My Geocache Creations Are Coming Along...

Had just enough free time this last weekend to continue on my geocache creations which will be donated to the NCGO Fall Fling 2011 Silent Auction.

These are all made with flare tubes. All have been primer-ed and repainted. The grey ones are done with stone textured paint and then coated in clear coat for durability.

They are about a foot long and have an O-ring seal. Seen above the first three are pretty much done. They will fit very nicely on the end of a fence (note the fence cap). The bottom of the flare tube is where you open them. Since the tube fits inside the post it will stay nice and dry.

The other two brown tubes will be covered in artificial plants which should be completed tonight. The concrete tubes in the back may or may not get cammied.

Had a lot of fun making these and I would like to thank the Dirtbag Geocaching Society for donating the tubes.

The finished photos should be out sometime tomorrow.

-HHH

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NCGO Spotted In “The Geocaching Year in Review” A Geocaching.com Lost & Found Video

A little while back I noticed that Geocaching.com's blog Latitude 47 posted a request for geocachers to send in a 20 second video showing why we liked geocaching. In return they would put together a short video using some of the clips from those videos for their final showing "The Geocaching Year In Review". Just for kicks I put together some of my favorites of the year which included a segment from our NCGO 10th Anniversary event.  This is the segment they chose to include in the video. We are at the 1:55 or so point. Don't blink but I am rather pleased we made it in.



You can see the post and video here:
http://blog.geocaching.com/2010/12/the-geocaching-year-in-review-a-geocaching-com-lost-found-video/

Here is the 20 Second video I originally submitted:

Here is the link if the video does not show above:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1495883358866&oid=45625464679


GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
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Twitter me at
@headhardhat

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

This Week on Michigan Magazine TV: GeoSnippits - NCGO Fall Fling 2010

Michigan Magazine TV is seen twice each week on the RFD-TV Network

Recorded on 12/15/2010 We visit with the Fly Fishin Folk Singer Alayn Cayn at the historic North Branch Outing club near Lovells Michigan. This State and National Historic site was a favorite "fly fishing" retreat for Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Blackstone & other historic fiqures. Owner Todd Fuller gives us a tour. 


Then HHH Andy Smith takes us to the 2010 NCGO Fall Fling where we meet more Geocachers then you can shake a stick at. 


Mich Author Janet Mary Senki's TEN LESSONS LEARNED is also reviewed on this edtion.



If the player above is not available you can see the entire video here:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/11446100


GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
-------------------------------------------------------
Twitter me at
@headhardhat

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

Bon Voyage HHH: Don't Forget the Little People

I had the absolute pleasure of attending a geocaching event in my honor called "Bon Voyage HHH: Don't Forget the Little People". It was put together by fellow geocacher and good friend NCBiscuit to celebrate Geoness and myself going out on the road to begin filming our television show Treasure Cache TV.

At the event a bunch of us do what we do at any time we get together. We eat food and talk about geocaching. Throw in some fun rounds of pool and watch England and the USA tie it up in the World Cup, fun was had by all.

As a going away present Geoness and I were given one of the largest Lock N Lock boxes filled with goodies from North Carolina and the NCGO. I am going to do my best to add some of these trinkets in the show itself. Let's see if we can do some creative hiding :)

I want to thank NCBiscuit and the rest of the NCGO gang for giving us such a fine send off and for them to know that it would be impossible for me to forget such a fine group of amazing friends.

GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
-------------------------------------------------------
Twitter me at
@headhardhat

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

NCGO Halloween Bash Howls With Fun

On Friday, 10-22-2009, the eve before the big NCGO Fall Fling. There was a very fun Halloween Bash event.

It had everything a geocacher could want, great food,

fantastic company and some down right creative costumes. Yeah, sure there were earth caches nearby and if you were in town the traditional caches were a plenty to be found. Yet we geocachers love to get together almost as much as we love finding geocaches and boy did we have a blast at Morrow Mountain State Park that night.

The air was crisp like autumn should be and the skies opened up to a fine moon. In the center of everything was a good sized campfire which helped to keep any chills at bay. The sun slowly fell behind the wooded peaks that surrounded us

and the darkened atmosphere of a Halloween Bash was here.

Little goblins danced around as the strange and unusual became the norm. Ketchup bottles chased hot dogs, playing cards were enjoying frosted cupcakes andwe even had a visit from death himself though he was only there for the dinner buffet. A very good time was had by all.

So the next time you are in the woods around Halloween time and the night air is suddenly filled with laughter and the smells of amazing treats. You didn't stumble upon an ancient witches gathering. Chances are you are among friends and the extended family of fellow geocachers having one heck of a time at a geocaching event. Come join us won't you?

GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
-------------------------------------------------------
Please don't forget to visit our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Website at http://www.geosnippits.com

New Year GeoAchievements and GeoBlunders

With the holiday season come and gone it is time to sit back for a moment and reflect on our geocaching experiences over the last year. How better to accomplish a well rounded perspective I asked our fellow geocachers at NCGO and Geocaching.com what they thought were their greatest achievements and blunders for the year. The results were rather interesting.

GeoAchievements

In respect to geocaching achievements the number one remark was the very fact that they discovered the game, sport, obsession of geocaching itself. For the people who started caching in 2008 this was the end all, beat all, best thing that happened for them. Amazing is it not how finding Tupperware in the woods can effect so many in such a positive way.

Next, were the personal goals achieved. We know the numbers are not the main focus of geocaching for most but the milestones we shoot for sure have their purpose. "I reached my goal of ### this year," was a popular quote. Also was the significance of the difficulty of the finds as well. Even with all the chest pounding the underlining theme beside the fact that a goal was achieved was the further showing of how much fun geocachers were having while geocaching with other friends and family. "I was out with so-and-so" or "my family and I spent the whole day caching here" was stated right with the numbers and achievements. The combination of personal best with the camaraderie of others makes geocaching so exciting.

GeoBlunders

Wellllllll, as blunders go I didn't get any that were all that terrible. I know personally having a good set of batteries in your GPS is a good idea, especially when tromping in the woods and hills of West Virginia is a REALLY good idea. Not to mention a good compass as backup, but I digress. The blunders have really focused over a couple of key elements of which I would like to share my observations. Like:

Poke BEFORE you reach. If you are not sure what is in the immediate surrounding area of a geocache before grabbing it.. Poke it with something, you never know what may be sleeping next or under it... Also, remember your basic geostuff before heading to the cache site. One of the most frequent statements was that the geocacher forgot a basic "thing" after leaving the car. Be it a writing utensil (my favorite - DOH!), flashlight, tweezers, compass, travel bug, swag swap item, etc. always remember your basics BEFORE you have to walk back, err, twice.

How about the suggestion of a good lariat loop for your cell phone, GPS or any other expensive droppable you may take with you? Realizing the need of a safety loop should be BEFORE and not after it has plunged to the bottom of a stream, pond, lake or cliff.

The rest of the blunders mostly fell under the category of common sense and personal safety. DO remember to tell someone where you are going geocaching, especially if you are going alone. DO NOT forget to set your parking break while on a steep hill. DO write down your finds so you don't forget the last eight you just found. DO NOT walk waist deep in a lush green patch of plants and not know they are actually poison ivy..... That sort of stuff...

So you see it has been a pretty good year for many of us. With our glorious achievements and glorious failures it's all part of this game, sport, obsession that we love so much. May 2009 be just as glorious or better than last year. Cheers!

If you have a GeoAchievement or GeoBlunder you would like to share. Please be sure and post it to this article.

Special thanks again to the forums at NCGO and Geocaching.com, also especially to the following geocachers:

StumpWater, Fraygirls, SanityEndsHere, Farb, nittanydave, sumajman, JamGuys, Snoogans, SgtSue, andGuest, Dinoprophet, m.austin, Buggheart, WatchDog2020, The Hipster, Harry Dolphin, mfamilee, KJcachers, EWSmith, TotemLake, Kit Fox, wavector, ImaMystic, Bergie Bunch, JohnnyVegas

UNC Jaycee Burn Center Hosts A Geocaching Event For Young Adults

I have said on many an occasion that North Carolina Geocachers are some of the friendliest and giving people I know. This last Saturday I had the privilege to contribute some of my time along side these caring people for a special gathering. The UNC Jaycee Burn Center hosted a World Burn Congress Event. Where a little over a dozen geocachers of the NGCO took about 20 young adults who came from all over the United States geocaching for their first time in Pullen Park (Raleigh, NC).

We all met up at our designated place just as the sun was starting to shine. I could tell already that it was going to be a sparkling day just as so many down here are. The mist was slowly burning off and you could smell the aroma of coffee from my fellow geocacher's liquid breakfast of choice. Once everyone was accounted for we started our first task of the day. Hiding eight special caches around Pullen Park for our young adventurers to find. Within each cache held a log book (of course) and a special activity to be done as each cache was found. Once assigned we then broke up into groups and fired up our GPS units to record each cache's coordinates. Within no time the caches were hid, we finished our coffees and the bus full of future cachers pulled up.

This event was orchestrated by our very own Jessica and Dave who started the event off by having everyone introduce themselves followed by some fun ice breaker activities and an explanation of what geocaching actually is. This was a great way to begin because by the time we were ready to start caching everyone was stretched, relaxed and joking with each other. We divided into three groups of around 11 people each all starting with a different cache to find. Our group called ourselves The Tail Chasers which ironically is a great depiction of what a geocacher looks like when they are close to a cache. That wonderful little dance we do as we circle in to ground zero.

Tally Ho! The hunt was on and as the experienced geocachers explained how a GPS worked the younger set watched intently. Within a few short minutes they were following the electronic arrow to our first geocache. It was obvious that a lot of thought went into each of the eight caches. The cache itself was a medium sized Tupperware container that held a logbook that had to have the group name signed in each and a special activity. Each geared for fun, team building and smoothing personal barriers by giving all involved the feeling of unhindered camaraderie. For example one of our puzzles to figure out was the human knot. We gathered in a circle and everyone held hands creating the knot itself. The idea was to untangle the knot without letting go. We giggled and laughed as the twister like game unfolded ending with all in a large circle.

Pullen Park is a very scenic place filled with the sounds of a fully running carousel and a working railroad. It has a huge picnic area surrounded by lush trees and glistening ponds. As we went from cache to cache within the park we were rewarded by having a ride on the railroad and the carousel as well. We learned history about the park itself and found out that it is the oldest park in North Carolina among other interesting facts. We had a blast with the bean bag toss and learned that hiding a cache in a giant holly bush takes special care but the hunt for the find is a powerful draw.

You could see the enthusiasm in each of our young friends eyes as the morning progressed. Everyone waited anxiously as each of the initial seven caches were opened anticipating what awaited for us next. Then after the seventh activity was completed there was a bonus eighth and final cache to find. Who ever of the three groups that found the eight cache first could claim the golden ticket and would receive first prize for the day. You would think with the incentive of claiming first prize everybody would be hustling to find the golden ticket but instead we enjoyed each others company so much nobody was in a hurry to have the event end. So we all just gabbed and soaked up the North Carolina sunshine enroute to our final destination.

Now with the final cache found it was time to bring this fun filled event to a close. What awaited our newest geocaching friends was a well deserved pizza party and for the rest of us to meet up at a local watering hole to partake in liquid libations and more conversation. As we gave our final hugs and handshakes to each other it was obvious to us that some of these young adventurers will continue in their own personal pursuits of geocaching. Yet more importantly we hoped in some small way to show them that whatever difficulties life has bestowed upon them that there are people who will ignore the superficial and embrace the person within. We wish them all the very best.

If you would like to see all the photos that I had taken at this event please enjoy the slideshow below. If you would like to see them up close just click on the slide show itself. Enjoy.

HHH's Banner Used For This Month's NCGO Website

Okay, nobody blows their own horn like me. Heck, that's what blogs are for and so I'm a blow'n.

Earlier this week I was on one of my favorite online stopping grounds, the North Carolina Geocaching Organization website. I started going through my usual routine of checking the events, news and the forums when something seemed a bit out of place yet familiar, it was the banner. Earlier in the year I submitted several entries that the good people at NCGO could use for the website. Apparently they must have like this one cuz here it is. You can't see it too clear here but in the bottom right it shows "photo by HeadHardHat". It doesn't take much to entertain me but hey it is always fun to be recognized for something.

You can visit North Carolina's #1 Geocaching website by clicking here http://www.ncgeocachers.org/ or clicking the logo at the bottom of this blog.