Interviews With Cachers


Interview with Tracey of The Amasons who broadcast the very popular Podcache Show
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o    How long have you been caching for?

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We registered with Groundspeak in our own right in December 2010


How did you get in to geocaching?

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My cousin and his family who are known as ‘The Hartsholme Explorers’ first got us interested in Geocaching in the September 2010

Your very first find?

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Our very first find as independent cachers was ‘Wierly, Wierly Good Cache’. It was Boxing Day morning, the day after Pete had got his first GPSr and we went for a walk to ‘play’ with it. This cache is a few miles from out home; the morning was bright, crisp and very, very cold. Frost covered everything in a white coating and it was idyllic. The kids found the cache and we were all hooked!

Favourite type of cache?

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We tend to like the fun, ‘bit of a search, but not too hard’ one. A cacher near to us – Pipsey01 – does the sort of caches we love to do, clever, even cunning, but not impossible.

Favourite size of cache?

We like a plastic box. We like to exchange gifts and the kids particularly like looking through what there I on offer and choosing what to leave.

Your favourite cache ever?


So many to choose from, it wouldn’t be fair to pick just one! And sometimes they are favourite caches because we’ve had a lovely day out…..


Series or single caches?


Series, especially if it’s a circular route and especially if we’re with caching buddies for a day out.

What’s the most memorable cache you have found?


The first one, just because it was the first!


Are you a TB hunter and do you enjoy moving them on?


We’re not TB hunters, but we will move them on if we can. Especially if we know we are going some distance in the 2 week time slot.



Do you send TB’s and coins out of your own?


We don’t send coins out, but both the adults of The Amasons, are TB’s!!!
We also enjoy the races set by others and are even hoping to do one ourselves soon.


What is the most memorable trackable that you have found?
Pete!

Fair weather or any weather?


We don’t let much keep us in, but we don’t do pouring fain. We can see no fun in getting wet and cold as a ‘fun activity’. But cold, snow, frost, ice, heat, sun…. we dress accordingly and get out there.

On your own or with someone else?


Both. We often cache with’ The Hartsholme Explorers’ and with the newly recruited ‘Ye Olde Boilers’, but equally often set off as a family group to walk, talk, laugh and cache. Lately, as the kids have got older and have a better social life than us, Pete and I have done some caching on our own, just the two of us, and that’s been lovely too.

Furthest cache from home?


France. We usually holiday on the Dordogne area of France and pick up the odd cache whilst we are over there.

o    What’s in your caching bag?

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What isn’t! GPSr, box of goodies/swaps, spare logs, spare canisters, extra pencil, The Podcache Show cards, first aid kit, bug spray, sun lotion, water, chocolate (!), loo roll (!), hand wash gel, blister plasters, and lots of other stuff too!

Any cache that you have heard about that you really want to find?

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Yes, and I believe it might be one of yours…. We’ve heard about a war bunker underground that has a cache in…. but for various reasons, its just not possible for us to do it at the moment. Still one day…..

Do you enjoy moving trackables on?

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We will move them on if we can. Especially if we know we are going some distance in the 2 week time slot.

Do you get involved with forums or give them a miss?

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Some on Facebook, but I’m not techy so don’t join forums outside of it. Pete has joined a few forums and gets ideas from them about caches to hunt.

And finally

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Best bit of advice for other cachers?

Enjoy it! It’s a game and we all play the game differently, but it is just a game and games are meant to be fun!

·         Thanks to Tracey of The Amasons for taking the time to answer these questions

·         0O0O0O0O0




Interview With Mollyjak ~ 27th February, 2011

How long have you been caching for?  I joined Groundspeak - 01/05/2005


How did you get in to geocaching?

My Headmaster in school called me to show me Geocaching on his computer as Tony had just bought himself a GPS. I thought, ‘What a silly, nerdy, stupid, anoraky thing to do!!!’ However our son was going travelling to Thailand and Australia, I wanted to do something and so decided to give it a try.


We dropped Chris off at Heathrow and then went to do a 1/1 around Newbury. 1/1 a good start I thought – except it was a 20 stage multi and walking around Newbury on a Saturday morning when we didn’t know what we were doing was not good. After doing the maths we were at the back of a factory on an industrial estate and we couldn’t find it. (My Maths was wrong LOL).


Tony has never really liked town or city caching since then - but it did take my mind off the aeroplanes flying over and one of them was taking our son away for a year.

Your very first find?

On the 22/01/2005 we tried again and this time a local cache, ‘The Cacheman’s Second’ GCJPIC, we were successful and found it. I would never have believed then where this hobby has since taken us and the friends we have made.

Favourite type of cache?

Caches that make me laugh when we find them so the cache name or the cryptic clue then makes sense.

Favourite size of cache?  No preference really.

Your favourite cache ever?

The best sense of achievement was ‘Compare and Contrast’ GCKXRN found finally 28/08/2005. It is based on a photograph and you had to find the co-ordinates (lots of puzzle caches around now but not then). My husband Tony and I tried and tried. After five days I finally cracked it – 11.30pm on a Friday night – I shouted to Tony as he was watching TV – he thought I had hurt myself.
Sunday off we went – he had copied the co-ords down incorrectly and the cache was over 300 miles away – ummm no, don’t think so!!!
A few days later back we go, about a mile away and UP on a coastal path, nope the cache was in the middle of thick undergrowth. Perhaps there was a cave below us on the beach.
A few days later and again we try, this time down to the beach, (which meant it was an UP to get back to the car, over the rocks – no cave so it was up there somewhere!!!

A few days later and again we try, it was August and was hot when searching all these places. Finally we used a bit of sense which we realise later was cachers’ instinct and there it was – WE HAD FOUND IT!!!.


Series or single caches?

I have got bad knees so don’t walk as far as most of the series are but we do enjoy some of the drive by series we have done such as ‘A Drive in the Country’ when we were at Mega Perth and Ernie B and his ‘Channel Link’ series – we haven’t finished that one yet and on our ‘To Do’ list.

What’s the most memorable cache you have found?

Arches and Islands on the 23/8/2005 W Wales – it was glorious along a coastal path and I loved it. Although a very close second is when we went to watch the Severn tidal bore – an earth cache.

Are you a TB hunter and do you enjoy moving them on?
I used to be but am not so bothered with them now

Do you send TB’s and coins out of your own?

Yes I have but when they disappear it is frustrating so I still buy the occasional coin for my collection but that is it.
What is the most memorable trackable that you have found?
A TB called Ianto – we set four TBs free at the first cache we found and they had been chosen by four classes from school. He travelled 17228.5miles, he then returned to this country and was picked up by a friend of mine (Sandra of Lydford Locators) she gave him to me and he is currently in school relaxing.

Fair weather or any weather?

Oh fair weather. We have been out caching in the rain and the snow and my favourite season is the spring before all the nettles grow and I really do not like caching in the autumn with all the wet, disintegrating leaves.


On your own or with someone else?

Always with Tony my hubby. I decide where we are going and put the caches I have chosen into a Bookmark, he takes over with all the techie bits and off we go. I always do the logging after. As he always says, ‘Lilian is the cacher, I am a golfer’.

I think I have found three caches on my own without him. He did the whereigo at Weston-Super-Mare Mega without me as I was helping with registration then.

Furthest cache from home?
When I retired from teaching we went on a cruise to the Med, Tony wanted to go to Rome and I wanted to go to Venice. This cruise suited both of us with a stop in Croatia and we found GCRDV4 – Wind Rose.


What’s in your caching bag?

GPSs (mine and Tony’s), pen, pencils, notebook, paper, headache tablets, migraine tablets, sugar free sweets, micro log book – think that’s it.

Any cache that you have heard about that you really want to find?  Not really.

Do you get involved with forums or give them a miss?

I go on the forums but now there are a number of Face Book subgroups which are becoming more popular and I prefer them as an opportunity to ‘meet’ the person behind the caching name.


And finally

Best bit of advice for other cachers?

Enjoy the new places that Geocaching takes you to.


Go to events as although it is very daunting when you first go it is a way of meeting people who share this hobby. We have never had such a busy social life as we do now with meeting cachers for meals, being invited to birthday parties and events which are far more often than when we first started.
After getting rid of our old caravan as it needed so much work we decided to buy another caravan so that we could join in with the camping events and we have a brilliant time.

Lilian - Mollyjak



Interview With Team Blid435

Team Blid435 is a Nottinghamshire cacher with over 900 finds in his caching career.

How long have you been caching for?  22 months. Since November 2009.

How did you get in to geocaching? Through a Geocaching friend.

Favourite type of cache? Any, except puzzle caches, I'm not too good at those. Not good at caches that involve walking or climbing due to health problems.

Series or single caches? Either, but prefer drive bys due to reasons above.

Your favourite find? One of my favourites has got to be Schrödinger’s Ghostly Wormhole Paradox GC2HJYV.which I found with Rob and Ian 2Anchors and Jeff Jat2010. Very glad to have been supported by a great crew and doubly glad to have taken the risk to do it.

Fair weather or any weather? I do prefer decent weather, but have done a few in rain and snow.

Your very first find? Harry's Cache-The Quarries GC1EXVG.

On your own or with someone else? With Susie my faithful Geo-Westie.

Furthest cache from home? Platja de Ses Salines, Ibiza GC34J59. This one was extra special as I was FTF even though the app on my phone failed as I was about 100 metres from GZ so had to rely on my geocaching senses.

Favourite bit of advice for other cachers? Just get out there and enjoy yourself. It doesn't matter if
you find one cache or several, just enjoy being out and about and finding places you never knew existed or that you wouldn't have visited if it hadn't been for geocaching.What’s in your caching bag? Two or three pencils, pens, plastic bags, a multi tool, a couple of extendable magnetic probes, various items for swapping, a few spare log books of different sizes, a small torch, a UV light, a note book, camera, and a couple of medical items for emergencies, and my GAGB Geocoin which is dipped into each cache I find as a form
mileage checker.

Any cache that you have heard about that you really want to find? Not really I just take each cache as it comes.There are a few I would have liked to have done but again due too health restrictions have been rejected.

Thanks John.

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Interview with BaCas

How long have you been caching for? Since Wednesday 16th February 2005, officially and did one in France a bit before but never logged it.

How did you get in to geocaching? A friend of mine saw it on Countryfile.

Favourite type of cache? A nice full Ammo can.

Series or single caches? Prefer a Series.

Your favourite find? Paper Caper by The Soupdragons.

Fair weather or any weather? Any weather, been in the snow, rain, fog and I actually prefer it quite bleak less people around.

Your very first find? Woolley Rail by Rimosky found 21st of February 2005.

On your own or with someone else? Both really, not keen on big groups.

Furthest cache from home? Done a few virtuals, in Maine- usa, The Antartic and even the Mia space station. But my real furthest is Perth in Scotland.

Favourite bit of advice for other cachers? Read the log page that someones gone to the trouble of writing and use the hint to avoid destruction to terrains.

What’s in your caching bag? What isnt , GPS, pens hundreds of them. A long mirror with a magnetic end. Head torch, baby wipes, A pouch that turns into a bag, A smal maintence kit with supplies in. Batteries, gloves. Lots of crumbs at the bottom. and old name tags from events.

Any cache that you have heard about that you really want to find? A cache at Brimham Rocks that you have to Absail to get it, but im too big for that. But one day soon I wont be.

Thanks


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Interview with John Stead

John is a cacher who was there at the beginning and has almost 4000 finds to his name.

How long have you been caching for?



Over ten years – registered on 4th February 2001 and found first cache on 14th April 2001 (less than 40 in UK at the time and had to go 100+ miles!)


How did you get in to geocaching?


Not sure now but think I saw a reference in a forum relating to Garmin as I had used a GPS for some years for walking


Favourite type of cache


No favourites really as location is to me more important though I have solved several puzzles and not yet found the caches.
Favourite size of cache


Anything bigger than a nano, though in the right place they can be good too.


Are you a TB hunter and do you enjoy moving them on?


Yes, 789 so far


Do you send TB’s and coins out of your own?


Yes, 34+ so far


Series or single caches? Both


Your favourite find?


Probably GCF0 Scotland's First

Fair weather or any weather?


Mainly fair weather now (I am 75)


Your very first find?


GC295 Mott the Hoople – a bit of an adventure as it was in a country park and until I was leaving I did not realize that entry was prohibited because of Foot and Mouth with a penalty of £2,000!


On your own or with someone else?


Mostly on my own as the friend I started with is no longer very mobile, but I do enjoy going out with a crowd at an Event.


Furthest cache from home?


GC13QB5 In Memory Of (Namibia) 5382 miles


Favourite bit of advice for other cachers?


Have fun


What’s in your caching bag?


Spare log sheets, 35mm film box, towel, self-inking stamp, pen and pencil (including write anywhere), sharpener, scissors,Garmin Colorado, binoculars, gardening gloves, compass, Tbs, swaps


Any cache that you have heard about that you really want to find?


Oldest in Wales
Do you enjoy moving trackables on?


Yes
Do you get involved with forums or give them a miss?


Used to waste a lot of time but got fed up with some of the agression and stupidity displayed so now am a rare visitor.


Thanks John

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