Behind The Scenes: Geocaching World (RVNN.tv) Ep. #911 - Geocaching Winter Preparedness

We had so much fun doing last nights Geocaching World (RVNN.tv) TV show. The chat room which is a regular feature when we record the show was once again hopping with geocachers. What I love so much about the chat room is that not only do we have a whole bunch of regulars from all around the world but they make any new viewers feel immediately welcome. One of the many other benefits of being in the chat room is all the great discussions that go on. In fact we feed off each other during the show. Many questions and comments are mentioned as we record so the chat room keeps everything going.

Tonight's episode was all about Geocaching Winter Preparedness and this covered two main discussions. The first was a maintenance attitude with the cold wintry weather coming and what you may need to do to keep your hidden geocache in great shape. The second key point is being prepared when you are actually outside in the cold which also includes those emergency situations where you may get stuck or caught off guard.

There is so much great information in this episode I highly recommend all geocachers to give this a watch or listen to.

Once again we had really nice prizes from our Geocaching World Cache Stash. Prize #1 was a geocaching whistle and Carabiner from GxProxy.com. Prize #2 was an amazing benchmarking geocoin from our friends at CoinsAndPins.com. Thanks once again to all of our sponsors who contribute to our Cache Stash!

We once again were simulcasting live on The TechPodcast Network and it was so great to have our friends there coming along for the fun.

All of our released Geocaching World episodes are available in iTunes and on the RVNN.tv website but if you did not make it to the live recording you can see the uncut episode right now by clicking the link here:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/18436448  the released version should be available in the next few days.

Usually Geocaching World is recorded LIVE each and every week on Thursday at 6:30pm EST. ***SPECIAL NOTE*** For the weeks of November 13th and November 20th we will be recording on TUESDAYS the 15th and 22nd!
We meet up in the chat room here: www.ustream.tv/channel/rvnn-live.

If you are a company who would like to participate with our Geocaching World Cache Stash Sponsorship Program and donate prizes for our show please email geocache@rvnn.tv for more details.

See you next week.

-HHH


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

HHH's Lunchtime GotD: Wintertime Geocaching

Lessee a 2.5 terrain, heavy woods, five inches of melting snow, freezing rain and hills. I'm NOT Obsessed... Right? Who needs hiking boots, I have my tennis shoes on. Doh!

Actually it wasn't that bad. Though my toes are frozen, my fingers are thawing and my sniffles have increased. I didn't fall on my butt, surprisingly. Managed my way through .10 of a snow mile and found this lunchtime geocache. Not much time left to eat so I better get munching. -HHH

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Finally Some Wintertime Geocaching - GeoSnippits Video

Since late last year when the first snow flakes appeared in North America I have been asked by our viewers when GeoSnippits would be coming out with a wintertime geocaching video. Now for Michigan Magazine TV I have been filming in different locations during the winter but there just wasn't any snow. The one time I really wanted to do some caching while it snowed was on a trip coming back from Ohio and I happened to find myself in the Virginian Mountains during a blizzard. Sorry folks but all I wanted to do at that point was get home in one piece. --> My Life Flashed Before My Eyes A Couple Dozen Times.

Time passed and I even planned on taking a road trip up into the West Virginia mountains to do some winter geocaching but was just not able to pull it off. Then it happened, a rare snow storm swept over North Carolina and I had my chance. Now you have to understand that down here we normally get ice storms more than snow and this one was actually a combination of both. We only received about five inches of the white stuff but the ice covered roads shut everything down for three days. When I filmed this GeoSnippits I was only able to get about two miles from my house because they had shut down our main highway.

Anyways i hope you enjoy this GeoSnippits, we had a ball making it. I want to thank Miss Geoness for living through our white knuckle driving session. We witnessed three cars going into the ditch as we went from one geocache to the next. Remember they do not have snow plows in this part of North Carolina...

If you cannot see the viewer above, click here to see the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B-LTywZdhI

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

My Last Memory of Geocaching in the Snow...

My last memory of geocaching in the snow was at the same time my first experiences of geocaching during the winter. It was completely ad hoc. I was heading up to Michigan from Raleigh, NC to pick up my daughter. The drive was as expected and I even stopped

about ten times or so to pick up some well needed geocaches along the way. I have found that you need to balance the number times you stop to find a geocache with how long you expect to take to get to your destination and justify that by how often you simply need to stretch your legs during a trip. Anyways, I was just getting to the Michigan/Ohio border when it hit. A Nor'ester came down from Canada and dumped a foot of snow on my travels. I actually had to find a hotel for the night mainly due to a very close call with my cachemobile and an 18 wheeler. Nothing like driving down the highway and suddenly you, said big truck and four other cars start doing pirouettes all at the same time to make you pause and find shelter.

The next day the sun was out and I really wanted to do some geocaching in the area. Now mind

you I was completely unprepared for the Michigan weather. My heavy winter coat (for North Carolina) of which I was wearing was really my Michigan spring jacket. My boots consisted of my tennis shoes for which I was thankful I did not just have my sandles. Not a glove in sight so I was pretty much winging it.

Cold and trying my best to keep dry I ventured out to find some frozen geocaches. Lets just say that I found geocaching after a newly fallen snow to be quite the challenge. It's not like leaves that may or may not cover a given hide. When they say blanket of snow that is exactly what it is like. Everything is completely covered and with it being fresh snow, no tracks of which to help guide you. You are relying on the accuracy of your GPS and some possible helpful terrain to find your way. With the fifteen attempts at finding geocaches I managed to get ten. Not bad in my book but that did not include getting stuck at the bottom of an ice covered hill on the only single road out of a park and other hazardous winter driving conditions of which I had to contend with. Good Times, good times.

So yes geocaching in the winter can be a very enjoyable challenge as long as you are properly prepared for the conditions. Don't be like me and just go out into the frozen tundra all willy-nilly. It's not worth the personal injury. Instead plan your geocaching adventure ahead of time and enjoy your day in the cold. You will find it an exhilarating experience to be sure.

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

Winter Geocaching: Be Safe Out There

It's winter time out and that means cold weather for many of us. Depending on the climate you may find a great many challenges when geocaching during this time of year. So before you head out into the frozen tundra you might want to consider a few safety measures to keep your adventures fun for both you and your family.

Urban Geocaching - Watch them roads

Now depending on how you geocache in general presents certain challenges during the winter months. For example, if you are urban geocaching and you want to get a fair number of finds in a trip you will be driving from one geocache to the next relatively quickly. Not speeding per say but a lot of starts and stops. If the roads are slippery or snow covered you are going to want to make sure your car tires and breaks are in good working order. Be aware that there are usually a lot of muggles out there and you need that extra distance to stop in time. Also just getting in and out of the geocache-mobile can be a possible hazard so watch your step. Always be mindful of what could happen if your transportation suddenly runs down. Do you have blankets for everyone just in case?

Geocaching on the Open Roads

As much as we geocachers take for granted our vehicles while geocaching some real consideration and planning needs to be done if you are going into areas where there are not that many people around. Some areas are prone to snow drifts and can cause you to get trapped miles from the nearest help. Let's face it, a lot of us don't even think twice going into extreme conditions when the weather is nice. When you are playing with the dangers of winter it is a whole other ball game. So please be sure you have all the necessary items in your car to keep you and your family dry, warm and nourished if something unexpected happens. Remember that all too handy cell phone may not have signal as you go further away from cities and towns. Get stuck and you may be looking at a long walk back. Did you remember your boots?

Winter in the Woods

So the roads are pretty good today and you decide to do some geocaching in the woods. The scenery is amazing and you plan on spending quality time outdoors all day. Sounds great and quite frankly I wish I was there with you but did you consider what to do if something unfortunate happens? A simple 2-3 mile hike in the summer may be no big deal but in the harshness of winter an injury or getting lost could be tragic. Unexpected storms could happen with you miles from the car or a twisted ankle at the wrong time can become life threatening so go with the number one rule of geocaching, "be prepared". Okay I know it's the Boy Scout motto but it is a dang good one and needs to be followed...

Here is a few suggestions that are pretty much common sense but it is always good to prepare for the worst.

• When geocaching in more secluded areas you should:
• Try not to geocache alone.
• Allow time to get back before bad weather or darkness is upon you.
• Let someone know where you went geocaching in case you don't report back.
• Dress for winter. Just because it is sunny and nice out now doesn't mean it will change.
• Carry an emergency day pack including:

Dry clothes (especially socks)
Water
Matches
Flashlight
Map and Compass (GPS batteries can go weak in cold weather)
Energy Bars
Day Shell - If you are really on a hike and get snowed in.

Geocaching is a fun and exciting game, sport, obsession for the whole family. It is up to us to take that few extra moments to make sure that we and our loved ones are safe while out there. The last thing we want is to get frostbite or worse while looking for our treasures. Being prepared for what might happen will help us most when it does happen.

Be safe out there.

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