Tonight on Geocaching World (RVNN.tv) - Viewer Request: Puzzle and Mystery Geocaches

Join Us Tonight 6:30pm EST LIVE on Geocaching World (RVNN.tv) a Viewer Request : Puzzle and Mystery Geocaches.

Many geocachers absolutely love these mind boggling geocache types while others won't give them a second glance. Where in the world are they popular and where not? What is an example of your favorite types and why?

Let us know your thoughts and we get them on tonight's show. You can view the show LIVE either on the Ustream chat room here - > http://www.ustream.tv/channel/rvnn-live  or my personal Google + Hangout. Just follow  +Andrew Smith here -> https://plus.google.com/u/0/100208679823468674324/posts

See you tonight.

HHH

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GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
and watch me on Geocaching World (RVNN.tv)
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Get Wild - July is National Park and Recreation Month!

Okay this year the notice is coming out late but there is still time to check out all the events and activities going on right now because July is National Park and Recreation Month. The National Recreation and Park Association has a number of programs in local parks that emphasize the benefits of health and exercise while also encouraging individuals to participate in our geocaching contests.

Here is the information that came directly from their press release -  Check it out Geocachers!

Almost one year after Americans across the country “rocked their parks” with celebratory flashmobs, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) wants everyone to show how wild they are about parks and recreation this July.  NRPA is pleased to announce this year’s Park and Recreation Month program of activities.

The 2012 theme of “Get Wild” encourages individuals, families, friends, and park-lovers everywhere to venture to their local parks and recreation areas to experience the many benefits they offer, such as programs to inspire healthy, active lifestyles and activities to appreciate nature and the environment.  

“Park and recreation agencies promote health and wellness and significantly contribute to the greater good of a community,” says Barbara Tulipane, President and CEO of NRPA. “The obesity epidemic rages on, physical activity levels remain low and more than ever kids are staying indoors and behind electronic media.  Park and Recreation Month is a great time to take a stand against these trends by going to your park, getting active and of course, getting wild!”

Nationwide, park and recreation agencies will be helping their community “get wild” through a variety of fun initiatives, events, and activities. One such activity is the Get Wild Geocache contest.  Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game, where players locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices or mobile phones and then share their experiences online. During Park and Recreation Month, people can hunt for geocaches in their local parks and recreation areas and submit their treasure hunting stories or photos to NRPA through Facebook to be entered into a contest.  

Along with the geocaching initiative, NRPA encourages people to take the Get Wild pledge and show their “wild” side with the official Get Wild social media poster.

To learn more about how to get wild in parks and recreation areas across the country during Park and Recreation Month, visit www.NRPA.org/july.

Through efforts by NRPA, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an official resolution to create Park and Recreation Month in 2009.  The Association supports the national park and recreation community and the general public by advocating for federal support for park and recreation programs and legislation.   

The National Recreation and Park Association is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing park, recreation and conservation efforts that enhance quality of life for all people.  Through its network of 20,000 recreation and park professionals and citizens, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy lifestyles, recreation initiatives, and conservation of natural and cultural resources.  For more information, visit www.NRPA.org.  For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication, Parks & Recreation, visit www.parksandrecreation.org.

America's Backyard was launched in 2010 by the National Recreation and Park Association to draw major public attention to the powerful and essential role of parks and recreation in America. The initiative seeks to educate citizens on the American park and recreation landscape, support and encourage national advocacy for the field, and leverage funding and resources for national programs that benefit local communities. For more information, visit www.americasbackyard.org. 

I personally plan on talking with some of the top people at the NRPA and am in the process of getting them on Geocaching World (RVNN.tv) hopefully this next week so stay tuned!

-HeadHardHat
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GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
and watch me on Geocaching World (RVNN.tv)
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Did you know that July is National Park and Recreation Month?

Did you know that July is National Park and Recreation Month?

It looks like I will be speaking soon with the Senior Executive of the NRPA. Will let you know what I find out and their interest with getting geocachers involved.. Stay tuned!

Now where did I put my ultra best tie dye shirts?
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GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
and watch me on Geocaching World (RVNN.tv)
Twitter me at
@headhardhat

Friend me at Facebook
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Google+
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Please don't forget to visit our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Website at
http://www.geosnippits.com

Planning a Geocaching Camping Trip

It's summertime in the US of A and that means it is time for heading out on the road and enjoying all the wonders this land has to offer. Now that I think of it I shouldn't be so localized in my thinking. We have readers all around the world so let's change it for everyone in the Northern Hemisphere - better? No matter where you are on this planet there will be a time you are going to want to go camping and I have a few thoughts that might be helpful for you as you plan your geocaching adventure.


First off it is very important to know all the destinations you are going to want to visit on your trip. Places like historical, scenic, hiking, biking, boating, etc. There will also be the actual camping areas and also all the side trips as well. Make a list of where they are and how far around those areas you are going to want to venture. Then check out your favorite geocaching listing site and generate the needed .gpx files for each of those areas. For those who don't know a .gpx file is a collection of GPS data that can be incorporated into different devices like GPSr units, computers and smartphones showing where individual geocaches are hidden. Here are a few listing sites you might want to check out.

Geocaching Listing Sites:
     - Geocaching.com - Pocket Queries
     - Opencaching.com - .gpx files
     - Opencaching.us - gpx files - multiple formats

Now that you have your geocache ducks in a row for areas you are going to visit during your trip you might also want to figure out where some geocaching finds are while on the road getting to your camping destination. To do that you need to plan some routes.

How this works is pretty simple. You have the route, which is the road you are travelling on. You can set the route to find geocaches that are close to the road, say half a mile for example. A .gpx file is created with all those geocaches that then can also be loaded into GPSr units, computers and smart-phones as well. That way while you are going from point A to point B you can pick up geocaches along the way. Below are some ways you can plan geocaching routes.


Plan Routes
     - Geocaching.com
     - GSAK  (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife) -  http://www.gsak.net/   
     - GPS Mapping Software

Plus don't forget that with many of the modern, fancy-dancy technology out there you can do real-time geocaching. Simply by using your smart phones and tablets with cellular capabilities you can be anywhere that has a signal and go geocaching.

Some favorite spots during a trip could include:

Geocaching on the Spot (Unplanned Geocaching)
     - Rest Areas
     - Places of Interest
     - Getting supplies in a nearby town

So no matter if your travels takes you to private campgrounds, RV parks, State Parks of just out on the open road. Geocaches are bound to be close by for your geocaching pleasure.

Be safe out there and see you out on the trails.

-HHH



-------------------------------------------------------
GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
and watch me on Geocaching World (RVNN.tv)
Twitter me at
@headhardhat

Friend me at Facebook
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Google+
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Please don't forget to visit our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Website at
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The Geocachers Creed

The Geocachers Creed is a voluntary set of guidelines that describes how geocachers in general should act.

Below is the Geocachers Creed highlighted in bold and some general thoughts for each point. If you have more I would love to hear your insights.

The Geocachers Creed

When placing or seeking geocaches, I will:

Not endanger myself or others. 
- placing a geocache in an area or situation that could hurt or possibly hurt someone else
- knowing your limits and not exceeding them while Geocaching
 - using the proper equipment when needed

Observe all laws & rules of the area.
- you do not have the right to break the law or enforced guidelines
- parking where not allowed
- trespassing is wrong
- out of bounds or during posted times (parks) - sunrise, sunset.

Respect property rights and seek permission where appropriate.
- No Trespassing means No Trespassing
- Landscaping and muggle trails
- Get written permission from land owner

Avoid causing disruptions or public alarm.
- bomb like Geocaches or caches that may seem suspicious
- looking suspicious when Geocaching
- speeding away from the area

Minimize my and others' impact on the environment. 
- Leave No Trace
- Muggle Trails
- Think Before You Search

Be considerate of others. 
- The Golden Rule

Protect the integrity of the game pieces.
- Protect travel bugs and geocoins
- Clean inappropriate materials from caches
- Repair when broken or full - Emergency Geocache Repair Kit

Most if not all of these are guidelines we can easily apply to not only geocaching but our everyday lives as well. I hope you found them useful.

See you out on the trails!

-------------------------------------------------------
GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
and watch me on Geocaching World (RVNN.tv)
Twitter me at
@headhardhat

Friend me at Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/HeadHardHat/

Google+
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Please don't forget to visit our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Website at
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Expedition Mississippi Update: Didn't Quite Make It

Read a blurb on Facebook from the Expedition Mississippi crew. This is where four guys were to ride kayaks from Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico. We were adding some geocaching aspects to their adventure as well and it turns out The Great Mississipp was just a bit more of a challenge than expected. Here is what was told.

"Shorter journey than we anticipated, but still no less of an amazing adventure. We're sorry to tell you that yesterday marked the end of Expedition Mississippi...we just got back into Bloomington.

There were several factors that played into our decision to get off the water. We'll go into detail about this in the film and maybe in an upcoming blog post, but in a nutshell the record breaking heat PLUS record breaking low water/current levels stopped us from making the progress we anticipated. The last couple weeks especially, we would go all out and maybe get 10 miles done, where we really needed to be doing 20 or more per day.

By the end, it became clear to us that we wouldn't meet the goal, even if things got better. ...we thought we made the best of the situation, but we decided it no longer made sense for us to push on at this point.
On the bright side, we still had an amazing adventure and got more than enough footage to put together an awesome film!! Thanks again for all your support, it wouldn't be possible without you. Stay tuned for further updates about the movie and other things......"

Better luck next time guys and I still am very interested in seeing your film.

-HHH


-------------------------------------------------------
GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
and watch me on Geocaching World (RVNN.tv)
Twitter me at
@headhardhat

Friend me at Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/HeadHardHat/

Google+
http://gplus.to/headhardhat

Please don't forget to visit our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Website at
http://www.geosnippits.com

HeadHardHat Reviews: The Unofficial Field Manual to Geocaching

HeadHardHat Reviews The Unofficial Field Manual to Geocaching

Out in the information universe there are a growing list of books about the game, sport and obsession known as geocaching. Whether the writing styles are to one person's liking or not all have nuggets of value which can help a geocacher enjoy geocaching better. I recently read The Unofficial Field Manual to Geocaching by Robyn C. Broyles and it is a fine assortment, even if it is unofficial, of geocaching information.

The book itself is of standard paperback size and lightweight at 96 pages. It is designed to be a handy reference guide to be used while out in the field. It should fit just fine in your favorite geocache pack.

Within it's covers a reader can find many general useful tid-bits a geocacher may need as they gain their geo-sense abilities. Many of the basic aspects of geocaching are touched upon and one in particular of note is a rather extensive section about GPS coordinates and conversions. What I also enjoyed was the emphasis on good geocaching practices sprinkled within all the geocaching facts and terminology.

This field manual would be very beneficial to geocachers who are just starting out and need a quick heads up when confronting new geocaching concepts. It also makes a great refresher to geocachers who want to renew themselves with the basics.

You can get The Unofficial Field Manual to Geocaching either in paperback or Kindle version here: http://www.geocachingmanual.com/.


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If you would like the HeadHardHat to review a geocaching related product for you. Send information to headhardhat@gmail.com.

-------------------------------------------------------
GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
and watch me on Geocaching World (RVNN.tv)
Twitter me at
@headhardhat

Friend me at Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/HeadHardHat/

Google+
http://gplus.to/headhardhat

Please don't forget to visit our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Website at
http://www.geosnippits.com