The Maritime Geocaching Association

Geocaching Name: Back Road Trackers

Real Name : Jason Burke

Interview Date : July 26th, 2011

1. How did you become involved in geocaching? When did you start?

My sister ( starr_shine ) and a friend went Geocaching one day and were telling me about it. I had heard about it before that but never got involved ( as I didn’t have a GPSr to use ). It was in the fall around hunting season November 21, 2009, and I went out to grab one just 500 Meters from Home. Found and took a TB and came home to see what that was about. Then I had to go find another to drop this Travel Bug I got.

2. How did you choose your caching name?

I started with just my name, “jburkenrfb”. After almost two years and finding out that you can change your name I changed it to “Back Road Trackers” which is exactly what my family loves to do.

3. How many caches have you found so far?

581

4. What brand/type of GPS do you use?

I actually use two Different GPS units. I started with my old Faithful a Garmin Rino 530HCx, I love this unit but it not the beast for storing caches on it as it won’t save hints and descriptions and so on. I have more recently bought a Garmin Dakota 20. This holds all the info and then some that I need in the Bush.

5. What programs/software or hardware (PDA/laptop/phone) do you use to make caching easier?

I have Tried GSAK but mostly do it all the old fashion way of downloading one by one.

6. What type of cache do you prefer seeking – traditional, multi, puzzle, or virtual?

Traditional Caches

7. Do you have a favorite or favorites among the Maritime caches that you’ve found?

Ghost on the Wallace River: Travelling Riverside GCTT0H is the one that stands out the most. It is in the Wentworth Valley on an old abandoned road beside an old abandoned/falling down Steel Bridge.

8. What’s the most unusual thing that you’ve ever found in a cache?

What appears to be a Marijuana Joint in Canada’s First Cache?

9. What are your current caching goals? Is there a certain cache that you can’t wait to do?

I would like to make 750 caches buy the end of the year. It’s only better than 150 away but with my work I haven’t got a lot of time to go steady at it.

10. How many caches have you placed? Do you have a current hiding goal?

73, I have 64 caches and 9 events I’ve hosted.

11. What advice would you give someone that wants to place a cache? What steps do YOU take when placing a cache?

The thing I learnt quickly is to take several readings at the hiding location and when filling out the new cache form look on the map is provides and see if it looks to be in the correct spot.

12. How often do you go caching?

I have the GPS in my truck at all times and usually go caching at the spur of a minuet notice.

13. What advice would you give a beginning geocacher?

Don’t give up because you can’t find a cache. Learn to think like a cacher. Where would the dirtiest, nastiest place to hide be and look there.

14. Do you collect geocoins? Of the ones that you’ve collected, which is your favorite?

I have almost 100 coins and my favorites are my firefighter related coins. More so my fire Truck Coin.

15. What type of gear do you carry with you on your caching trips? What’s in your geopack?

My GPS, extra Bags, new log sheets, a pen, an old fashioned compass and my phone. In my truck is a First aid kit.

16. What is your most memorable caching experience?

I introduced a friend into caching this past spring. I went to a few caches with them to make sure they had an idea what to do. The next day I get a phone call. They were trying to find a cache I hid on Penny’s Mountain near Truro NS. They tried to bushwhack from the 311 Highway approx. 1200 meters uphill. (You could drive to within 50 meters of the cache). They called me, because they had used their car GPS and the Batteries went dead… and they were lost. I was working and had to call a friend of mine who works with Search and Rescue with me. He lives on the side of Penny’s Mountain so he hiked and found them and brought them back out of the woods.

17. What do you like about geocaching? What keeps you going?

I love the outdoors and exploring new areas. My wife (jlellis24) and 10 year old Daughter (Little Roaming Gnome) love geocaching and the outdoors

18. Besides geocaching, what other things do you like to do?

I have been a Volunteer Firefighter for the past 13 years and have been on the local Search and Rescue team for the past 14 years.

19. What question did you expect us to ask but didn’t. What is the answer?

What is a pet peeve about caching? Mine would be the people who will not log a DID NOT FIND for whatever reason, but is willing to message you saying they can’t find the cache is there any other hints.

Interview Date : July 16th, 2011

Caching Name : Team-Newfie-Trio

Real Name : Ken Vokey & Wanda-Lee Ellis

1. How did you become involved in geocaching. When did you start?

My wife Wanda was the first to get me started, it was February of 2011 and we were both bored in the house and she found a blurb about Geocaching on NB Tourism website. Since I had a GPS for work she wanted to try it. Not being aware of the proper coordinate system our first trip out was not a great success =D

2. How did you choose your caching name?

When we first started myself and my wife had separate names but I wanted to combine them into one teams name. Since we usually take the dog when we go and we are both from Newfoundland.. Team-Newfie-Trio seemed the best choice. I do primary 95% of the caching tho, and the wife is constantly urging me to change it to my own name, but she does go with me on well-groomed trails when theres no bugs! =D

3. How many caches have you found so far?

1437 caches as of July 17th, 2011

4. What brand/type of GPS do you use?

Currently using a Garmin GPSMAP 62s

5. What programs/software or hardware (PDA/laptop/phone) do you use to make caching easier?

I don’t really use any programs nowadays, I used to use GSAK before I switched to a Macbook, and with my current GPS its paperless so I don’t really need any extra help.

6. What type of cache do you prefer seeking – traditional, multi, puzzle, virtual?

Traditional is what we have most of, Some of the puzzle ones really confuse me and I really have to sit down to figure them out.

7. Which caches were the most challenging – physically/mentally? Why?

I haven’t really come across a mentally challenging one because I don’t do puzzles very often, but as for Physically I like steep terrain hiking. GCGBHX (Sherpody Mountain) or GC1CMMG (Martin Head – Fundy Footpath) were both long hikes and a lot of fun.

8. Do you have a favorite or favorites among the Maritime caches that you’ve found?

Several, GCVDR8 (Spelunky) and GCRGRA (Slow N’ Steady) are some that just come to mind.

(Feel free to list a favorite for each type of cache) Do you have a favorite in a nearby Province?

9. What’s the most unusual thing that you’ve ever found in a cache?

A live snake. It seems there was a hole in the very bottom of the peanut butter container… So I have the GPS in one hand, the container held between body and forearm and I start to open the lid and as soon as I popped the lid there was a hissing and a very annoyed looking snake with a shaking tail looking at me. Rest of the story is Top Secret.. LOL

10. What are your current caching goals? Is there a certain cache that you can’t wait to do?

Im going to try and knock out 2000 caches by the end of the summer, Myself and my buddy Cachescammer will be hiking the entire Dobson trail in 3 days. Also I really would like to get GCBBA

11. How many caches have you placed? Do you have a current hiding goal?

I have currently 22 hidden. I don’t really have a hiding goal, I just place them as the urge suits me and when I have an awesome idea.

12. What advice would you give someone that wants to place a cache? What steps do YOU take when placing a cache?

Advice is an easy one. Maintenance, Don’t place a cache if you cannot maintain it. Some steps I take is to make sure its a good container, Something that will be waterproof is essential and then try to make it fun for cachers to find, whether is be adding a theme to the cache or making it unusual to make them think.

13. How often do you go caching?

Depends on work, but I usually go on a caching excursion on the weekends with friends.

14. What advice would you give a beginning geocacher?

Don’t get frustrated if you cannot find the caches, our first times out we could barely find any! It was only after we got our geosense that we started getting them with ease.

15. Do you collect geocoins? Of the ones that you’ve collected, which is your favourite?

I have only just recently started collecting coins. I currently have 2, The New Brunswick Winter Challenge coin and the Moncton Tourism Coin. No favourite, both are awesome coins!

16. What type of gear do you carry with you on your caching trips? What’s in your geopack?

Water, pens, extra batteries and bug dope. Season dependant tho!

17. What is your most memorable caching experience?

Geocaching in Gros Mourne National Park on my Honeymoon. Lots of great caches and beautiful scenery.

18. What is your best caching story?

New Brunswick Winter Challenge: I was rushing to get to a cache down by Martins Head. We got lost on all the roads and was running out of time because of the tide pattern. The car is pushing snow, and someone had plowed up a bit of snow at the road exit, I popped over it in the car and the car hung up and had the 2 front tires off the ground… front wheel drive with no front tires on the ground is usually bad! Had to jack up the car, take my trusty hatchet I always have in the car and chip away enough ice to lower the car so that the tires could touch.

19. What do you like about geocaching? What keeps you going?

It gets me out of the house. Sometimes I hate being cooped up with nothing to do and geocaching will take us to some places which we would have never known about if I didn’t geocache.

20. Besides geocaching, what other things do you like to do?

To be honest geocaching is basically my only hobby these days, Work is just too busy sometimes to try and juggle too many hobbies. But I do like playing sports, weightlifting and running.

21. What question did you expect us to ask but didn’t. What is the answer?

I expected to be asked about my walking stick. It was made by Cachescammer and its trackable with a deer antler attached to the top. Its a beautiful piece of work.

The Weather Red Dirt Dash was Awesome!
We feared the weather might be a factor, but the day stayed sunny and warm until 11pm that night! It was a great day for caching!

We had a total of around 30 cachers from around the Maritimes show up. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and PEI were well represented! As well as some of our Caching Cousins from South of the Border

And now onto the best part!

Congrats to team of kmac85, TheSakura, Smitty2010, and antigocache for their outstanding 121 finds and the win!

The winners revived the coveted Golden Potato for a 2nd year in a row. The winners received a very large bag of swag! Some pre-made caches, and the most awesome trophy ever (thanks dally!)

Also a big thanks to all the PEI cachers who came out to the BBQ event after, even if you didn’t race

Enable the new Download Offline Maps lab to make sure you never get lost in an unfamiliar area without a data connection, but also check out two existing mobile Google Maps labs you may not have known about.

Access to Google Maps on smartphones has helped millions avoid getting lost when they visit a new place, but until now it only worked if you had a data signal or Wi-Fi. The Download Map Area feature lets you prepare for a trip by choosing a spot in Google Places and downloading the maps for a 10-mile radius of that spot. It’s a great way to prepare for your family trip at Yellowstone or a honeymoon in Paris. Keep in mind that the download only stores base map tiles and landmarks, so you’ll still need a data connection for directions, Satellite views, Places, and 3D Buildings.

Also consider two other existing labs for Google Maps for Android:

• Measure, once enabled, will give you a red tape measure icon just above the zoom buttons. After tapping that icon you just tap two points on your currently visible map and Google Maps will calculate the distance between the two.
• Scale Bar gives the Android version of Google Maps the feature that we’ve enjoyed on the web version for years. There are approximately 20 levels of zoom from the range of 2,000 miles to 20 feet, and it’s not always apparent which scale is currently displayed. This helps you figure out if what looks like a short walk down the street is really too far away for comfort.

To access any of these labs on your Android phone, choose the menu within Google Maps and select More and then Labs. Android tablets already have the menu button in the upper-right corner. The Download Map Area lab requires Android 2.1+ and the latest version of Google Maps.

“Download map area” added to Labs in Google Maps for Android | The Official Google Blog

Via Lh

We had the formal awarding of the limited edition 2011 Moncton/MGA Geocoin yesterday to Pastor Jim 2 and 5beaver

Congratulations Guys!

Jim Nicolle, left, of Riverview and Wayne Gladstone of Salisbury show their geocaching coins at Moncton City Hall yesterday after Moncton Deputy Mayor Kathryn Barnes presented them. The City of Moncton geocaching coin can be obtained by completing the geocaching scavenger hunt, which began on Tuesday, June 7. Nicolle and Gladstone were the first to complete the hunt and did so in three hours.

Lucky Year Number 7!

The original RDD was the 1st major Geocaching event in the Maritimes.

So I give you…

The competition takes place on June 25th, 2011, and starts at the Cornwall/Charlottetown KOA, centrally located 9 KM south west of Charlottetown, at coords 46.213332, -63.187229.

View Printable Google Map with Directions.

Directions:

• Head northeast on Confederation Bridge – 4.0 km
• Continue onto Route 1 – 45.8 km
• Turn right at Ferry Rd – 1.7 km
• Turn right at Holiday Haven Rd. 1.4 km

All teams will meet up at 9:30AM at the camp ground. We depart at 10AM and go our separate ways for the day. Teams are due back at The Camp Ground at 7pm. Whoever gets the most caches on the Island wins.
The Dash:

• All teams will depart the Camp Ground at 10am.
• Cachers are encouraged to travel in teams. Car pooling saves on gas costs, as well as helps the enironment!
• The competition will end at 7PM PROMPTLY!
  FOR EVERY 5 MINUTES YOU ARE LATE WE WILL SUBTRACT ONE CACHE FROM YOUR TOTAL!!!
• PEI cachers are welcome to participate, but please keep in mind you cannot claim your own caches!
• For anyone who does not want to participate in the challenge, but would like to attend, by all means do so. The MGA should be setup at the campground at approximately 5:30pm.
• Note: You do not need to participate in the challenge to be able to log this cache. As long as you come to the BBQ afterward, you can claim this event as having attended.
• 7:30pm will be the awards ceremony, as well as BBQ. Please bring your own food & beverage items. There is a store nearby, as well as bigger supermarkets in Charlottetown if you need to purchase edibles.

Accommodations:
We will be reserving a block of standard 2-way hookup tent spots at the campground, which will be available on a first come/first serve
basis, at a rate of $32 CAD. Please email us if you would like to reserve one (or more). Once they’re gone, if you do not get one of the reserved spots, you will
need to contact the campground to see if they have any other spots available, or make other arrangements. When you arrive at the
campground, you can pay for your spot at the administration office. If you have an RV or camper, we would ask you contact the campground at (902)566-2421 and reserve a spot. In the morning, we
can all head out someplace for breakfast. Dont forget to save $42.50 for the bridge to come back to NB! (No charge to go there,
they only charge you if you want to leave). Alternately, there is also a ferry that runs between Caribou, NS and Wood Islands PE. You
can check their scheduling and rates out at http://www.peiferry.com/

Prizes:
1st Place – Bag of Swag! – will go to the team who finds the most caches.

More prize categories to follow.
Tiebreaker rules: In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by the following criteria

• Getting the 2 furthest caches on the Island from each other.
• Whoever can produce a larger collection of empty Tim Horton’s cups fresh from the trip.
• In the unlikely event of a tie at this stage, the competitors still tied will fight a grueling match of best of 3 rock paper scissors.

Who says you can’t change how the system works?

Groundspeak uses the same feedback system we have in play here at the MGA, Get Satisfaction, (you can see it in use on the main portion of the website, there’s a little brown “feedback” tag on the left).

What GetSatisfaction lets you do is provide feedback, negative or positive, and suggest new features for the people that run a site. One of the features (the 2nd most popular one I might add) for groundspeak to add-back to geocaching.com was the “Virtual Cache”.

From the GetSatisfaction Feedback post.

Last night Jeremy Irish posted this response:

We continue to work on the project, but unfortunately will be unable to launch something until late June or early July. I’ll update this if anything changes. We’ll be incorporating the concept into our August 20 Block Party in Seattle, so early August is the absolute latest that we’ll have something live. (13675)

Jeremy

An earthcache, which is a style of virtual cache, have proven to be rather popular the past few years, and their popularity, along with the user demand, may have prompted this move.

New Brunswick drivers enter a new era on the roads and highways in the province today.

RON WARD/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT

As of today, driving while talking or texting is illegal in N.B. If it’s not hands free, you can’t use any type of mobile communication, GPS or MP3 player.
Police around the province will begin enforcing new distracted driving legislation, prohibiting the use of hand-held cell phones, texting devices and other portable communications and entertainment devices while driving. The act also prohibits the manual programming or adjusting of any global positioning system while driving.

And if you think police will be lenient on drivers who “forget” or ignore the law in its first few weeks, think again.

“It’s going to be enforced like any other law,” says Codiac Regional RCMP Cpl. Dan Roy. “If we stop somebody, they can face a fine of $172.50.”

A ticket also comes with a loss of three points from one’s licence.

Roy says New Brunswick drivers have known this new law was coming for months now, so “I think everybody’s pretty much had a grace period.”

The legislation was introduced Public Safety Minister Robert Trevors last fall.

“This was a high priority on my list when I came into this position,” he told Canadaeast News Service last month. “This new law will help make New Brunswick roads and highways safer for everyone.”

Trevors said he hopes the new legislation sparks a cultural shift towards improved road safety.

“We’re losing young people on New Brunswick’s highways because of terrible accidents involving hand-held devices,” he said. “We need to change the culture and encourage safety on our roads.”

Roy said Codiac RCMP is in favour of the new law.

“We’re very supportive of anything that’s going to increase safety and reduce the risk to drivers and passengers on the roads,” he said. “It is good legislation to have in place.”

Public feedback has been positive so far, both Roy and a spokesperson for Public Safety said, but the Codiac RCMP officer expects some drivers will be slow to adjust to the new law.

“I imagine we’re still going to see a lot of people talking on their cell phones, but it’s hard to speculate how it’s going to be,” Roy said.

He points to seatbelts as an example. Drivers and passengers in the province have been required to wear seatbelts since 1983, but many are still caught not wearing them.

“It’s hard to say why people do what they do, but we’re there to remind them that it is a safety issue and they can face the fine if they choose not to (obey the law),” Roy said.

According to the Canada Safety Council, drivers who take their eyes off the road to send a text message or scroll through music on a hand-held player are 23 times more likely be involved in a collision than those who don’t.

Exempt from the new ban are voice command systems, one-touch devices or built-in screens. Telecommunications workers who require special equipment, peace officers and fire and ambulance personnel are also exempt from the ban on hand-held devices when performing their duties.

Any driver will be permitted to make a 911 call as needed. Drivers of commercial vehicles will be allowed to use two-way radios, and ham radio operators will be permitted to use them for emergency search-and-rescue activities.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada has said that in addition to the fine and demerit points, drivers can also expect to see an increase in their auto insurance.

—-

What is a driver distraction?
The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) and the Strategy to Reduce Impaired Driving (STRID) have developed the following definition of driver distraction: “Distracted driving is the diversion of attention from driving, as a result of the driver focusing on a non-driving object, activity, event, or person. This diversion reduces awareness, decision-making, or performance leading to increased risk of driver-error, near-crashes, or crashes. The diversion of attention is not attributable to a medical condition, alcohol/drug use and/or fatigue.”

What is illegal and what is not under the new law?
* Telephone calls: You cannot make or take calls when driving unless your telephone is hands-free or single-touch. If there is an emergency, you can call 911. Only while driving a police, fire or ambulance vehicle are you allowed to make or take a call.
* Texting: You are not allowed. Ever.
* GPS: You can look at your GPS screen, but you cannot program or handle it.
* MP3 or other entertainment devices: You can handle built-in devices. If you have a portable device plugged in while you drive, you can listen, but you cannot touch.
* Display screen: If it is built into your vehicle, it is fine. Otherwise, you cannot have it in your view.
* Two-way radio: You can use a two-way radio if driving for commercial purposes or driving a commercial vehicle (a bus or vehicle with gross mass of 4,500 kg or more), or involved in an emergency operation or search-and-rescue.

What is the penalty:
Drivers who violate the legislation can be fined $172.50 and lose three points from their licence.

Tips for reducing distractions:
* Leave prepared. Read maps, program your GPS, and adjust your seat, climate controls and other devices before you leave.
* Focus on the road. Studies show that drivers who talk on a cellphone lose about 50 per cent of what is going on around them, visually, and are four times more likely to get into a crash.
* Ask your passenger(s) for help. If you are travelling with someone else and your cellphone rings, ask them to take the call for you. They can also help by adjusting controls on devices.
* Pull over in a safe place if you must care for children, make a call or have something to eat or drink.
* Let it go to voice mail. Better yet, turn the cellphone off to avoid the temptation to pick it up. Let voice mail do its job and call back later when it is safe to do so.
* Avoid intense, complicated or emotional conversations when driving.
* If you feel sleepy, find a safe place to pull over and rest.
* Source: New Brunswick Department of Public Safety

We’re proud to announce a Moncton Geocaching Scavenger Hunt in partnership with Moncton Tourism. The press has seen the coin, but the offficial unveiling to Geocachers will be tomorrow night at the Moncton Supper Event : GC2WGG0

Be sure to come along to get a look at the coin! The official Tourism Moncton Scavenger Hunt geocache GC2B8EJ will be released Tuesday, June 7th.

From the Official Moncton Press Release :

MONCTON – The City of Moncton is happy to be celebrating National Tourism Week from June 6 -12, 2011. At a press conference held this morning at Moncton City Hall, the Geocaching Scavenger Hunt was launched along with a coupon booklet, in partnership with the local hotel association and a new tourism video. The Times & Transcript will be publishing a special tourism supplement on Saturday, June 4, 2011 that will highlight various activities happening for National Tourism Week and this summer.

The City of Moncton unveiled its very first geocaching coin which can be obtained by completing the scavenger hunt. The Geocaching Scavenger Hunt is a collaboration between the City of Moncton and Maritime Geocaching Association. The scavenger hunt will take people on a journey to some tourist attractions in and around the Greater Moncton area. Interested participants should go to www.geocaching.com and search for GC2B8EJ to find directions to the first cache. This site goes live on Tuesday, June 7, 2011.

“This initiative is a wonderful way for tourists and residents alike to explore Moncton and the surrounding area in a fun and adventurous way,” says Rob Durdle from Maritime Geocaching. “Geocaching is becoming a popular world-wide activity and it is so amazing to have Moncton on board.”

Tourism Moncton is known for its great partnerships and is very pleased to partner with the Greater Moncton Hotel Association to announce a bundle of discounts and savings at local hotels, attractions and restaurants with a coupon booklet. This booklet will be available at Tourism Day in the Plaza on June 10th. The City of Moncton also unveiled its new tourism video at the press conference. This video will promote the city to various markets and is also available for use by the industry partners.

“Tourism is a major industry in Moncton as total tourism expenditures in 2010, in our market place, were $385.3 million. Room sales in Moncton, during 2010, increased by 10.3% over 2009 figures and, in fact, 2010 proved to be our best year on record for overall tourism performance across all categories,” states Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc.

From the Times and Transcript Insert coming out June 4th in the Saturday Paper.

Tourism Moncton’s Geocaching Scavenger Hunt Launch

by Heather Ferguson

Tourism Moncton is pleased to present the exciting Geocaching Scavenger Hunt which will be introduced at a special launch on June 6. An ingenious way to attract visitors to some of the region’s finest local attractions and hotel destinations, the dovetailing of the hobby of Geocaching with exposure to area landmarks, parks, and historic towns is a unique way to learn more about the region and to hone competitive skills for one of the world’s fastest growing pastimes. Tourism Moncton is partnering with La Pays de la Sagouine and Olivier Soapery in Bouctouche, Shediac Bay Cruises in Shediac, The Rocks at Hopewell Cape, the Town of Sackville, and a number of major hotels in and around the Greater Moncton Area and nearby towns in South-eastern New Brunswick. Tapping into a hobby which has a wide appeal to every age demographic, Tourism Moncton’s Geocaching Scavenger Hunt will be initiated with an online clue, which will lead the Geocachers to a bilingual game sheet with directions on how to play the game. A series of hints will lead participants to local attraction destinations where they must find a clue to answer a question on an accompanying game sheet. Geocachers successfully completing 8 out of 11 questions will receive a specially designed, limited edition geo-coin with a unique tracking number. That tracking number allows Geocachers, to track the coins position as it moves around the world from one Geocache to another. Not all Geocachers will choose to “release” their coin into the wild though, choosing instead to collect the unique coin like one would collect a piece of art.

The idea for the Geocaching Scavenger Hunt came about as a result of an idea jointly developed by Tourism Moncton employee Charlene Fox and Maritime Geocaching representative Rob Durdle, who is himself an avid enthusiast of the hobby. “I’m very excited about the launch of this event”, Charlene says, “This is the ‘in’ thing amongst people from all walks of life. I am amazed that there are 15 or 20 caches on Main Street in Moncton alone!” A fast growing hobby, there are now 1.6 million caches worldwide, the last 0.6 million developed in the last year alone adding to the 1 million it took 10 years to develop. “People geocache for various reasons,” says Charlene. “Some people love to collect geo-coins, while others like to pass them along to other caches that they visit, allowing them to track the coins journey across the country, or even around the world.”

Geocaching as a hobby began in 2000 when the U.S. military made GPS signals available to civilians. Founder Dave Ulmer began by testing his GPS device on a hidden object and the Geocaching idea was born. Caches containing items were hidden throughout communities across the world with the express purpose of utilizing GPS devices to locate them. Participants were urged to place an item in the cache they found and take an item out, posting findings and comments on a special Internet user site. A decade later, the hobby has taken on various forms, from snowshoeing Geocaching in the Antarctic to traversing the sand dunes of Asia. Sites such as www.geocaching.com and www.Maritime-Geocaching.com can offer assistance to the beginner with their forums for tips and suggestions.

The Tourism Moncton’s Geocaching Scavenger Hunt lends a new dimension to the traditional hobby with a new twist to the game designed to showcase the best our region has to offer. Join the Geocaching Scavenger Hunt. You’ll have the time of your life and learn a lot about our little corner of the earth.

Interview Date : 03.22.11

Caching Name : TreeHugger21

Real Name : Nathalie

1. How did you become involved in geocaching. When did you start?

I read about it in an organization’s newsletter and asked a friend who had a GPS to take me out. i started in the summer of 2007

2. How did you choose your caching name?

It was a nickname that some friends had for me and it represents my personnality well.

3. How many caches have you found so far?

1774 (2000 as of last week, Congrats! -Dragoon)

4. What brand/type of GPS do you use?

Garmin Oregon

5. What programs/software or hardware (PDA/laptop/phone) do you use to make caching easier?

GSAK. I try to keep it simple since i am not big on computers and electronics

6. What type of cache do you prefer seeking – traditional, multi, puzzle, virtual?

Traditional when I am close to home, and virtual when I travel (I have found some virtuals in England, France and Italy). I also like the cool earthcaches that take me to some really neat places, like one that I did in Maine this winter.

7. Which caches were the most challenging – physically/mentally? Why?

The run of 5/5 caches that I did this winter with Coopsquared and Unruly Canuck. It was a LONG day of driving and caching, and featured some very challenging caches. I think my brain gave out on me faster than my body did that time.

8. Do you have a favorite or favorites among the Maritime caches that you’ve found?

The ice walk event and the race for cache event are among my favorite caches, since they bring a whole new element to the game. I love any cache that will take me on a nice hike, including those at Fundy Park and along the dobson trail. I also did a nice series in the hopewell area that i really enjoyed. I have done a few really clever ones that i have really enjoyed as well, like the wooden ankle, along another line, and a few others whose names i forget. I Nova-Scotia i did most of the Clare series, which was also a lot of fun.

9. What’s the most unusual thing that you’ve ever found in a cache?

a strawberry flavored condom (in a cemetery cache).

10. What are your current caching goals? Is there a certain cache that you can’t wait to do?

I would like to climb Mount Carleton this summer and get a few caches on the way and finish Jim52′s puzzle series. I would also like to hit 2000 caches by the end of the summer.

11. How many caches have you placed? Do you have a current hiding goal?

I have 38 caches hidden, a lot of those being events. I believe in maintaining what i put out there, so i dont expect that i will be hiding many more, until i archive some of my old ones. I do plan on putting out more events though, include a few more CITO’s (We have adopted a highway that we must clean up twice a year) and the second annual Snapshots event.

12. What advice would you give someone that wants to place a cache?

What steps do YOU take when placing a cache? Dont put it just anywhere for the sake of hiding a cache. Choose a good location. Make sure the container is of good quality and is waterproof

13. How often do you go caching?

it depends. I have gone every day for a week or two on end, then not gone at all for months at a time. I like to go once every couple of weeks if time permits. I have been going more often now that i have gotten to know some of the geocachers in the area.

14. What advice would you give a beginning geocacher?

Watch out! its addictive. you’d better know what you are getting yourself into!

15. Do you collect geocoins?

Of the ones that you’ve collected, which is your favorite? I dont actively collect anymore, but i do have a few in my collection. My favorite is probably my 1000 finds achievement coin.

16. What type of gear do you carry with you on your caching trips? What’s in your geopack?

a first aid kit and knee brace. lots of water. spare batteries. flashlight. snacks. and most importantly, A PEN!

17. What is your most memorable caching experience?

grabbing 124 caches along the Stud Mill Road with some members of Team Norkak (Coopsquared and Forest Fauna).

18. What is your best caching story?

The best? i dont even know where to start. haha. I guess i would have to say the time i grabbed a cache near the hospital in Moncton and turned around just in time to see a man in a hospital gown (the kind that opens on the back) getting patted down over a police car.

19. What do you like about geocaching? What keeps you going?

I like spending time outdoors and going to new places. and it keeps me active throughout all seasons.

20. Besides geocaching, what other things do you like to do?

I have been spending a lot of time at the gym lately, and reading books. I like canoeing in the summer, but i dont do it nearly as much as i would like. Travel

21. What question did you expect us to ask but didn’t. What is the answer?

I really cant think of anything other than maybe, how do you feel about micros in the woods. i hate them.

It’s amazing what you uncover while geocaching. A geocacher finds an ancient artifact… and does the right thing, leaving the artifact and calling archaeologists. Congrats and thanks CariocaeFilhos!

Joanna Dodder/The Daily Courier Dave Kurr and his family admire a rare Yavapai Indian jar Kurr found on the Prescott National Forest.

When Dave Kurr was a kid exploring the hills north of Prescott with his friends, he was bummed out when they would find arrowheads and he never did.

It took him until he was 43 years old to find an Indian artifact, but he’s made up for it by finding an amazingly rare ceramic jar on thePrescott National Forest.

And instead of keeping it to show his friends, he chose to do the right thing by leaving it where it was and reporting it to archaeologists, so everyone could learn more about the people who created it.

“It’s not going to do me any good in my house,” Kurr said. “I thought it would be more beneficial to them.”

Read more: http://bit.ly/hzNIPX

One of the greatest things about geocaching is that anyone with a GPS-enabled device can participate in the activity. Whether you are a parent with young children, an extreme sports fanatic or a disabled individual, there are geocaches designed with you in mind.

As a Cache Owner, you can help fellow geocachers determine whether your cache is a good fit for their needs. Simply addattributes to your cache listing. Attributes are icons that indicate what to expect on the geocache journey and at the cache location. “Recommended for kids,” “climbing gear required” and “wheelchair accessible” are just a few of the dozens of attributes.

Cache Owners who are planning to add the “wheelchair accessible” attribute to their cache page or are debating whether their cache deserves a 1-star, 1.5-star, or 2-star terrain rating should check out handicaching.com. As you can see from this video, just because the ground is flat does not necessarily mean that a geocache is wheelchair accessible. Handicaching.com will help you determine the accessibility of your cache based on five factors: distance to cache, route surface, route slope, route obstructions and cache height. When in doubt, mark the terrain rating as 1.5 stars and explain the details in your Long Description on the cache page.

The ability to rate caches based on accessibility is not limited to Cache Owners; everyone can help. All geocachers are welcome to contribute their input at handicaching.com. Thank you for your efforts to make geocaching more accessible for all!

Via Latitude 47

Prepare for your first geocaching adventure with two new easy to understand videos from Geocaching.com. Discover the tips and tricks of selecting and finding your first geocache. You’ll learn the best type of cache to select, what to bring and even tips on where to look. It’s all to give you the greatest chance for success in your inaugural GPS-enabled treasure hunt.

Start by watching: Selecting Your First Geocache

Next watch: Finding Your First Geocache

Veteran geocachers can share these videos with your newbie friends to help them log their first smiley. Find these videos and dozens more  here.

Via Latitude 47

It is hard to say exactly what makes geocaching so addictive. Is it the fresh air? The exercise? The amazing places this activity has taken you? It’s most likely all of the above and more. We’re willing to bet that one of the many reasons you love geocaching is that each geocache you find feels like a small victory; you had to meet and overcome a challenge in order to find that cache.

The challenge for you might be in solving a puzzle to determine the coordinates for a Mystery/Puzzle Cache, surviving the journey to the cache location, discovering the cache, and/or figuring out how to retrieve the logbook from a tricky cache container. Cache owners spend a lot of time and energy designing these experiences. You can help preserve them for others by keeping information that might spoil such moments private. This could include videos of a cache find or the answers to Question and Answer stages of a Multi-Cache.

If you would like to contact a cache owner to request permission to post spoilers publicly, you can email them through Geocaching.com. Thank you for helping to ensure that the experience at each cache you’ve found remains just as it was for you!

Via LATITUDE 47

The Geocaching Shop A rather unique new cache container, I can see El_Nimrod plastering PEI with these things

I’m looking to pick up a few of these next time I make an order, if anybody is interested let me know!

An adaptation to the world famous Joani designed custom made nano cache. Perfect for your local urban Geocaching experience. A built in magnet makes it easy to hide these cache containers in various settings.

Now with built in speaker and heat sensitive chip. Are you sick of spending hours trying to find these tiny magnetic geocache containers? Well we’ve decided enough is enough, these little critters are spoiling our fun so we’ve manufactured these genius nano containers.

Built into the base is a heat sensitive chip so if a fellow geocacher is within 500 yards their body heat will be detected and trigger the audible device to send out a high pitch tone through the speaker on the base. The geocacher can then easily follow the sound directly to the find and move quickly onto the next cache.

Extra log included as well as a gasket to water proof the container as normal.

Continue Reading …

Interview Date:  March 22, 2011
Caching Name: P_from_PACAD5 (also PACAD5 when caching with the family)
Real Name: Paul Molyneaux

1. How did you become involved in geocaching. When did you start?

We heard about geocaching through family members who geocached. They gave us the rundown, showed us the website….within a week we went out and bought a road GPS. Made the rookie mistake and didn’t know the importance of the hand-held unit…which we bought a month or 2 later. We/I started in April of 2010.

2. How did you choose your caching name?

Started off as PACAD5 (Paul, Alison (girlfriend), Callie (cat) Alvin (dog) Dylan (Alison’s son)) but also branched off into p_from_pacad5 when I went out caching on my own….but the dog usually travels with me.
3. How many caches have you found so far?

Just short of 300…not too bad for almost 1 year.
4. What brand/type of GPS do you use?

Seeing as we were so brand new, started off with a Tom Tom road unit. Lots of searching when you just start off with a road GPS

New and unsure how much time would be spent on caching, we looked for a used handheld and acquired an Explorist 200 for $30.00. What a difference a handheld makes. It is low end and manual input of coordinates so eventually would like to get something a little more current. No complaints on the accuracy of the unit though. With a baby on the way it’s not on the priority list.

5. What programs/software or hardware (PDA/laptop/phone) do you use to make caching easier?

Ummmm…write them down in a notepad, input into GPS. Long process but all part of the deal when you’re working with low end GPS units.

6. What type of cache do you prefer seeking – traditional, multi, puzzle, virtual?

It has mostly been traditional at this point. I do plan on working out some puzzles and keeping them handy for when I am out and about as well.

7. Which caches were the most challenging – physically/mentally? Why?

The most challenging…all of them before the purchase of the handheld!
Physically, one that I had to turn around halfway into the hunt would be “where is that bloomin cache – gc1eh5p”…just nasty in the summer with shorts on.

8. Do you have a favorite or favorites among the Maritime caches that you’ve found?

I will mention 2 in Moncton.
Could pass for a waterfall – gcq5zy – what a great cache container.
Rebecca`s back – gc1921g – was very interested in this story when I lived in moncton…its more about the location and history on this one.
Enjoy the caches as well that are on trails so that the dog gets a good walk in.

9. What’s the most unusual thing that you’ve ever found in a cache?

That would either be RAM memory sticks (didn’t work)

10. What are your current caching goals? Is there a certain cache that you can’t wait to do?

No goals at the moment, just get out whenever time allows. Life is about to get even busier so it will be nice just to get out.

It would be nice to get to St. Peters Island off the south shore of PEI, as well as Canada’s first geocache in NS.

11. How many caches have you placed? Do you have a current hiding goal?

I just put out 4 in the last few days to give p_from_pacad5 a total of 10.

PACAD5 has put out 13.

No current hiding goals but it is great to give back and I enjoy reading up on people’s logs when they find a cache of ours.

12. What advice would you give someone that wants to place a cache?

Get 100+ under your belt and then you’ll have a better idea. Have some consideration if you are making someone hike for your cache. Nothing worse then walking for 1km and not being able to find a nano in an evergreen! Unless you are just evil..haha

13. How often do you go caching?

Nothing is set in stone. It can be a full well planned day on the weekend or it could be something that I can grab on my way home from work.

14. What advice would you give a beginning geocacher?

All of this is from experience…I would say that both the road GPS and handheld will come in handy, but the handheld would be priority. Bring extra batteries. Mark your car if you’re heading into unknown woods. Try to go to as many caching events that you can. I have only been to a few and missed alot, but there are lots of great people who will tell you some great stories and share some knowledge.

15. Do you collect geocoins? Of the ones that you’ve collected, which is your favorite?

I have 2…but couldn’t tell you much about them…but I like getting them!

I have 2 bugs out on the go as well and enjoy reading up on where they are at.

16. What type of gear do you carry with you on your caching trips? What’s in your geopack?

GPS, gloves, band-aids, batteries, water/snacks, sunflower seeds, pen, camera, phone. Usually a cache that is ready to be placed if the opportunity comes up. Always have additional clothing/shoes in the trunk of the car if needed.
17. What is your most memorable caching experience?

Well one that sticks in my head is at the Dromore Woodlot in PEI. Over 10+ kms of trails in various loops. We set out to grab 4 or 5. After the 1^st grab it looked quicker on the GPS to go off the trail and cut through the woods for the next…..boy did we ever get lost and did not have the car marked. It was mid afternoon in the summer so we were in no danger of darkness…but if anyone knows Dromore. It is huge.
18. What is your best caching story?

I think that it would have to be the Red Dirt Dash last June. It was a fierce competition with geocachers from all over the Maritimes and beyond.

The day was already going to be tough enough with a 2-hour previous commitment right in the middle of the event. After that was complete it was back to the competition…and then the rain began. I don’t think that I have ever been so soaked in my life. We made a call to the event site to make sure we weren’t the only crazy ones still out caching as we had a few hours to go until the event ended. We were rewarded at the end of the day with some BBq’d hot dogs and chips which made it all worth while…and 28 finds.

19. What do you like about geocaching? What keeps you going?

I like the hunt. I like the hide. I like the fact that it brings me to places that I wouldn’t have gone before. Discovered lots of new roads and trails. I like the fact that it can be done 12 months a year and gets you outside. You will never be bored if you are a cacher. I hope that it is something I can do for many many more years!

20. Besides geocaching, what other things do you like to do?

I play softball in the summer and curl every now and then in the winter…sports junkie.

Spending time with family, friends and pets.

I like a good night of cards or board games with friends.

Cooking and eating.

21. What question did you expect us to ask but didn’t. What is the answer?

Maybe – What’s next for PACAD5 with a baby on the way….well we’ll have to insert a letter somewhere into the mix and change that 5 to a 6.

Tromping through the tall grasses, some brushing against his shoulders, Tim Kalvelage of Hastings, Nebraska didn’t know the shape or size of the container he was seeking.

Tim Kalvelage walks around the land surrounding Prairie Lake tracking a geocache container using a GPS unit Thursday.

It could have been an old ammunition container. It could have been as small as a thimble. All he had was a set of coordinates for this treasure hunt known as geocaching. Using the Global Positioning System to determine the longitude and latitude, geocaching is a high-tech game of hide-and-seek. Geocachers place hidden containers, called caches, across the globe for other players to find.

Kalvelage had found a wide variety of geocaches in the last year. For the last 364 days, he had located one geocache each day, a feat few geocachers in the world have accomplished.

This cache would be his 365th.

The weather cooperated Thursday and provided the ideal conditions for the hunt. Temperatures were in the mid-60s. A few days without precipitation kept the ground dry and made trekking though the overgrowth less hazardous.

“This takes you to everywhere that’s not on a tour guide,” Kalvelage said.

-Will Vraspir

The Hastings Tribune

The Maritime Geocaching Association is looking for a coin design that best represents the Maritime provinces. The sky is the limit, however there are a few guidelines that must be followed.

Competition Rules:

1. You do not need to be a resident of the Maritimes, however you must be a geocacher
2. Each design must contain the following:
   • The MGA Logo. Either the classic, or New design. (We can provide large scale copies if requested)
   • The year 2011
   • Space for the trackable number and the words “trackable at www.geocaching.com”
3. Coin must have a front and back design
4. Coin can be no larger than 2” diameter
5. Coin designs must be submitted in one of the following formats: .JPG, .JPEG, .GIF, .TIF or .PNG
6. Include the shape, colors, specific features, etc. Include the Pantone PMS numbers if you have them
7. No limit to the number of designs submitted

Send all designs, to the MGA at contest@maritime-geocaching.com with “MGA Geocoin Design” in the subject. Include your geocache name, real name, email address and phone number in your email.

The MGA reserves the right to alter the winning coin design if necessary to allow for the actual coin production. If needed, the alterations will be discussed with the winning coin designer.

Prize details will follow!