Real Name : “TC” Jenicek

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

I started in 2009, after reading an article online. The GPSr appealed to the techie side of me, I was curious about a game that uses a GPSr to find things.

2. How did you choose your caching name?

Easy question, my caching name comes from my work.

3. How many caches have you found so far?

785

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

I started wil a 50 buck used Etrex Summit from Kijiji, I now use a Garmin 60cx.

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

None, I’ve played with Gsak, but haven’t taken the time to use it.

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

I prefer Traditionals, and I love Earthcaches!

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

Physically, The Labyrinth� �GC19689 was quite a task. Slippery sinkholes, cliffs, narrow passages, this cache has many challenges, all rolled into one hike. I did it just after a little snowfall in the autumn. It was some slick.

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

I recently found NB’s first, GC760. It was snowed in, I used a snowshoe to shovel a ton of snow to get to it. The Maritimes have fantastic Earthcaches, I loved them all. Critter’s now famous series in Sackville has to be my favorite stretch of road. My top series is Ron568′s Pink Panther series, which I did with my son NBGamer22, very enjoyable.

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

An empty lighter…I suppose the flint could be used in case of emergency, but it was useless swag, and certainly not kid friendly.

10.a. What are your current caching goals?

I cache often, but I don’t usually go on large runs (not enough time), so it takes me a while to reach milestones. My 1000th is a number that I’m looking forward to reaching this year.

11. How many caches have you placed?

I have 77 hides. I get just as much pleasure hiding a cache as I do finding one. I’m on the road each day for work, so I know the Moncton/Shediac area quite well. Believe it or not, there are still a few spots open in the city. I’ve said that I’d stop with the 100th hide, but I don’t believe myself. My faves are GC2W450 and GC2XZ9P for the original containers, GC3DJ65 certainly created a buzz around here, and I like the Communication series in Lower Coverdale which is an easy 10 part series that I’ve intended for kids to enjoy.

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

Find at least 100 caches before you hide one. Pay attention to how containers are made, the location, and make sure your coords are accurate. Also, don’t hesitate to pick a seasoned cacher’s brains. A few folks around here have put up with me over the years, and I’m grateful for their advice.

13. How often do you go caching?

As often as I can! I’d go daily if I could, I managed 109 days straight last year.

14. What advice would you give a beginning geocacher?

Again, don’t be shy to ask questions. Experienced cachers are always eager to help.

15. Do you collect geocoins?

No, though I certainly enjoy finding and moving travellers.

16. What type of gear do you carry with you on your caching trips?

Snowshoes are always ready in the winter. Water bottle always. I try to keep the pack light. What’s in your geopack? All the usual cache repair stuff, plus bandaids, small folding plyers, extra batteries, 35mm film containers and other containers, a small knife, snare wire (for cache repair/placing!).

17. What is your most memorable caching accomplishment? Having found a cache in each NB county. And I was very relieved to have finished the 20 COAP tasks by the start of February.

18. Is there a certain cache that you can’t wait to do?

GCBBA, Canada’s first is on the radar. So are Chatelaine’s in Riverview. And some of the peaks both in Southern NB and Eastern Maine.

19. What do you like about geocaching?

I love how it gets everyone outdoors. The exercise, the fresh air. I believe that geocaching is great for kids 6-18. It gets them out of the house, teaches them about the outdoors. My son would not have had as much appreciation for fresh air and nature if not for geocaching. I also love how caching takes us to places we would never have otherwise discovered.

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

I like to coach Little League Baseball in the summer, basketball in the winter. I love playing online fantasy sports. I follow NFL Football. I scuba dive when I have the opportunity, and love to travel. And I like to read anything I can.

21. What question did you expect us to ask but didn’t: How do you see Geocaching evolving in the next 10 years?

I see caching becoming the next big outdoor activity. Not just because it’s a free hobby/sport once you have your GPSr or app, and it gets you outside, but because of Smartphones. The youth generation of today is totally at ease with smartphones, most will have one if they don’t have one already, the phones have GPS capability, and there’s an app for it! Their accuracy is not that of our handhelds, but those smartphones will put the ability to cache into everyone’s hands. And for no more than ten bucks. Many folks getting into caching today did not have to go through that bumpy learning curve of using a GPSr. They are starting with smatphones, an easy introduction to the sport. By touching their smartphones two or three times, they’re on their way to finding a cache.

Caching Name : ZeMartelo

Real Name : Luis Amaral

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

It all started on a hot sunny day in August of 2008. I was driving home from work when my father in law (AjLong) called me and told me that he had got a new toy to play with.
When I asked him what he got I thought he said that he got a UPS, and all the way home I was thinking why did he buy a UPS to play with? The thing doesn’t even have any buttons to press… so when I got home I realized he meant GPS. 

I had a vague idea of what geocaching was, and convinced him to try our luck at finding a cache. We searched online and we found a few caches (for some reason GC didn’t show on the search back then). We decided to go after GC1C979. That was officially our first geocache we attempted and it was also out first DNF as well.

2. How did you choose your caching name?

Not to show my age here but it goes back to the old good days of BBS aka Bulletin Board System (think of it as the pre internet). I used to participate in a messageboard and one of the  forums was used for fun where everything was valid, I mean, insults were encouraged. And one of the fun aspects of it was that people used alias to conceal their real names so we had fun trying to discover the real names.

ZeMartelo came as a joke because back then I would keep hammering those poor souls till they could not take it anymore and the nickname sounded fun so I kept it. A few years later when I was officially logging my first find I was back in my homecountry (GC1A78E) and when I was signing up for GC I decided to use that nickname.
3. How many caches have you found so far?
As of dec/2010 I currently have found 2180 caches

4. What brand/type of GPS do you use?
I have a Garmin Oregon 550

5. What programs/software or hardware (PDA/laptop/phone) do you use to make caching easier?
I use Gsak to maintain the caches and Excel to help solve puzzles. 

6. What type of cache do you prefer seeking – traditional, multi, puzzle, virtual?
Traditional
7. Which caches were the most challenging – physically/mentally? Why?

Vantage Point (GC1M8R4). I was not prepared for the environment. It was the height of winter, tons of snow and no adequate equipment. It was the most difficult 4km’s that I’ve walked in my life. My log describes the adventure.

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

I have found a lot of great caches, cant really say I have one that I prefer.

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

A battery holder container. I had been looking for one for ages, never thought of checking at the dollarstore and I was super excited when I found one of those containers in a cache. It made my day until I realized that it was for AAA batteries. I dropped it on another cache that same day.

10. What are your current caching goals? Is there a certain cache that you can’t wait to do?
I have no caching goals but I would really like to find the oldest cache placed in NB. I will get it someday.
11. How many caches have you placed? Do you have a current hiding goal?
66. No goal at this time.

12. What advice would you give someone that wants to place a cache? What steps do YOU take when placing a cache?
Go find lots of caches first to see how the ‘pros’ do it.

13. How often do you go caching?
Not as often as I’d liked.

14. What advice would you give a beginning geocacher?
Go to events, meet other cachers and get involved in caching parties. Meeting people is what makes this hobby great.

15. Do you collect geocoins? Of the ones that you’ve collected, which is your favorite?
Yes. I like them all.

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

My faithful geocaching stick (graciously offered by a beaver), spare batteries, water container, toilet paper (don’t leave without one) and sometimes geocaching replacement stuff.

17. What is your most memorable caching experience?
Henderson Falls (GC1X6M3). It surprised me completely as I was not expecting to find literally a postal card area. It is a beautiful place.

18. What is your best caching story?
Theres tons of stories. I like how we got FTF for the cache Two Benches and a Path (GC1ZAJW). Several people had tried to find with no success. The original cords were way off by like 80 meters or so. Me, Digger and AjLong by sheer deduction and intuition combed the area and found it. It was really a great feeling of accomplishment.

19. What do you like about geocaching? What keeps you going?
Geocaching is a great hobby to find out about places that I wouldn’t know about. It is also a great excuse to get some exercise with all the trails available in the beautiful province.

20. Besides geocaching, what other things do you like to do?
I enjoy biking and walking.

21. What question did you expect us to ask but didn’t. What is the answer?
What are winning lottery numbers and it’s a secret!

Caching Name :Cachescammer

Real Name : Billy Wall

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

I bought a jeep in 02 and with it came a key chain with geocaching.com on it so I looked into it, and there were not many in the area at that time, I had a magellin 315 and it was not user friendly at all. Any way I left and never looked into it again until a friend (Team Newfie Trio) mentioned it one day and said it would be something I might enjoy. I went on to tell him I tried and was not happy with the lack of caches in the area, and he told me to look again, and the rest is history, I’v had a GPS in my hand ever since.

2. How did you choose your caching name?

When I started I needed a quick name so I used Jeepking7, but it didn’t make any sense being I didn’t have a jeep any more so I changed it. There was local cacher in the area with the name cacheslinger and he had the Oromocto area pretty much monopolised, and I seen his name every were I went so I kinda got the name from him.

3. How many caches have you found so far?

2243

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

I used a magellin 315 back in 02 but it didn’t cut the mustard, and then I had a garmin vista, then a HCX, now I’m using a Gpsmap 62s, and it’s worth every penny and then some.

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

I just use the laptop, and my Iphone mainly. I use pocket queries all the time.

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

I like traditional caches the most, but I’m coming around to the offset caches, and puzzles.

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

Any cache where I have to get dirty is a good cache, when you get half way to the cache and you say to yourself “what am I doing this for”, Is the cache I like to find, I love water fall caches, you never know what your going to find when you get there. Covered bridge caches because there is so much history in the bridge. Anything that involves a hint of danger, cliff side or rock face caches. The higher the D – T the better.

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

GC750D –  Sgurra Bhreac, It’s a cache in Cape Breton, one of the most beautiful places I’v ever stood.
GC1FG6V – The Diamond Safe, A cool cache in Hawaii that was out on a break water in the ocean.
GC2KZBV – Chirp Chirp, by sportsman01, pretty much all his caches are a favorite, Slow and steady is a good one.
GCVDR8 – Spelunky is an all time favorite

The Redden Falls Eco-Challenge, It’s archived but it was a very nice spot to find, with an awesome waterfall. There are so many caches I could mention, the Fredericton caching community is very creative bunch.

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

Nothing major, just the usual swag, I’d love to have a great story for you but I’m just not that lucky enough to find something awesome.

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

I’v got my eyes set on my 3000 already, it’s prob going to be� �GC33CVR, A true 5/5 RCR style, by Team Newfie Trio, and being I’m an RCR, its *.

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

I’v hidden 38 in the Fredericton area, the Handy Cap series, the Evil Island series and the Okie Doakie series. I’v also adoted a few from other cachers.

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

Find a cache style you like and run with it, Everyone likes a good P&G, there quick and easy, but also everyone likes a challenge, If you want to hide an awesome cache look at some of Milosheart’s caches, lots of thought and time put into it, look at some of Team Newfie Trio’s caches and sportsman01, all different styles but are awesome cache makers, BTH7 had a cache I went back to almost 6 times before I found it.

13. How often do you go caching?

As often as possible, it used to be every second day, but now with work and the kids I make it out 2 maybe 3 times a week. and I plan cache trips and set goals like don’t come home until I have a set number of caches.

14. What advice would you give a beginning geocacher?

Stick with it and don’t let the weather stop you sometimes caches are more fun in the rain or snow. And don’t be afraid to stop and talk to people on the trails and go to events, there are a lot of cachers out there and they all have a certain personality trait. I’v yet to meet a mean cacher.

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

I just started I have about half a dozen, the FGT coins, the Moncton coin, my 1000/2000 achievement coin. and some other coins I’v won.

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

Spare batteries, logs and containers, stickers, bison tubes, gerber tool, wire, string, and of course my walking stick

17. What is your most memorable caching experience?

I’v cached in Hawaii, did a cache run to PEI not that long ago to grab the CT caches, Team Newfie Trio and myself got almost 500 of them in 4 days, weather was a huge factor in the low numbers, but as PA would say “Its not about the numbers”.
Also I came in second in last years come out and play contest, that contest brought me all over the province, and then some.

18. What is your best caching story?

I went to do the Viking series with my wife last Christmas eve, we had the 4 wheeler and we went out a week after the December flood. The trail was wrote off, there were parts of the trail missing and washed out so, my wife wanted no part of the offroading it took to get around some of the washouts. She kept jumping off the bike I would go around the washout and she would jump back on and we would carry on. This one wash out was about 25 feet long and just as deep, so she jumped off and I made my way around it but there was a pretty steep bank I had to drive up. I’v had the 4 wheeler for over 10 years and I knew what she was capable of so I gassed it and up she came. the front wheel climbed up a small birch sapling and it didn’t break instead it flipped the bike over and it landed on top of me, so I’m sliding down this pretty steep bank with my bike completely upside down on top of me and my wife was screaming. The bike came to a stop and Shannon was in panic mode. She wouldn’t stop screaming long enough for me to get the words out that I was OK, she saw me wave to her and she came running she only had to put a bit of weight on the side of the bike and it rolled off, I was more concerned that the bike had stalled, and we were about 15 KM from the truck. she thought different, she made me call it a day and we made our way back to the truck. She kept going on about Christmas and the kids and how I was dumb to even try it. OH WELL.

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

I like the people and the events, always good stories and good people, they always talk about caches they did and that you should go for it, or you will prob like it, and before you know it you have the next 3 caching trips planed.

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

Hunting, fishing, 4 wheeling anything to do with outside, I love snow shoeing, and taking the kids caching. I love taking the Harley out for a rip on nice days, hanging out with my family every chance I can.

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

Since I came in second in last years Come out and play, If I plan on playing again this year? And the answer is I don’t know yet the tasks just came out and I put so much effort in last year and spent so much time away completing tasks I don’t know if I want to do that again.

Also I love power trails, and the remaining CT caches are just a matter of time before I get them, and there will most likely be a cache trip to Nevada in the near future.

Caching Name : milosheart

Real Name : Gwen & Terry LeBlanc

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

My sister and her late boyfriend showed us what geocaching was in August 2007 but it wasn’t until March of 2008 that we took it up ourselves to spend time with her after his death.

2. How did you choose your caching name?

When we started caching we each had our own accounts/names. Terry was Frogger57 and I was milosheart. Milo was a nickname of Terry’s. He logged his first 19 caches then gave up. He loves to go caching, loves the driving, travelling, meeting fellow cachers, searching and finding but could care less about the logging, planning, numbers, etc. He doesn’t know how to use the GPS and has no desire to learn, doesn’t have a clue what GSAK is, nor care. I love him more for just going with me, blindly sometimes! LOL So we just continued on using my original account and became team milosheart.

3. How many caches have you found so far?

1815, so far.

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

Oregon 300

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

We use GSAK.

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

Our favorites are traditionals and Earthcaches. We rarely do puzzles or multis, they take too much time and brainpower that we just don’t have! LOL We figure when we’ve found everything else we’ll do all the puzzles/multis.

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

We’ve been to the event at Fundy every year and there is always at least one cache that is a killer physically. There’s a cache near Fredericton GC9522 Volcano by Dusty Walker that, while not the most difficult physically, was hard on our heads. We tried 3 different times to find it with no luck. We just could not find it. Other cachers kept finding it in between our DNFs; newer cachers! Grrrr. We finally found it on our 4th try after a quick search with eebee and kayakerinme.

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

Proposal Falls (GC289A6), On The Way To Mount Douglas (GCKJ8R) and Parlee Brook Natural Amphitheatre (GCVVPH). All were great treks to amazing places with great groups of friends….what geocaching is all about to us.

Do you have a favorite in a nearby Province?

Have to say the first one in Canada, GCBBA.

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

Nothing too unusual, just a spider that scared the poop out of me at GCVC5Z (thanks, Sporty!)

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

No major goals, just to keep on enjoying caching, we’ll hit the next milestone when we hit it. Caches we can’t wait to do – The Eye of the Needle, the first in NB GC760, some more of the waterfall caches in the area….that’s a start.

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

44 hides, of which about 21 are events. No hiding goal.

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

Find enough first to know what makes a good cache, what makes a good container, what makes a cache interesting.

13. How often do you go caching?

We try to get out at least once a week but life has a way of changing that. In the summer and fall we cache more. We tend to cache mostly on weekends and we usually plan our vacations around geocaching.

14. What advice would you give a beginning geocacher?

Have fun! Go to events to meet other cachers and listen to their stories. Ask questions, the caching community here in Fredericton is more than willing to help out newbies. Read the knowledge books and guidelines for hides. Read the forums of whatever website you read.

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

We have some. Faves would be our Track Your World Marble, Landsharkz 4 pce totem set, our 1000th find coin.

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

Baggies, logs, cache repair stuff, batteries, First Aid Kit, bug spray, small notebook, toilet paper, latex gloves, flashlight, more batteries, a couple of inhalers, and a bunch of other stuff.

17. What is your most memorable caching experience?

Last August we took 2 weeks and flew to Calgary then, after visiting Drumheller, drove from Calgary to Canmore and Banff, then up to Jasper, back down through the Rockies to Vancouver and over to Victoria caching all the way. We didn’t get a massive amont of caches but we saw some amazing, incredible places and we came home feeling blessed for seeing so much of this beautiful country. Our most memorable single experience would have to be our recent trek to Proposal Falls or our trek to Parlee Brook Natural Amphitheatre in March of 2009.

18. What is your best caching story?

Too many to pick just one. Every cache is a story and we enjoy every single one of them!

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

We like the places caching takes us, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the parts of our city/province/country we probably would not see otherwise. We like the exercise, the friendship, the events, the travel, being outdoors and just about everything about caching except the BUGS.

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

We both love music. Terry loves hockey (particularly the Habs), NASCAR and football (the Vikings). I enjoy most sports, cooking and I took up gardening but geocaching takes up most of our weekends so my flower gardens suffer. LOL I do make sure we get the vegetable garden in though!

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

None that we can think of.

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.

Caching Name : kmac85

Real Name : Krista MacKenzie

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

I started in the fall of 2009. It was October and it was a super nice day out, and I had been sitting inside all day. So I sat there racking my brain on what I could go do that didn’t involve my friends and I driving in circles around town and burning gas (yes, we used to do that…almost nightly…ha) or without me spending money at mall. I had heard of geocaching, but had never done it. So I spent a few minutes and looked it up and then explained it to one of my friends (who has since become starr_shine) and asked her if she wanted to go try one or two, and so off we went near the end of the afternoon with a car GPS, pretty much NO idea what we were doing, and we ended up getting 5 – pretty good considering the circles we walked in. I was hooked pretty quickly.

2. How did you choose your caching name?

My name! In my undergrad they made your university email address out of letters of your name and your birth year, thus making mine kmac85. And so it has just stuck for a lot of different things – including caching! I was thinking afterwards I should have just made my name Krista because for some reason I find it weird when people call me kmac haha So I tried to change it but unfortunately someone has Krista already.

3. How many caches have you found so far?

Currently at 985. ITCHING to surpass at 1000 (and I don’t have a valid reason as to why it hasn’t happened yet haha).

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

I have a Garmin Dakota 20 that I bought about a month into caching. My friend starr_shine bought one and I told her she was absolutely crazy for dropping almost $400 after less than a month of caching, and how did she know what we were going through wasn’t just a phase…..and then not even a week later I had the exact same one haha – and I certainly don’t regret it!

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

Nothing. I use the geocaching website and a word document. When going on planned trips I pull up a map of the area on the caching website and I plan the most sensible route, road for road. Then in a word document I make a list of the caches in the order we’ll visit them. And I hyperlink the GC# to make for easy logging

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

All of them! I don’t like one more than the other, but I must say, I guess I’m a nerd and love solving puzzles. I have a document where I have a list of every puzzle in NS – most of them solved for if/when I’m ever in the area. There are some that stump me though. I keep going back and end up frustrated. Maybe one of these days I’ll get them though!

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

I don’t think I’ve done too many challenging ones actually. The only thing that’s standing out in my mind right now is a day in the summer of 2010 when we hiked High Head out in Wentworth. The hike itself isn’t that bad, and it’s totally worth it from the top, but of course we for some reason did it on a really hot day which was what made it physically challenging. And we were all stupid and didn’t have water haha So we were just very tired and warm.
 As for mentally…some of the puzzles on my list I mentioned above have me pretty mentally exhausted with just trying to solve them!

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

I can’t really think of any specific favourites at the moment. I must say though, I love 2 Gypsies hides. They come up with some pretty neat hides and containers – VERY creative (and they’re great people!). Doing Canada’s first was a neat experience as well.

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

I don’t think I’ve found anything super unusual. There’s always random things that you’re like “WHY would somebody leave this?” (such as fast food receipts which I’ve seen a few of). Starr_shine said we found some random candy wrapped up in some plastic wrap in one. But nothing crazy that I can remember.

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

At the start of the summer I set a number of goals for myself for the summer. I can’t wait to pass 1000. I just need to go out and do it – but it seems these days that’s easier said than done. I want to head to Moncton for the coin scavenger hunt, and I also want to finish last year’s NS Provincial Park passport program, as well as this year’s.

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

7 (although 1 I archived because it kept being muggled). 2 puzzles and 4 traditional. I’ve been wanting to put a multi out but I want to wait until an idea comes to me. I don’t want to just put one out to have it out there.

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

I would say find somewhere interesting. Although mine aren’t all in a crazy unknown spot, to me they’re all nice spots – they’re not just thrown off the side of the road. Whether it’s a quick series around a local pond, or out near my cottage which is my favourite place to be <3 Once I pick a spot I take multiple readings. Then I return a few days later before I submit it for publishing to make sure the coordinates I took actually lead me to the right spot. If they do, I publish. If they don’t, I take another reading and I’ll return a day or two later to check again.

13. How often do you go caching?

Not NEARLY as often as I’d like. I really only have 2 people I go caching with and 1 works a lot. Lately I’ve gone out alone a couple times because I hate not getting out and I’ve started to refuse to let others dictate when I go, but it’s just not the same being alone. I need more cacher friends! haha So if anybody wants company while caching, I’m available! haha

14. What advice would you give a beginning geocacher?

Go with an open mind and don’t get discouraged if you don’t find them right away. I’ve taken quite a few of my friends, some of which told me I’d NEVER get them out to do it and there was “no way they were going to run around the woods to find plastic” and I was able to talk them into trying it, and all of them left saying they’d do it again (sadly they’re only up for a small handful of caches a day and I have all of Truro and area cleared out, and they’re not up for travelling just to cache). But yeah, I would say go into it with an open mind, enjoy the scenery around you, and enjoy your time outside and away from the tv/computer screens. (And enjoy the amazing sleep you’ll get after a day full of being outside in the fresh air and hiking haha)

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

Not really. I do have one, a iCache coin (iPhone lover – what can I say), that I log from cache to cache with me, but other than that anything I have is just waiting to be sent out. I have sent out 2 in the past and both went missing within a month (although one has recently resurfaced after a year!) and so now I’m discouraged to send out any more It’s sad to me that some people don’t seem to care about other’s trackables.

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

Usually nothing. In my trunk I do have 2 backpacks though. I have one little one for if I’m going on a hike – I put water in it, and it has bandaids, wet naps, hand sanitizer, replacement logs and baggies, a flashlight and 2 headlights, pens. The other big backpack has basically the same things; some replacement logs and bags, cache containers for if a spot comes to me while I’m out, all kinds of fasteners (bungee cords, string, wire, tape, etc), and some duo-tangs with various things – plain paper, routes, whatever

17. What is your most memorable caching experience?

Oh boy…where to start. The Red Dirt Dash events are certainly on that list. The first year we competed we went hard all day and came up with 76 finds. This year we upped our team and again went hard all day and came up with 121 finds – both excellent days full of laughs and adrenaline.

There’s been a few day long caching trips (up and at the first cache before dawn, and not home until 11 or 12pm) that are pretty memorable. Not the caches themselves, but just the jokes that arise, and the time with friends – sadly one of these trips hasn’t happened in a while.

Other than that, being lost in the woods in Londonderry in the complete dark without flashlights and no path – complete bushwhacking, is certainly pretty memorable – terrifying at the time and we were both almost on the verge of tears trying to find our way back to the car, but we knew if we broke down it would only hinder us. We both ended up pretty scraped and bruised and shaken but we did find the road and made our way back to the car.

K

18. What is your best caching story?

Oh boy. Can I have 2? haha because I have 2 favourites. Being questioned by the police is up there. Myself and 2 friends were out one night in the dark behind the Truro mall in the ditch looking for GC1JJRT and the police van drove by and slowed right down. They then turned around and shone their big spotlight on us. They rolled down the window and we heard “…what are you doing guuuuys?” (totally said in the way you’d talk to a 3 or 4 year old that KNOWS they’re doing something wrong which made it hilarious). We told him we were geocaching and he had no idea what it was. We described it to him and he just looked at us as if we were nuts and said ok and drove away. Not too long after that the Gypsies set up a multi in town in which part of it includes going into the Police Station 
 Another story that I love was doing GC22WR2. We were in the trees looking, and an employee from a nearby store STORMED out of the store and let me tell you, he looked like he was on a mission for sure. I thought for sure by the determined look on his face he was going to be upset with us being outside of the store and tell us to get lost. Well, once he approached us he said “Can you PLEASE tell me WHAT you are doing?!? I see people out here almost every day and I have NO idea what is going on!” He looked extremely confused and so I put the poor guy out of his misery and told him what we were doing. He said he had asked others in the past and had been told everything from “looking for tree fungus” to “looking for a double beaked woodpecker”. We died laughing. He told us he would sleep easy that night knowing why people were constantly rummaging around outside of his work and his face relaxed and he headed back in to work. From then on, between the 4 of us that were there, an inside running joke of us being “Tree Doctors” formed (and actually because our team name for the first year we competed in the Red Dirt Dash).

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

I started to like it because it was cheap and fun. It got me outside rather than just sitting in the house, and it allowed me to spend time with friends without us going out to eat/to the movies…aka spending money – now it’s gas money but that’s doable (if only gas would go majorly down in price though huh?).
 I LOVE the satisfaction of making the find. As much as difficult finds DRIVE me crazy, the satisfaction of saying or hearing “FOUND IT!” is awesome. That to me is the big thing. I also love that it gets me outside. I don’t think I’ve spent so much time outside since I was a little kid.

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

I love travelling (wish I could be a professional traveller! haha), I’m a BIG Hanson fan and I’ve seen them in concert every year since 2005 (with the exception of 2006 in which they didn’t tour) and so that involves a lot of travelling since they don’t ever come close to the maritimes. I love, love, LOVE hockey (go Habs go), I like spending time with my friends and family, music, reading, wakeboarding, photography, and I actually love my job; teaching elementary

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

Hmm maybe “have you ever gotten your vehicle stuck while caching?” haha and to that I answer, yes, and twice in the same day at that! Starr_shine and I were out in Wallace back in January 2010. We were headed down a road and realized we didn’t want to be headed down that road. So since we were in the middle of nowhere I pulled a U turn. Weeeellllll, I kind of overshot/everything was covered in snow and I didn’t realize what I was doing annnnd we got stuck in the ditch. Starr_shine got out and started to push and we tried everything we could to get the car out. Then a truck came along and stopped and picture the creepiest old man you can picture with this little stub of a cigarette hanging out of his mouth getting out of this beaten up truck hahah Well, he had a rope in the truck and told us he’d pull us out. He hooked the rope on and pulled away. The rope snapped JUST as we got far enough to keep going in reverse. If I hadn’t of kept going in reverse I would have slid right back down. I JUMPED out of the car and gave this old man the biggest hug of life haha I believe I even said something along the lines of “I know I don’t even know you at all but I feel compelled to give you the biggest hug ever!” (Likely made his day….*shudder*). So off we went on our merry way to continue caching annnnnd not even half an hour later we were stuck again. This time, not on a main road – we pulled off on this little area on a back road. The snow looked like it was packed…yeah no, not the case at all. We sunk….hardcore. We pushed and pushed and pushed for an hour. We tried just about everything. We tried digging out around the tires, tried to put rubber boots under the tires to grip (yes rubber boots, I don’t know what we were thinking), took the car mats out of the car and tried to put them under the tires to give the tires something to grip, and we even saw part of a broken fence nearby that we went over and broke the rest of the way to see if the wood would do anything hahah. We had no cell service but in the right area we could get 1 bar. So we tried multiple times to call back to Truro to get help. Starr_shine called her dad (the person we could think of with a big truck) who went to get gas and then was going to head out to get us. Annnnd we managed to get ourselves out. Thankfully we laughed throughout the entire experience!

Do you love geocaching? Do you love meeting fellow geocachers? Do you love talking about geocaching and your favorite geocaching devices? Then we want to help you spread the love. We’re looking for enthusiastic members of the OpenCaching.com community to become official OpenCaching.com Ambassadors. Ambassadors will help spread the word about OpenCaching.comand share feedback from active geocachers around the world.

As an Ambassador your main responsibility will be to work with geocaching event organizers and geocaching associations in your area. You will attend events and association meetings to give away OpenCaching.com swag, answer questions about OpenCaching.com, gather feedback that will help shape the future of the site, and just share your Opie enthusiasm with other cachers.

Being an OpenCaching.com Ambassador is a volunteer job, but it’s not without some perks. Of course, we’ll provide you with plenty of swag to give away – making you a rock star at events. We’ll also outfit you in OpenCaching.com garb to identify you as an Opie expert. To make sure you are an expert, you’ll get sneak peeks into upcoming OpenCaching.com features and access to beta software for Garmin devices. The feedback you gather and the opinions you provide will make OpenCaching.com even better. If you’re meeting with lots of cachers and sharing great input, we might even decide you need a new Garmin handheld to show off and demonstrate.

If that sounds interesting to you, fill out the application here. We’re going to start with a small group in 2011, so let us know what makes you the ultimate OpenCaching.com Ambassador.

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

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