me what all that mumbo jumbo was related to. Sure enough, I made the final connections, checked and rechecked my calculations, and voila! I asked a few of my fellow ninjas if they would like to go with me and grab the trophy. Fortunately, none of them were available. Fortunately? Why yes, because Mrs. Geex said, “I’ll go with you if you stop and buy me a large sonic drink.” After I picked my jaw up off the floor and did the happy dance, we geared up to go. I had briefly looked at a map and thought I had a good bearing on how to get to the cache. For Attempt #1, we pulled up to a nice parking spot and got our gear ready. Oops, we only have one flashlight! Oh well, we’ll have to make do. The first thing we encounter is a small bayou. I knew we would have to cross it and it looked really shallow. Mrs. Geex took one step, then two, and found herself up to the top of her boots in mud – more like quicksand! I grab her under the arms and try to pull her out but she is stuck! I end up stepping too close for leverage and my right leg sinks to the knee. Great. Somehow I manage to pull her free leaving

both her boots in the mud. I then wallow around in the mud until I get my leg free and retrieve her boots. We are covered in mud in the first 5 minutes! This is when I first noticed that she had yoga pants on. “This is

a terrain 4!” I said. “Those are gonna get torn up in the thickets!” She said I didn’t tell her it was a terrain 4, but that I said we were just going to go after a little cache. I suppose I

didn’t mention that part. We walk further down the bayou and find a much better place to cross. About .8 miles from the cache, Attempt #1 ends at a bayou with way too much water to cross. I figured this was the end of the line for this run. Nature Call #1 visits Mrs. Geex and just when the “full moon” appeared, the coyotes cut loose across the bayou. It was kind of eerie!

We decided we would drive east a little further and try to find another way. We ended up at a construction site that looked promising so we geared up and headed out for Attempt #2. After about a quarter mile

walk, we ended back up at the same bayou that stalled us on Attempt #1! This was beginning to suck and I had come to the conclusion that it wasn’t going to happen tonight. On the way back to van I was walking ahead of Mrs. Geex. She had the flashlight but the moon was pretty bright. My leg catches on something and down I’m going! I land flat on my back with my arms out to the side. I heard a huge CRACK!

±Trail Tales

My leg catches on something and down I’m going! I land flat on my back with my

arms out to the side. I heard a huge CRACK! I was just hoping that

wasn’t my leg!

GeoGeex

mom of many hatsA View to a Cache (GCV7NC)

I chose A View to a Cache (GCV7NC) as my 1,000 find. This

cache requires two teams of cachers and a bunch of special

equipment to get a smiley. A few weeks ahead of time, I posted on the Connecticut Caching Community board

that I was looking for help for this milestone. April 3rd finally arrived and we were blessed with a beautiful day. Thanks go to joesdolphins, jenrn94,

SiNwYrm, ashtonFG, Poke’ 10, bobclimber and miss geocache who made up the great group

of cachers that worked together to get this find..

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·




27

I was just hoping that wasn’t my leg! Mrs. Geex, through her laughter, shined the light down to discover a two foot high fence and my treasured Belizian walking stick broken into two pieces! Oh man! This night was turning into a nightmare! We made our way back to the van as my wife sang the 80’s song, “I’ll Tumble For You.” I told Mrs. Geex this run was done. She said, “I did not drive all the way out here, get mud up to my back, tromp around in weeds taller than I am, and shine my backside to the animal kingdom to not get that trophy!” I was amazed at her tenacity! Nature Call #2 for Mrs Geex, no coyote catcalling was heard. So we decided to head back east again and check out some other options. We cross a railroad track and the GPSr looked like it was pointing straight down the tracks. We continued on and saw lots of pipelines but no good entry point so we turned around and headed back to the tracks to make a go of it. The tracks basically run right through a swamp. There was water on both sides so we were hoping that a train would not show up. The cache was about a mile away and the rocks were large and hard to navigate with rubber boots. My wife was certain that I would fall and crack my head on the rail (I had already bitten the dust caching twice this weekend). Nature Call #3 for Mrs. Geex, again no coyotes but a short while later we found a deceased coyote in the middle of the tracks. Mrs. Geex wanted a picture but I said we could get it on the way back. We walked for an eternity across the cross ties and rocks checking frequently behind us for train lights.

Finally the GPSr pointed directly into the woods. We would have to bushwhack .28 miles! Groan! We had come too far so in we went. By the time we reached the cache, we were beat, sweating profusely, and smelled of funk. Then I see the reason the terrain is rated 4! I lay my stuff down to begin the attempt at the cache and realize I forgot a pen! I cannot believe I

forgot a pen! I reach the cache and open the lid to find that beautiful trophy! I get the log out – no pen – so I take some camo tape and tear a couple of tiny strips to form an “X” as my name. I

was not about to hike back to the van for a pen! With the trophy in hand, some of the adrenaline was gone and the weariness set in. The bushwhack back to the tracks seemed easier than going in as I worked with the forest instead of brute forcing my way through. After finding the tracks, Nature Call #4 for Mrs. Geex. Those sonic drinks sure do hydrate you. We walked down the tracks with the bright moon shining our way, happy that we had persevered. But our adventure was not over! About a third of a mile away from the car, we turned around and spotted the light of a train coming down the tracks! With water on both sides, we couldn’t get more than 10 feet away in either direction. We stayed on the tracks but picked up our pace. Mrs. Geex was afraid of getting sucked up in the train when it went by so she told me when it reached us she was going to sit down! No amount of logic was going to change her mind, so I kept her moving as fast as we could with the loose rocks. When we were about a tenth a mile away from

the road, we could hear the train barreling down, no whistle, just the vibration of the tracks and the hum of the engine. At this point, we were sprinting trying to get out before it reached us. About the time our feet hit the pavement, the train went roaring by! I couldn’t believe we had actually made it out before it got to us! We stripped off muddy boots and waited out the train. We tried stopping at a couple of places to get a drink on the way home, but nothing was open at 3:00 a.m. in the morning. Despite all the little mishaps, we had a really good time and laughed all the way home. We left home at 10:30 p.m. and got back at 3:30 a.m. – 5 hours of fun! You can’t get much more entertainment for the price of a coke. – GeoGeex

±Trail Tales

About a third of a mile away from the car, we

turned around and spotted the light of

a train coming down the tracks!


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Geo"Snippet· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

I took my three children out for a night cache on 10/10/10 thinking

it would be a quick find since I was there earlier in the day. We

made it to the cache and the kids all signed the log. They were really

surprised because it was a large bucket. The only problem was

that I forgot to mark a waypoint as to where I had parked. We

got so lost and turned around in the swampy area that I thought I would have to call 911 for help.

But then I found the right trail and we made it out. Whew! That’s

a cache adventure we’ll never forget. – Bigal437

28

Two CrazyI have had two crazy caching incidents in my six years of geocaching across the United States. The first was in Wyoming when I was a newbie to caching. My wife and I were doing some caches on the outskirts of Cheyenne and got to a small “Preserve” for lack of a better word - Home on the Range (GCRZ73). It was basically a section of pasture fenced off from the open range with some hills. We were driving in my wife’s 1997 Toyota Camry. It had just started to snow, the really fine, grainy, powder snow that doesn’t make snowballs. My wife paused at the entrance and said she wasn’t sure about this, but I convinced her the snow was very thin and it wouldn’t be a problem. The bad part was that the road was very gently declining in elevation on the whole way in, about a quarter of a mile. We got to a small stream

crossing and I saw the cache was only 150 ft away so I got out and walked over to the cache and signed in. No problem. We then very carefully did a three point turn and started to head out. That was exactly when the wheels started spinning in place. We tried using some cardboard and flotsam for grip but it was no go. The car began to move more sideways than forward, downhill towards a barbed wire fence. Out of ideas I decided to call a tow truck out of Cheyenne, but the only cell reception was on top of a hill about half a mile from the car. The snow was getting harder and it was getting COLD – freeze your snot cold. We called 411 and finally found a tow service open on Sunday in Cheyenne but he didn’t have a

GPS and this place didn’t have an address that I knew of so I gave the best description that I could. He told us to stand by the highway (the highway that was three quarters of a mile from our car). So we trudged through deepening snow, and as we crested a hill we

came face to face with a wolf. We apparently won the staring contest because it turned and ran off. I still think it was a BIG coyote, but my wife swears it was a wolf. We wait for 30 minutes with no shelter until we see the

tow truck. He let us ride back to the car in his cab thank goodness. But he begins to ask questions about why we are here in a Camry in this weather. To save breath, I told him I go to the University and I was studying wolf migration patterns. It seemed easier to explain than geocaching. When we got to the car he had to go around it on the narrow road to hook up to it, so he passes up hill and begins to drift down into the side of the car, eventually missing it by about a sheet of notebook paper. The rest is uneventful, and in the end he was a really nice guy and only charged us $90 for fuel. No extra weekend or hazard fees. I think he might have felt bad about almost taking out our car. The second story is in Baton Rouge. I had left a night caching event early in the morning with the intent of finding some nearby hiking caches I had been wanting to get. We arrived at Blackwater Conservation Area and I had just stepped out of the car when it began to rain. I jumped back in and waited it out for about 15 minutes. It was about 80º F and very muggy as it tends to be in south Louisiana. Eventually it

Meaning of your cacher name? npyskater was a screenname I made up in high school. NPY stands for “notproyet” and of course “skater.”· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·I enjoy geocaching because? It’s a great way to go on adventures with friends. I feel like a kid again every time I go out. At first I only did a few but this year I have returned and I’m more hooked than ever!· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Most memorable cache? The Great Sinkhole Of 1981

Cache – I decided to go out at night. The cache

was in the water and very hard to get to. I thought I was going to fall in!· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Other Comments? So glad I came across Geocaching. It has taken me to places I would have never thought of or found.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Favorite Quote? “Wealth is of the heart and mind, not the pocket.” - Pharrell Williams· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Cache-Type Icons ©2010 Groundspeak Inc.

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01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 npyskater Finds: 124 Hides: 1

±Trail Tales

To save breath, I told him I go to the

University and I was studying wolf

migration patterns. It seemed easier to explain than

geocaching.

29

quit raining so I got out and walked down a nice slag gravel trail to a huge mess of blackberry vines where my GPS was pointing. I began the trek through the brambles, shedding quite a lot of blood I am sure. Need I mention all the vegetation was slick with fresh rain, and I was sweating like a stuck pig. About 100 yards of briers and I entered the woods. Every tree I touched gave me a shower. I arrived at GZ to find an old fallen tree with an enormous root ball of clay and roots. The cache was called King of the Hill (GCWXEF) so I used the roots to climb to the top. There sat an ammo can, as pretty as you like. I took some pictures, and put my GPS in one pocket and my camera in the other pocket. I lifted the ammo can up and directly underneath was a rat burrow. The resident was not happy I had removed his shelter, and I swear to you he lunged at me. I dropped the can and jerked back in reflex, leaning me backwards over the top of the root ball. Time went very slowly then as my arms flailed for anything to grab onto (there was nothing). I proceeded to fall ten feet or more backwards off the ball landing squarely on my back. No injuries thank goodness. I brushed myself off, climbed back up signed in and replaced the can. Then began my hike out through wet trees and brambles. When I got back to the gravel pathway I patted my self down in anticipation of an Earthcache nearby. Backpack, water bottle, GPS, ca... Where was my camera? You guessed it – it fell out of my pocket when I fell off the hill. Back through the brambles, back through trees, grab camera, back through trees, back through brambles. I still did the Earthcache even after all of that, and the fishermen in the park stared at me as I did a soggy-muddy walk of shame back to the car. My wife

didn’t even want to let me inside. She said I looked like fresh death. There are pictures and the full story in the logs for those caches. I guess I have relaxed in my elder geocaching years. – ZSandmann

Rocky Mountain TrailsWhen we arrived home from our summer vacation we found the May-June issue of FTF GEocacher waiting in our stack of mail and were surprised to see our 100th find published inside. What made it funny was our very next geocaching weekend we had our sights set on a truck trail through the Angeles Forest to pick up our 500th find! So off we went. If we planned it right our 500th find would be a 4-4 cache called the Rocky Mountain Trail Cache. This would be our first 4-4 find so we were excited to be out on some real dirt roads and find our 500th geocache, too!

The whole road turned out to be a very interesting drive. We found a huge iron square built over a wash. We have no idea why it was built but the geocache hunt there was fun. We also found a cache guarded by a hollow tree full of pet rocks! All in all it was a great geocaching day and we did find our 4-4 #500 cache at Rocky Mountain Trail Cache. We took pictures all day but we don’t need a picture to remind us of the fun times we had. – TSPI and Rysten

±Trail Tales

steelersrullState Game Lands #109

(GC184)

August 13, 2011, AKA as the day that I get my 1000th find

and boy was I glad the day had finally gotten here. As far back

as June, I can remember making plans with a friend of mine,

SoupSizzle, on where we were going to go and what type of

cache I would get on that date. I chose the oldest cache in PA,

State Game Lands #109 (GC184). Along with SoupSizzle I got

to sign my 1000th log at 9:13 a.m. on 8/13/11. I also logged

21,832.1 miles for the 1000 finds. A big “Thank You” goes out to all involved in my adventure;

SoupSizzle, Braaschburgh, DMDegilio, mufossa, and

TeamLegoTJL. I look forward to the adventures of the next

1000’s with all of you. · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·





[email protected]

30

Y ou know how it is. You’ve been cooped up most of the

winter. Caching is almost nonexistent because deep snow has made it almost impossible to find anything. Then you get one of those deceivingly nice days. The sun comes out, the snow recedes to a few inches and right away you get antsy to go try your luck. That’s exactly what we foolishly did. Me: “There’s a five stage multi with a bonus cache off Cascade road we could do.” Wife: “I like multis, let’s do it.” Off we went. We arrived at the park and started on our quest. The first stage was a metal plate attached under the wood of a boardwalk in a swampy area. The wife carries the cache bag which holds various things we might need to help us find and retrieve stages or caches. Me: “Okay, give me the mirror.” Wife: “Mirror? Oh, did you need it? I used it while I was primping on the way here and left it in the car. If you want, I can try to lay on the boardwalk and lean over to see the cords. Of course my back isn’t as good as yours seeing I had the operation and...” Me: “All right, all right, I’ll do it.” There was still plenty of snow on the boardwalk so my clothes were getting soaked. I’m not sure if the wife was listening – she says I don’t speak clearly – but after repeating the numbers to her many times, she finally had the

cords right. Of course, my head was dipping into

the water the whole time, which added to my enjoyment. Wife: “Sometimes, you can be so testy.”

Me: “Just give me some more of your

tissues so I can dry my head.” Wife: “Don’t use them all, I

might need some of them. Its very chilly and my nose is running.” The second stage was uneventful so off we went to the third. The third stage was a fairly quick find for the wife. The fourth stage was very difficult. We were about to give up when the wife made the find. Wife: “There it is. How could I have missed that?” Me: “Maybe because you had us looking in the wrong area. You had the GPS and we were looking sixty

feet way over there.” Wife: “Its not my fault you’re too cheap to get a better one.” We were using an E-Trex we had gotten from Marlboro when we used to smoke. It had sat in the drawer for a few years because I couldn’t figure out how to use

it. Those instruction manuals can be very confusing. Finally, someone at work introduced me to geocaching and showed me how to use the GPS. It has worked well, though it can be temperamental at times. Me: “This one works fine. By the way there’s another cache by this stage. It should be a quick grab.” We put in the cords and looked for about an hour.

J Just for Laughs

The Lois and Clark Expedition

You Know You Area Geocacher When...· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Every object you see (soda bottles, TV remotes, plastic fruit, garbage cans) morphs into a geocache container

in your mind.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·You hear the term “muggle”

used in a popular movie series and feel gratified that geocaching is entering the

mainstream.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·You make more new friends

in a year than in the 10 years before you started

geocaching.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

You would rather spend a cold winter evening crawling

through snow and bushes than in front of a warm

fireplace with a cup of hot apple cider.

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·You find yourself searching for the PC Proctology Cache

on a frigid January day in Park City, Utah. You are

down on your hands and knees on the icy ground

behind a large bronze sculpture of a moose and

performing the activity suggested by the cache title,

while dozens of muggles walk in and out of the busy

medical office a few feet away. And, incredibly, you are not even embarrassed.

(Yes, I did that.)· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

F-T-F means more to you than N-F-L, N-A-S-C-A-R,

B-B-Q or S-E- … (well, maybe not quite!)

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·You would trade whole years of TV Guide, Sports Illustrated

or Time for just one issue of FTF Geocacher.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Submitted by Mark Jones

(himilecyclist)

We were using an E-Trex we had gotten

from Marlboro when we used to smoke. It had sat

in the drawer for a few years because I couldn’t figure out

how to use it.

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J Just for Laughs

Me: “I don’t know who found this last but I don’t think they wanted anyone else to find it. I think they took a shovel and buried it.” Wife: “Here it is. That was sure hidden well.” Me: “Good, now let’s go to the final of the multi.” At the final there was a slippery hill. Wife: “The GPS is pointing right down there. You go that way and I’ll go this way. That way we’ll cover more ground.” Me: “Good idea.” After I slid my way to the bottom of the hill, the wife found the cache. Wife: “Here it is. Let’s get the cords to the bonus. That will give us three finds.” I’m not saying she deliberately sent me in the wrong direction but she did make the find awfully quickly. With the five stage multi completed, all we needed to do was the bonus cache. When we arrived at the location of the bonus it didn’t make any sense. There didn’t appear to be anywhere to hide a cache. Finally, we uncovered a micro with coordinates for the next stage. I was a little perturbed because the wife hadn’t mentioned it too was a multi. She was supposed to read about the cache while we drove to the park. Me: “Didn’t you read the cache page on the Palm? This must be a multi.” Wife: “You told me it was a quick bonus grab so I didn’t bother because I thought you knew what you were talking about. I’ll know better in the future.” We loaded the coordinates to the final. The GPS led us to a path on high ground which meandered between two swampy areas. When we arrived at the final I didn‘t like where the GPS was leading us.

Wife: “Its pointing out there.” Me: “You surely don’t expect me to walk out on that snow covered log over the swamp, do you?” Wife:“Sometimes you’re such a baby. What are you afraid of? If it wasn’t for the fact that I walk with a cane, I’d do it myself. That log is wide enough to ride a bike across. We’re here now, and I know the cache is right over there on the end in the stump. Quit your crying and go get it.”

Me: “Alright, but I just know this is a bad idea.” I worked my way across without incident and found the cache right away. Contrary to what the wife tells people, when I’m wrong, I am not afraid to admit it. Me: “You were right. Here it is.” I signed the log and

started my way back. Have you ever noticed how you can have just walked on a log without incident? It seems sturdy and safe with no hint of danger. I believe it is luring you to become careless. On the way to the cache

I hadn’t noticed that the bark was about to fall off at the slightest touch, but sure enough that’s exactly what it did on the way back. When the bark flew off under my feet, I did a belly flop into the swamp. Even though this was the nicest day we have had all this winter, I found it difficult to enjoy the weather soaked from head to toe with muddy, icy swamp water. Scrapping mud from my face, I looked up to see the wife howling. Me: “I told you this was a bad idea. What’s so funny? This is not humorous.” Wife:“It is from over here.” Even walking with a cane the wife can move pretty fast. She was moving so fast the cane looked like an airplane propeller. With me in hot pursuit, she easily beat me back to the car. Of course, I was hampered with half the swamp stuck to my clothes. It took a while to convince her to unlock the doors but after a while, when she saw I was no longer red hot, but more deep blue from the cold, she relented. In the car on the way home between snickers she said... Wife: “You’re taking those clothes off in the garage. Now, wasn’t that fun?” l

Even though this was the nicest day

we have had all this winter, I found it difficult to enjoy

the weather soaked from head to toe with muddy, icy swamp water.

Meaning of your caching name: I‘m a Navy Seabee and I joined the Navy in 1989.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Signature item: Seabee carpenter pencils; wooden nickels.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·I enjoy geocaching because: I’m outside! I get to spend time outdoors with those I love.

Memorable cache: Running through a night

cache in a driving rain in the middle of dense woods, briars, creeks, and drop-offs – with a dead flashlight.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Favorite Quote: Go ahead, there’s no possum in there...· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Cache-Type Icons ©2010 Groundspeak Inc.

Cachers�Up Close

Fav: GPS:


01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 seabee89 Finds: 738 Hides: 14

32

I have always been a fan of science fiction. One of my favorite cult sci-fi

movies is 1984’s The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. Despite its all-star cast, including Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Christoper Lloyd, Ellen Barkin, and Jeff Goldbum, the movie was not a success at the box office. Even so, the movie appealed to many, including myself, who appreciated its offbeat style and quirky dialog. Corpus Christi’s newest (and only) night cache had recently been muggled, so I set out to create a Buckaroo-themed night cache of my own – Blue Blaze Irregulars ALPHA ALERT (GC2PZCF). The term Blue Blaze Irregulars refers to Buckaroo’s all-ages team of citizen first responders – sort of like the Boy Scouts with guns. Having found bigdaddyfire’s UV (ultraviolet) night cache up in Kerrville, Texas, I decided UV was definitely the way to go for a sci-fi themed cache. I purchased a few fluorescent fabric markers at a local hobby shop and went to work marking the trail along a shell beach near Portland, Texas.

With the cache in place and the trail marked

– and some glow-in-the-dark alien blood thrown in for good measure – I submitted the listing. A small clerical error delayed publication till the following day so I decided to check on the cache and found the tide now made it completely inaccessible without wading through ankle-deep water. In addition, an outbreak of “red tide” had caused quite a few dead mullet to wash up on the shore. I posted a warning note to the cache page but it didn’t stop three hard-core local cachers from teaming up to claim the FTF on day one! – ckpetrus

M Custom Cache Conundrums

Visiting Vet TechHill Street Blues (GC13JPY)

1000th Cache! This was so much fun. The cache came highly recommended by a friend,

Landondena. We met at GZ at the appointed time and I was happy to make a couple of new friends. FixItFindItdave, osubrownsfan,

and estilo cachorrino were there waiting for me, Magnet Man,

and Thurston House (who rode with me). The cache was fun

and easy to find. We did make it interesting by all wearing “goofy hats.” After grabbing the smiley, we logged another 10 fun hides including a couple that got us

very wet (in December no less). I don’t think I’ve had so much fun as a cacher or grabbed so many

smileys that I gave favorite points to in a long time. This cache

day was great and made even better by getting to share the

experience with friends! · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·



Cacher&Milestones1000 Finds Blue Blaze Irregulars

ALPHA ALERT

I should have known – the FTF crew daneill, mojowrkn, and

dhcc turned out to be aliens too!

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HiBearNation (GC131BD) by erma, Roswell, New Mexico

11.11.11@11:11:11 - FTF Geocacher Magazinemonthly (6 issues per year) by Icon Creative Services PO...

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