Farewell To Winter - Hello To Spring Geocaching Event

It was a gloriously beautiful Spring day. The kind of day that made you easily forget that just a few days earlier we had three to five inches of snow on the ground. No this was more like what North Carolina can bring in early March. Sunshine filled and the highs around 80 degrees. You just couldn't have picked a better day for a Spring themed geocaching event.

The name of the event was called Farewell To Winter - Hello To Spring hosted by our own Hi Tech Rednecks (Tatortott and Harley Hound) and was held in Princeton, NC. The event itself was on Tatortott's farm land which seemed to stretch out forever.
One of the more interesting features was a bamboo garden which consisted of hundreds of live bamboo trees close together and cut paths that ran through them. Apparently the land was so thick with bamboo that a lot of it had to be bulldozed to make room for their house. The garden path ends at a beautiful gazebo and all surrounded by lush green trees. Breathtaking to say the least.

The event officially was to start around 10 a.m. and to have an afternoon of geocaching based classes given by a bevy of local geocaching instructors. Around 5 p.m. would begin the feast that is known in the south as a Pig Pick'n. Think of it as a huge party with some of the most amazing food on the planet. Lessee if I can explain a couple of quick terminologies so you know what I am talking about and please keep in mind that terminology is regional and so allow some differences.

To the eastern half of the state of North Carolina the word BBQ is something completely different than pretty much everywhere else. For you the term BBQ and grilling usually means the same thing. It refers to the device you are cooking on - a BBQ grill. This also means most of the items that are grilled are covered with a sweet hickory molasses like sauce.

BBQ in North Carolina means only one thing - pig. This particular BBQ is pork served in a certain way. Take your large steel drum and cut it in half top to bottom. Turn it sideways and support it with legs. Hing the sides together so you have a top and a bottom. Put a grating over the bottom half and fill with you favorite wood/coal combination. Insert one whole large prepared porker and cook for hours (we are talking skin and all). The end result is some of THE most succulent pig you will ever taste. Then take a large portion of the meat, chop and add a special southern vinegar based sauce. Serve and enjoy. If you are used to the molasses based sauce it does take a bit of getting used to but who-boy is it delicious.

Now why do they call it a pig pick'n? When the pig is being cooked it is split down the middle with the skin side down against the grill. There is a reason for this and I will explain in a minute. When it is done and ready to be prepared most of the meat is taken away and chopped as explained above. The rest of the pig including some of the best parts stay on the grill and everyone comes up and picks pieces of meat right off the remainder of the pig. Think of it as southern appetizers before the main course. The really great part is something called Cracklin. Ever hear of pork rinds? Cracklin is the original pork rind and is actually the caramelized skin of the pig. You break off a piece which is very brittle but not burnt. Peel off the pork meat and then eat the cracklin which is crispy like home made jerky. You have to try it to believe it and for all you health conscience people out there I am not even going to try explain this. All you have to know is it's some kind of yummy and once tried you will be hooked. Guess I veered off a tad on the food, typical for me.

To sum up the day, Miss Geoness and I was able to do some geocaching in the Princeton area and picked up about twenty geocaches. That was a good thing because she is now just shy of her 250 finds mark and I have a special geocoin and pin waiting for her when she does get there. We had a blast driving around in the very micro enriched town.

The rest of the day we spent at the event itself either attending classes about GSAK, creative geocaches, planning high number geocaching trips, etc. or talking with about fifty fellow geocachers. Some I know and some were new faces as well. Before we knew it the dinner bell rang we feasted on pork, potatoes, coleslaw, baked beans, venison stew and a host of other delights. Tatortott really pulled out all the stops on this and to enjoy this in the beginning of March, pure heaven.

As night came many of us sat around a very nice fire and just chit-chatted. The only difference between a star filled sky this day or one in June was the complete lack of bugs. Again just a magical time to sit back relax and enjoy yourself.

The time unfortunately came to say our goodbyes but not before once again thanking our hostess . Tatortott explained straight out that this was her way of thanking the geocaching community for being the kind spirited people they are and for all the really great hides we do. What a fantastic ending for a wondrous day..

Really on the Fence With This One

Fence post hides are like a box chocolates. No not full of ooey gooey confection filled goodness but they can have some sweet hides. Also yes you never know what you're gunna git.

This early morning find was a 35mm container Velcro'd to the inside of a 4x4 plastic post cap.

FTF - What The Heck Was I Thinking?

(note above my shoe bottom left and the ice just above it -HHH)

I am typing this rather interesting little story to you in wet and sandy socks. My work shoes are drying next to my desk and though quite damp, no longer dirty from my geocaching escapades of yesterday. The reason they are no longer dirty, yet moist and a bit sandy is due to my obsession with geocaching FTFs or First To Finds. If you read my blog on a regular basis you will see many postings of a happy smiling me showing clean log sheets of some cache with either my name on top or soon to be signed. Today was a smidge different than my normal routine thus the wet shoes, socks and my right pant leg.

Let me tell you of my adventure. It started out innocent enough. I received an email last night telling me of a new geocache that posted in the Creedmoor, NC area. 1208Zuni a geocaching friend of mine was the owner. Zuni is known for some downright crazy geocache hides and I prepared myself for the possibility that this would be a tougher find.

It’s 6:45 am and I pull up to the cache site. It is on a fairly busy road looking over a stream which goes under the road itself. The base of the stream is a good twelve feet down with a steep snow covered slope. We had just received several inches of rare March snow that still had not melted and it was only about 27 degrees out. I figured out a way to get down but it would take a bit of a walk around to accomplish, no problem. About half way down was when the police showed up. I waved, he waved, I thought to myself, “well – shyte!”.

“That your car”, the officer asked from his rolled down car window.

“yessir”, says I.

“Whatcha doing down there”, says he.

“Why Geocaching Sir, there is a new one that was just placed here and I’m trying to find it. Is that a problem”, says I hoping this will end quickly yet without being arrested.

“No problem, just wanted to make sure it wasn’t an abandoned vehicle. Have fun”, with that he rolled up his window and drove away.

“Well that was interesting”, I thought to myself. No big schpeel about what geocaching was and I still had time to find it before heading off to work. Cool!

With the threat of incarceration behind me and after a bit of bushwhacking I reached the small stream and though there was a lot of vegetation there were two areas to cross if I was careful. Checking my BlackBerry and Geocache Navigator I realized that the cache was indeed on the other side of the bubbling waters. After making sure that my phone would not end in the drink I made a leap that did not end in tragedy. Being in work shoes that is always a good thing. Actually I was pleased that I had not already broken my neck after walking downhill on the snow covered weeds.

The cache site was a concrete spill drain that controlled the stream itself. There were several hiding areas for a micro which required me to stand on some ice covered rocks while straddling the hillside. This was not a very comfortable way to be for a rather girth prone person such as I am. As I poked and prodded with my now frozen fingers I held a wonderful cataclysmic thought in my head of landing straight on my butt into the icy cold water behind me. I could feel my legs ache from the cold and precarious position while trying to keep my balance. Minutes seemed to slip away as my frustration level increased. Maybe it was in the stump that was six feet up and out of reach, maybe in one of the drain holes that I could not see far enough into? Drat, where could it be? As usual just before I give up I look and see the well camouflaged geocache.

SUCCESS! I quickly but carefully take out my Blackberry and snap some photos all the while remembering that I was standing over water. I sign the clean sheets and put everything back where it was. That was when I heard something rustling about 30 feet above me and to my left. I look up and there was Zuni smiling ear to ear.

“Did you find it”, he asked.

Now any other time I would think that a 300+ fat man straddling the side of a hill and standing on frozen rocks over a flowing stream may have caused a slightly different reaction from anyone else. Except Zuni knows me and he knows what I have done in the past for a FTF so this was pretty much business as usual in the geocaching world.

“Yup all signed and put back, oh, and you suck Zuni”, I said with a grin. He laughed.

Zuni came back over to make sure everything was in place for whoever was fool hardy enough to try and find this particular geocache after all the rain and snow. We chatted a bit and he told me that another geocache will be opening in the area soon. First thought, cool. Second thought, getting my keester off of these rocks and onto solid ground before something bad happens.

Zuni had to take off himself so we said our good-byes and I tried to figure out the best way to get back to my car. The route Zuni originally took to get down here was way too snow covered and steep for me to try in my work shoes. So I decided to go back the way I came. Unfortunately on my attempt going back I slipped and landed on a sand bar like ground which looked at the time rather firm. It wasn’t and my foot sunk down to above my ankle in thick quicksand muck. The cold was intense and as I jumped from right foot to left the second foot placement was not much better. It too found a soggy spot though not as deep but deep enough to soak that foot as well. It is amazing how your mind just disengages when you realize that you screwed up big time. All I could think of as I trotted up the now even slipperier path to my car was how the water washed away the red North Carolina dirt off my shoes from yesterday. Needless to say I could not wait to get into work and at my desk where I can hide till everything dries.

All of this for a First To Find. I wonder if Zuni’s other geocache has published yet? Hmmmmm.

But I’m NOT Obsessed…. Right?

My Double Has Been Found And He's In The UK!!!

I have no problem telling people that I love TWITTER. For those who know and use this micro-blogging wonder can tell you how it brings the entire world right to you and opens communications never dreamed of.

Today I received a "Tweet" from a fellow twitter friend Magpie_Guy from Leeds, UK who informed me that my twin double has been found and he is a well known British Actor.

Meet Ricky Tomlinson who is definitely a handsome guy, what do you think?

You can Twitter me at http://www.twitter.com/headhardhat

A Little Chilly To Be Lifting a Skirt

There were two new geocaches placed in Oxford, NC this weekend and I wasn't about to let a little rare winter snow slow me down. Did I mention it is supposed to be near 80 degrees this weekend? By the way if you are wondering what the title means with all of this that is a light pole behind me and where there are light poles there are skirt hides...

When You Gotta Go...

Rare snow geocaching in North Carolina. Interesting specimen of a geocache choice. Where's my hand sanitizer? Yeah I know the owner of this little guy and if you notice he didn't bother to even take off the label... Yuckie... At least it didn't have a name etched on it and yes I know the rule about eating yellow snow...

What's Your Geocaching Must Have Thing-A-Ma-Bob?

I love talking "shop" with fellow geocachers especially when it comes to tips and tricks they have aquired along their adventures. In every one of these discussions it was not the big expensive gizmos that grabbed my attention most but the home-made ingenuity to solve common problems or situations geocachers face.

I'll never forget going to my first event and while mingling around I ran into just one of the nicest geocaching couples you ever want to meet. The were elderly though you couldn't tell it by the sparkle in their eyes or the pep in their conversation. We talked about everything geocaching and for me at the time I had less than one hundred finds and you could just tell they were in the tens of thousands. He must have known how fascinated I was and without missing a beat he pulled out a plastic for from the virtual toolchest in his breast pocket.

"Know what this is for?", he asked with a big grin. "This little gizmo is the best for getting those sharp burs out of your clothes without getting poked."

"What a great idea", said I. I know in Maryland there is a very sharp bur that grows all over the place, planting into your shoes, socks and pants. If you even try to gently pull them out you immediately get pierced with sharp needles. What a simple yet effective answer to a problem I had delt quite painfully with for a while. How many other home made what-cha-ma-callits were out there that could be shared?

To find out I asked two of my favorite geocaching forums that very question.

"What tip, trick or homemade gizmo do you use that is an absolute must while geocaching?"

The response has been quite informative if not extremely inventive. Below is a compilation of those responses I hope you find value from it and share with others.

fishingdude720 - I usually carry a pocket knife to use as a prod stick for places I don't want to stick my hand into, and to cut down branches to use as a geo-pile.

Kit Fox - I've got a whole backpack of special "thingies." One item I carry for Joshua tree, Cholla, and Beavertail, spines is a set of sliver tweezers. http://www.rei.com/product/407072

sbell111 - a pen.

DarkZen and Beautiful - Two ideas:-I keep my batteries in a http://batterychargerz.com/shop/article_MHS-BH4AA/AA-AAA-Battery-Carry-Case.html. It protects them and it helps keep up with whether they are good or not - positive ends matching=bad, positive ends opposite=good.

-A http://www.generaltools.com/Products/1-38-Telescoping-Utility-Mirror__70555.aspx to help with hard to find micros.

Y2KOTA - I carry a red LED flashlight to help with nightcaching.

Star*Hopper - I've already posted a couple pix of my 'one indispensible & ever-present' cross-lock tweezers. A mini-Leatherman's always in my pocket, even when not caching; as is my 2" 'Bullet' Fisher Space Pen in the watch-pocket.....& while not indispensible, another couple of very handy items include the break-down 20' "reaching pole" I fashioned from 1.25" conduit (3x 7' sections velcro-banded together in the back of the Blazer) & these 2, which get considerable usage:~30" telescoping magnet.........& 2" 'snake' mirror (so-named for more'n 1 reason!!)

Too Tall John - a Pickle/Olive Grabber.

StarBrand - A Red Uniball Powertank pressurized pen - for signing logs.

Ball of string and a few paperclips.

Swiss Army kife with tweezers and toothpick.

Backup GPS unit.

Duck Tape.

Vater_Araignee - Because it would take a screwdriver and a 20 some odd dollar battery to change my battery if it dies, I made a 12v (8 AA) battery pack that I can plug my car charger into. It is inefficient but simple.

AZcachemeister - A turbo-torch with a tank of MAPP gas.

HH242 - Sample subpoenas. They give me a reason for skulking around places that are not ordinarily skulked around. I can explain that I am looking for so-and-so. After that, people generally leave me alone ... and when they don't I ask their name as I look through my stack of subpoenas.

aka Momster - 2 -$1 Bandanas. One for use as a cover-up to hide the GPSr or cache container from muggle eyes, makeshift water bottle carrier, cache location/trail marker, container and swag dryer, dirt remover, and many, many other uses one doesn't know until you need it. The second, hopefully clean, to stem the flow of blood. Stuff happens.

Snoogans - You know those extension pole grabbers you use to hang Christmas lights??? You're gonna need one to get some of my newest cache creations. I just love 5-Star difficulty. (Idea shamelessly stolen from GPSaxophone.)

power69 - 6 foot length of string with neodymium magnet on end for those rare occasions where a magnetic cache has fallen to earth and isnt retrievable bare handed.

WatchDog2020 - CellSensor EMF Detection Meter - made to detect cell phone radiation and electromagnetic fields but can be used to locate those tiny little magnetic nanos. Shhhhh don't tell.

Suburban Hillbillies - I have a small battery powered blacklight. I still haven't used it to actucally find a cache, but who knows.

geos of the jungle - During peak tick season I always have a roll of cellophane tape (e.g. Scotch). The tape works great for grabbing the ticks off my clothes, and I can count how many I nabbed at the end of the hike.

fox-and-the-hound - A pair of buckskin gloves. I always carry gloves (usually fleece) in winter, but these I carry all year long for when you have to climb that tree or reach into some sketchy-lookin' hole, etc. Very, very soft, feel like a second skin actually and have saved my hands again and again from bites, scrapes, tree sap, etc.

knowschad - printable subpoenas http://www.masslegalhelp.org/uploads/NE/rx/NErxrgt1_WFCW74Fn___ew/subpoena-sample.pdf

http://www.masslegalhelp.org/children-and-families/child-support-subpoena

Isn't the internet wonderful!?

Woodstramp - When I first started folks mentioned carrying a clipboard to "look official" so as to ward off muggle attention. That sounded good but I use something a little smaller and more convenient. It's a small spiral bound pocket notebook. You can flip it open and lay the GPS over or under it if need be. It cammos the GPS hand well.

Team O-Zone - I have in my bag a telescoping mirror & telescoping magnet, among other things but I also carry a package of diaper wipes. It's great when you get plant sap on your hands, as well as when you're on a hike and you kid "needs to go now!" if you know what I mean!

DiamondDaveG - QUOTE(Woodstramp)
When I first started folks mentioned carrying a clipboard to "look official" so as to ward off muggle attention. That sounded good but I use something a little smaller and more convenient. It's a small spiral bound pocket notebook. You can flip it open and lay the GPS over or under it if need be. It cammos the GPS hand well.I have used this one many times. I always have a mini-composition book in the van for notes while driving too. Now that I came across one really cheap, I have started to carry an orange vest and a hard hat just in case I need to look even more 'official' than just the clipboard.

rastus76 - I have a bag that always goes with me. it has: a small led flash light, cammo duck tape, extra blank logs, my travel log book, empty cache containers, spool of green flower arrangement wire, band-aids, leather man tool camera, batteries, and i took an old solar light and stripped it down to just the battery housing and the solar panels. (i can leave it on the dash or take it with me. i used it during a week long hike thru yosimite and only took 6 rechargeable batteries. it keep my cam and gps going the whole time i was there.) there is also some baby wipes for cleaning muddy sappy or what ever hands and cleaning wounds.

Additions:

JustJohn - I like to wear the Mechanix brand gloves when reaching into nooks and crannies, and when climbing (coral outcroppings are sharp).

Nobody mentioned it, and it may be a no-brainer, but I carry plenty of ziplock bags, and used plastic grocery bags for trash and such.

If you have any to add to our ever growing list, please email headhardhat@gmail.com and they will be included. -HHH

And As A Trimble Outdoors User Council Member...

Well I am proud as punch to announce that I have been asked and have officially joined the Trimble Outdoors User Council. What does this mean in the big scope of things and to you

For you my ever growing band of faithful followers (and you know who you are) this is the beginning of hopefully a very long and communicative relationship with the owners, developers and support people of a cutting edge company. It has always been my intent to do honest, straight shooting reviews and tutorials about any product I can get my hands on. Being on the council to Trimble Outdoors or any other company will not sway that - EVER. What this WILL do is allow you, my readers, to voice what is on your mind about a given product so I can send those thoughts directly to the right people. Straight feedback where it counts and you know that you can't beat an opportunity like that with a stick. What else?

With Trimble Outdoors I get access to all the "goodies" where I can take my time and do reviews and tutorials the way they should be, no fluff, some laughs and presented as they are being used while they are being used out in the wild. Again you have the ability to bring up situations and conditions that you would want to have tested. I'll show you what happens, good, bad and indifferent. The point is you now have a say but it is up to you to email me your thoughts and ideas. headhardhat@gmail.com

The other very exciting opportunities will be to work on products in development. Get a birds eye view of what is coming out in future releases. Now I can't promise you everything but what I can do is let you know all that I am allowed to tell. You now have a front row seat with Trimble Outdoors products so be sure to keep tuned to my blog on a regular basis and send those comments, ideas and suggestions in. GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?

Remember, this is one of hopefully many other companies that we can be a part of. These are very exciting times! -HHH

Here is the link to our new Trimble Outdoors Request Page for all your comments, suggestions and ideas. http://hhhtrimble.blogspot.com/

Yeah I'm Not A Complete Idiot

After a four DNF slump I make a comback with a really nice logic puzzle cache. Woot!

About @%&*$%&$# 'n Time

Took me almost a year and countless attempts for this bad boy. It was out of action for a bit but recently opened back up. I DNFd yesterday but was determined to find it. The fact that it was 60 feet from the coords may have had something to do with it. Phew another DNF off my list. YES!!!

Much to my surprise the geocoin that I took from the geocache to move along turned out to be unactivated. A prize as it were. I thanked the op big time.

It Is The Place To Be

Had to smile big time when I put this FTF find together in Oxford, NC. Drove past it a hundred times and never realized it was there. Now where is Zsa-Zsa?

Curses, Foiled Again

Tried for this FTF but was beaten by an hour thanks to Dflye. Gadzooks!
Cool area for a hide. Used to be a house or store maybe?

A Geocaching Documentary For Three FTFs in One Day

I have looked on YouTube and there are a couple of videos that state they show three FTFs. I'm sorry but the ones that I have observed really do not show much of anything. I wanted to document as it happens and the lengths many geocachers go through to be the first to sign those clean sheets.

Here is the video and if for some reason the plug in does not work correctly the actual URL will take you to the correct place.

We hope you enjoy this interesting and fun filled geocaching adventure featuring HeadHardHat the host to the GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Series.



Here is the link if the plug in is not working as expected.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcUJNiYmTuw

You can find all of our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos at:
http://www.geosnippits.com

The Potty Talk Series Continues

This was number one of number two FTFs in the Creedmore, NC area. But I digress...

This morning brought a laugh and for a Monday that is saying something. I had read last night of three possible FTFs (First To Finds) on my route to work. The first which was closest to my house would have been the target to go for if it weren't for the two other FTF possibilities up by where I work. So I decided to go for the two near work and somebody else can snatch the close to home. Anywho about halfway to work I get a phone call from a fellow geocacher asking if I went for the FTF near my home. I thought it quite humorous that they wanted to know if it was worth going for the early morning find based on my actions. I'm not THAT obsessed am I? Oh who asked you ;)

As I approached Creedmore, NC I had everything ready for me to pounce on the first of two. Sure enough I made the quick park and grab with little effort yet still noted the unusual geocaching container. That TML sure is one sick evil dude! He assures us that the "container" is not a retread but I still want to wash my hands after putting it back. Icky.

Number two of this morning's FTFs was only another mile or so away and I made quick work of it and signed the clean sheetz.

Doing geocaching really perks me up in the morning and gets the juices flowing. See now all I can do is think about TML's geocache... Gotta go wash my hands again... yuck.

You Ask For It and We Deliver - GeoSnippits Tutorial Videos

I woke up this morning with about ten different ideas for what I wanted to do for my next GeoSnippits Tutorial Video. I reached over and started reading my emails via my blackberry phone. Isn't technology wonderful?

One of the first was an email from a very fine grandfather known as obxnomad a.k.a. Bob.
He mentioned how his grandson and he loved watching GeoSnippits and reading my blog. He also mentioned how it would be great if I made a tutorial on how to put together and place a geocache. It took me about half a second to think of how I would do it and what a great suggestion that it was. Needless to say thanks to Bob our latest and greatest GeoSnippits is now live on youtube.

Here it is:




I liked the idea so much that I have decided to do an entire series based on the viewpoint of putting out each size of geocache for the first time. In this video we concentrate on 35mm containers. We show how to cammi them up and some great suggestions on where to hide them in the wild. The next video will be on the small size but instead of concentrating more on the making of the geocache (which we will go over) but instead we will focus on finding good places to hide that size geocache. As we progress up through the sizes you will gain more and more information until you are a well informed geocacher.

You can look forward to the future episodes in the weeks to come. Keep checking on our GeoSnippits website at http://www.geosnippits.com, this blog or on youtube.

Meet Anson and He's a Geocacher - Hi Anson!

One of the very nice things about Geocaching is how very much of a family style network it can be. You call someone to go on a Cache Raid tomorrow, someone else calls you with a PAF (Phone A Friend) asking for help on a geocache you found a month ago. Someone else wants to hold an event so we can get everybody together to party and well... party some more. Throw in random instances of caching and you can see pretty much how this community works and what a great community it is to belong to.

So when I received and email from Anson and his wife Donna to stop on by and go over some geocaching basics I jumped at the chance. That and I found out he literally lives about two miles from my house - the more the merrier - except when it comes to FTFs but we won't bring that up right now - now will we ;)

Anyhow, I really did get a kick out of going to Anson's house and to chat with him for a while. I explained a bit on the basics of a GPS which I believe he already new quite a bit about. Not that would keep me from talking. I also asked for him to check out NCGO which is North Carolina's Geocaching Organization. We discussed geocaching events and that I would tell him the next time I know one is coming up so he can meet even more of us. All and all a really nice guy and I can't wait for the next time we can go geocaching together... Except of course when it comes to FTFs and all bets are off, huff, huff, huff... but I digress.

If you are interested in finding more about geocaching in North Carolina here are some need to know links.

Geocaching.com

North Carolina Geocaching Organization

GeoSnippits: Geocaching Tutorial Videos

GeoCache:I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?

A Geocache By Any Other Name...

Well it can't be said that TimMcGrawlookalike doesn't have a great sense of humor. He is in law enforcement which gives him privy to all sorts of goodies. Like those night vision goggles I want so bad I can't stand it... but I digress.

Anyhow he has a really good idea that I am going to help with in which we are going to populate the Creedmore, NC area with some great geocache hides. His first attempt utilized a special geocache container. Now if you take a look at the photo you will most likely figure out what it is. It's definitely waterproof with no spills and fairly durable... Know what it is? Let's just say if you have been to your doctors lately or needed to comply with a drug screening you will know it very well.

When I first opened the geocache I looked at it. Thought, "no couldn't be", and promptly put it back into it's hidey spot after signing the log. Then when I was sure it was what it was I called Mr. TML to tell him how much of an evil, sick man he was.. I loved it.

His remark back was, "at least it wasn't used", ummm yuck.

So you see it takes all kinds when it comes to creative geocache placement and at least this one didn't have to go into that little hiding spot behind the medicine cabinet door. Ewwwww.

Early Morning FTF on the Way To Work

Imagine if you will a 300+ pound fat guy climbing up an eight foot tall 80 degree angled berm, with evergreens, at night. What could happen?

Granted the large semi nearby made for good cover so security didn't have to come a looking and that is always a good thing.

Overall I had a great time scurrying in the dark and chilly temps whilst climbing on all fours up the rather steep and dirt covered hill. The exhilaration is really something in situations like this. While I am going through it in my head I am calm yet excited to make the find. My hands shake a bit and I'm not sure if it is because of the cold or the thrill of the hunt. Either way I am smiling ear to ear in early morning dark and would be hard pressed to want to be anywhere else at that moment. After a quick search I was able to add another FTF to my ever increasing collection.

Signed the log and headed off to work. Good Times.

How Does The Timing Of The Published Geocaches Work?

I noticed something rather interesting today whilst Geocaching. Let me explain things as I remember them happening and you tell me if this is normal or not.

It was getting towards the end of the work day for me and about 3:45pm. I get out of work at 4:00pm and was getting everything in order for tomorrow. Just before I actually left for home I took a final look at one of my Pocket Queries that tells me if any geocaches near my route have not been found yet and in fact are still FTFs (first to finds). There was one at the southern portion of the loop that goes around Raleigh, NC and I wanted to see if it was potentially still a candidate. It was indeed still there but what caught my eye was a geocache closer to where I work near Oxford. When did this pop up? I checked and sure enough no one had made a claim on it yet. I don't remember getting an alert on this one, but oh well, lets give it a shot.

At quitting time I went into my car and drove over to cache site and low and behold there it was and I signed the clean sheetz. Now with me was a cache sheet to another geocache out of my normal driving range that also was an FTF. If I hurry I might be able to get this one too before the sun went down. So I started driving towards it and getting ready for the 45 minute ride to get there. At about 4:20 or so my BlackBerry goes off and I have new emails. I read them and see three newly published geocaches near where I live. Hot-diggity, forget this one I'm going for the FTF frenzy. What I found odd was the last of the eight or so that published included the one that I had just found. That's odd. For some reason I knew through my pocket query and google maps of a geocache before it was announced via email. Now in the back of my head I guess that makes sense but I just never noticed it before. The drive continues.

At about 5:10 or so I get down to Garner and start looking for my three FTFs to come. I drive up to #1 and quickly make the grab. Much to my horror someone had beaten me to the FTF! Well shoot. I halfway smiled when I realized it was Ian the geocacher I had just met a couple of days ago and goes by IKranak. Okay that is only one, wonder if he...? yup, as I opened geocache number two, there was Ian's signature. Heavy sigh, maybe got bored and didn't know about number 3..... Well shoot. There again was Mr. IKranak's happy signature on the almost clean sheetz. Phttttzzzzzz. Hey I had the thrill of the hunt and three more smilies to my list.

Then I get an email from another fellow geocacher asking when did I sign the logs? I texted back to him explaining what happened and when. I wonder if he thought the quick finds were something new as well. I read Ian's logs and he just happened to be filling his automobile with gas around the time the geocaches went live on geocaching.com but did not post via email yet. He was using Geocache Navigator like I was using my pocket query. Either way we gained a few minutes advanced notice (manually of course) before the official publishing.

Have you ever seen this behavior before with Geocaching.com? Wonder since the new format/update if the timing is a bit off for some reason..

Your Thoughts?

That Would Be Number 500

Looking like the coffee finally kicked in. I managed geocaching finds numbers 499 and 500. Note the micro geocache between my index and middle finger. My goal is to find 1000 by the end of the year.

HooHaa TB Race - Just A Nut Lands in Scotland

Well the finder who picked up my HooHaa TB Racer "Just A Nut" needed a wee bit of help getting him logged into the correct cache in Sollas, Scotland but we managed to get it done. Now with 3544 Miles under his belt and puts it firmly in THIRD PLACE. It looks like Nut will get a chance to rest from his long trip. You see the island that he is on has a grand total of two geocaches on it. There is another island just north east of it that has a bunch but I have no idea how long it is going to take for someone to come see this one.

So be sure to check the bottom right of this blog and keep up with the rest of the HooHaa TB racers.

It Was a Cold and Dreary FTF Evening

Could not believe this little guy remained untouched for two days. Went way out of my way home to pick him up. South Raleigh at rush hour... Am I insane?

Well I Didn't Want Another FTF Anyway

Looks like someone, make that someones beat me to the punch on the geocache. Curse you Zuni and 31Coupe (shakes fist in air).

Next To Last of LunchTime Geocaches

Ever go to a geocache site and it was so quiet the silence was deafening? This little key holder cache was on the far side of Henderson, NC off a little known highway in the middle of nowhere. The white noise of in my head made me feel I like I was under water, almost a pressure of sorts. Weird. When that subsided you could hear all sorts of birds scurring around in the nearby briers.

Anywho, this is next to last of the geocaches within lunch time reach. Heavy sigh. Here's hoping for more placements soon.

Java and a Nightime FTF

Morning. Add another FTF to my ever growing list.

I saw this one pop on the radar just before midnight last night. Came really close to just going out and getting it but I decided to take the chance and wait until after I dropped off my daughter at the school bus stop before heading out into the darkness to find this beastie.

This nighttime find had me freezing my fingers looking under all sorts of rocks. Luckily the area was pretty muggle free with only a few cars driving by.
After about ten minutes of scouting via flashlight in hand I soon was signing the clean log sheetz.

Tried out a new coffee brand this morning and a FTF ta boot - I'm lov'n it!

News Flash!!!! Thought that I had lost my good flashlight on this little adventure. I was so into getting the log signed and on my way to work that I did not notice the lack of my illumination tools.

It sat there all day and I gave it about one chance in ten that it would still be there by the time I made it there.

Bingo, sitting right out into the open and in perfect condition.. Bad Flashlight, Bad.