How I Spent My Weekend...

[Jayme H]

Hey gang!

 

Good morning and happy Monday to everyone!

 

I thought it would be fun to start a Monday morning check-in thread. Did you find any amazing caches this weekend? Go on any beautiful fall hikes? Stay cozy indoors and solve some puzzles?

 

Let's hear your latest adventure. Pictures and stories are encouraged!

 

I'll start it off. We had a BIG, fun caching weekend. My sweetie and I left work on Friday and cruised on over to Spokane (the opposite end of the state from Seattle) to have a little "cachecation". We had never been there before and were excited to go play together in a new city. We found a ton of Virtuals, played a few Wherigos, found lots of highly favorited caches, and went on a nice hike in a state park (Mt. Spokane).

 

 

On the way home we were able to find caches that helped us finish up our WA DeLorme pages, WA counties, and a fun one called the WA Cities & Towns Challenge. We took a few spontaneous camping road trips in the summer that set us up for finishing these challenges in the fall. Whew...what a weekend! We need another one to recover...or grab some more caches. LOL!

 

What about you guys? Anyone do anything fun? Let's hear it!

[+Traditional Bill]

My weekends were pretty lame before I started caching. Now it seems my girlfriend and I have a new adventure every weekend. Just this past weekend we went down to wildwood, nj and enjoyed the beach as well as picking up some puzzles and multis.

 

The day after we did some kayaking on the Medford canoe trail and afterwards I met up with a friend to go on a night puzzle run while 4 wheeling through the Wharton state forest (part of the NJ pinelands).

 

And that was a weekend spent close to home! I love that caching has given me the opportunity to show me so many new places I've never been to and teach me so many new things that I otherwise never would've done (I.e. - rock climbing, kayaking, tree climbing, 4 wheeling)

[+The Leprechauns]

On Saturday I finished some long-overdue maintenance on my favorite owned cache. I love making that hike, especially in the fall. It's a good idea to hide caches in places you enjoy visiting, as you'll need to return for maintenance. This complex multicache has been around since August 2002.

 

After that I found a cache behind a country church cemetery less than five miles from my house. I've lived here since 1987 and have never been by that church. The little white church was so quaint; it seemed like I was magically transported to New England. I love how geocaching shows me places in my own backyard that I didn't know about.

 

 

On Sunday I decided to take a hike in a nearby nature preserve to find two "hiking caches" rated 3/3 and 3.5/3. These caches were hidden farther out on a trail I discovered by being FTF on a cache in November 2002. It is fun to go back to the same place years later and see how the area has changed, how much you remember, etc. New caches mean new visits to favorite places!

[JASTA 11]

On Sunday, a friend and I kayaked a river for about seven miles doing maintenance on one of my paddle-multies. Afterwards we put in at another spot and went to an event (well, sort of) out on a spit of land in the middle of Mount Hope Bay (Rhode Island).

 

 

This tiny 'island' is just over .10 mile long, so you guessed it - there was room for two caches.

 

The weather wasn't great, but any day out on the the water is fine with me.

[Clan Riffster]

I spent some time beta testing an upcoming night cache/Wherigo.

I got about halfway through it.

[+redwoodkestrel]

On Saturday I was part of a scientific bioblitz in a local park that my organization and a few others had organized. We had about 60 members of the public out taking photos using an app with their smart phones (since phones provide georeferenced photos) and other cameras. All in all we made over 900 observations of at least 200 species (that number is still increasing as the community helps to ID organisms in the photos)!

 

There aren't very many caches in the park we were in, but I made sure to go with the group that was bioblitzing to the top of the ridge, since there was a cache up there with coordinates to another unknown cache in the park. Found them both!

 

View from the top of the park, where the first cache was:

 

The ring-necked snake I found after finding the unknown cache:

[+lamoracke]

Hi Jayme. This weekend I read some notes that a certain cacher posted on some challenges I watch but mainly I walked 4 miles in a state park where I got permission from a ranger to hide a cache in and I was exploring it, enjoying it and looking for potential spots to maximize the hike and make folks see some of the cool spots I saw. Will be my longest hike cache I own.

Edited October 7, 2013 by lamoracke

[Jayme H]

Loving these updates! You guys make me want to visit y'all and go caching in YOUR neck of the woods. Keep 'em coming!

[+Harry Dolphin]

This weekend? Flew back from Seattle, after spending a week. Colored in Wa, Or & BC. Found 8 cache types in one day, including GSHQ! But last weekend? Only replaced one missing cache. Oh, well.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

No geocaching last weekend. Other than going shopping for a hot tub for the second home we're buying and taking my son to skating lessons I created a couple of pocket queries for a trip to Europe I'm taking next month.

[+RedKori]

I did not go and see the wide vistas but still found some beautiful spots !!! Not to mention the difficulty navigating around them.

Edited October 7, 2013 by RedKori

[Luckless]

I attended a late night event designed to tell the die-hard cachers from the norm. -In the dark in the rain.

[+mdplayers]

I spent Saturday morning kayaking (no caching), then the afternoon in a state park caching. 1 Earthcache, 3 traditionals. Hiked about 3 miles round trip.

Camped overnight at another state park.

I grabbed 1 more cache on the way home on Sunday.

[+kd0bik]

Friday was my birthday and the wife and I drove up to Breckenridge. Then more caching on Saturday and Sunday for a total of 15 new finds over the long weekend. Fun Fun.

[+6NoisyHikers]

Weekends are our workdays so we'll tell you what we did during the weekdays:

 

First we took our niece and her boyfriend for their first caching adventure. They found three caches under our guidance, one of which was in need of some TLC so they learned how to do minor maintenance on a cache (dry the container, add a fresh log/swag).

 

Then, we hiked up to a previously found cache (GCY03D) in our search for a 64-year-old Korean man with Alzeimer's who has been missing for two weeks. Still no sign of Shin Noh

 

Then we took a walk down to the river to officially verify that a cache had gone missing. This one had been trouble since it was placed and we weren't sorry to have to post a Needs Archived on it. The location is beautiful and we hope that the next cache owner will place an appropriate container in the area.

 

[+mom2sage]

Hiked 5.5 miles with hubby, son, son's friend, and mom (who was visiting). Tried to find some caches, but only stopped for a few since the boys were impatient. Sunday went letterboxing with mom (our first time together). Did two series for a total of 8 found. Wish I did not have to work today!

[+jcar]

Some great pictures others have posted, wish I had more time to travel.

 

I co-hosted an event on Sunday, serving Frito Pies, at the trail head beyond which many have placed memorial caches to a fellow cacher who passed away a few years ago. It was great talking to those who showed up and reminiscing about our friend. It might just become an annual event.

[+Sagefox]

We were on grandkid duty this weekend to give the parents some well deserved time off. We just move into their house and have fun with the kids. We did get a chance to visit a Washington State Park 100th anniversary cache and three others. The kids (ages 4 and 7) love geocaching.

 

Here is a shot of Dead Man's Island from Kopachuck State Park including a crabby travelbug.

 

[+coachstahly]

I attended a pre-paddle breakfast event in NE Ohio and then paddled nine miles, over 4 of that in a steady downpour, in order to tackle a paddle series I hadn't done yet. I was one of the lucky few to spot the bald eagle that we startled out of the copse of trees we were heading past. Herons, kingfishers, a lonely turtle and other animals spotted were some of the other highlights of the trip. With all the rain it was hard to take pictures but it was still a great day on the water.

[+redsox_mark]

I had a great weekend. On Sunday, a friend and I did a canoe trip along a canal to find a cache, and had a picnic lunch. The sun was shining and it is in a beautiful area. Then in the afternoon we did a tough but very clever multi in the hills and woods nearby.

 

We were paddling a canoe, but saw many of these canal boats (we were following this one for some time).

 

[BRTango]

Took the kiddos out on a hike and grabbed a few caches by the resevoir.

 

[Jayme H]

Good morning!! It's Monday morning...again ...and I would LOVE to hear what everybody was up to for the past few days.

 

After the big cross-state roadtrip - last week - we enjoyed a quieter, more laid back weekend. We had a lovely breakfast out on Saturday and grabbed 15ish smileys afterwards to get ourselves set up for our next mini-milestone...7,500! WooHoo! We took a nice walk in the fall leaves yesterday and signed the log of the WA DeLorme Challenge. Now we just have to turn a few field notes into logs. It takes a little while to compose a log worthy of MANY memories and miles of adventuring together. Fun stuff!

 

Wishing I had pictures of the gorgeous fall colors to share. How 'bout you folks? Anyone do anything fun since we last chatted?

[+fuzziebear3]

Climbed a cool tree -- on the inside -- for cache #2000. Called Through the Wormhole.

Also saw a very pretty covered bridge.

 

[+geocat_]

Found this on my way to a cache. I think it is a lichen but I am not sure.

 

 

[knowschad]

Found this on my way to a cache. I think it is a lichen but I am not sure.

 

 

 

Nope. Chicken of the Woods mushroom.

[+Harry Dolphin]

We were doing some easy cache in north Jersey. Found a very interesting park with some interesting plasnt. Don't know what these are, but they're very pretty.

[+Ambrosia]

This weekend, we visited our daughter in Walla Walla, WA. On Saturday, we visited Fort Walla Walla Park, managed to dnf two caches, but had a great time exploring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[+Ambrosia]

On our way out of town on Sunday, we did a multi that involved a culvert (my first!):

 

 

 

 

 

 

[+Viajero Perdido]

To celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving and the fact my old body can still take me to places like this (and of course for a quality smiley), I walked up the Canmore end of Mount Rundle, the same mountain whose other end is the backdrop of many pictures of Banff.

 

[+6NoisyHikers]

To celebrate the Thanksgiving stat, NoisyHikers #2 and #4 conquered Burke Mountain Summit. It was a nine hour hike. All for one one cache. Our legs are killing us. It was fabulous!

[Jayme H]

Awesome adventures, gang! Thanks for sharing. You guys have got my mouth watering for turkey, gravy, and pumpkin pie now.

[+farrtom]

This was at a cache that I got a First to Find on a cache one week shy of four years hidden.

 

 

And this one was from the night before.

 

[+Viajero Perdido]

A cache can wait four years for FTF and there's a road close by?!?

 

Where on Earth?

[+6NoisyHikers]

Thanks for starting this thread Jayme It's really nice to have a place to post our adventures. Now I have to go caching every week We live in BC so be prepared for a lot of pictures of cloudy skies.

[+3GDs]

Here's a shot of my #geofamily on the trial in South Wales. We're doing the Canal Caper series and nearly finished!

Can't wait for this weekend!!

[+farrtom]

A cache can wait four years for FTF and there's a road close by?!?

 

Where on Earth?

 

It is along the Idaho Wyoming boarder. GC1ZY4W

This is a relatively well traveled road. I was surprised it had been so long with out a find.

[7rxc]

Wasn't exactly the weekend, but my schedule is a bit different. Was last Wednesday (I think).

 

 

We had to run to the next town to get some things. There was snow in the morning, but the afternoon turned sunny and otherwise perfect caching weather, so on the way home we did some along the way.

 

Terrible way to have to spend a few free hours on an otherwise grey week, yesterday was nice too, but had to be elsewhere and not caching. Today is improving after some more snow, but it is melting again.

 

Doug 7rxc

[Frau Potter]

Thanks to Jayme for starting this inspiring thread!

 

I am surrounded at HQ with people who seek adventure. Therefore, when the time came for some fall hikes with my family, I sought their advice. They highly recommended Monte Cristo. It had all the elements I love - it involved an 8 mile round-trip hike, was in a beautiful place, offered an opportunity to show my children a REAL ghost town, and was an old geocache (one of Jeremy's originals from 2000)!

 

I was not disappointed. If you are in the Seattle area, and enjoy hiking, you should visit Monte Cristo! The townsite even has a railroad turntable that you can turn by hand!

 

 

As the next weekend rolled around, we looked for another adventure. Mt Pilchuck was our next epic adventure. Purgatory is a geocache worth climbing for!

 

 

Everyday I am amazed at geocaching adventures not far from home. Thanks to everyone for posting their inspirational photos. Geocaching takes us to some great places.

 

Cindy / Frau Potter

[Jayme H]

Good morning afternoon, party people! Update time!

 

So...Saturday started out with a movie (anyone seen Gravity yet? Holy smokes!) while we were waiting for the super thick, coldish fog to clear up around these parts. It never did. So we got out of the movie and went caching anyway! Take THAT, fog! We bundled up and had some fun riding around on our bikes, grabbing smileys together.

 

Sunday we went caching with our cat. Yup, you read that right. Wish it was under better circumstances though. We took our cat, Pickle, to the vet (he is OK) and on the way home we grabbed a few here and there. He was feeling cozy in his carrier and snoozed while we cached our way home. Everybody wins!

 

Since we started this little "share party" a few weeks back, I now spend all week looking forward to hearing what you guys have been up to - seriously. Alright, who's got something fun to share!

[BRTango]

Anyone know what this is? It's in the Fredericksburg, VA canal. I'm assuming some type of water level measuring device. It has a plumb weight, pulley, and floater on the end of a metal cable. The floater drops into a pipe in the canal. To the left is a wheel for something... I have no idea what.

 

It was an interesting find this weekend on our near home adventure.

 

 

Some other great sights from this weekend:

 

[+6NoisyHikers]

Yep. Really.

 

[Halfwaytothestars]

Gotta love a green hobby,

[Jayme H]

Happy Wednesday! Here's what I saw as I hopped off the bus this morning.

 

 

My husband and I motored on up to Canada to stay for the weekend and participate in an event called the GeoZombie Run. Super fun way to spend a Saturday. We started the day receiving a "Zombie Hunting Permit" and pelting a few (non-human) zombie targets with paint balls. After that we drove from activity to activity punching holes on our zombie hunting permits for our various zombie hunting accomplishments (carrying a goopy brain through a wooded obstacle course, getting caught in a BIG playground sized tangled web, tossing brains into a zombie's open mouth). It was a FULL day of exploring the northern-most area of Western Washington. We found ourselves on logging roads, driving along the US/CAN border ditch, exploring a beautiful spit reaching out into the harbor, and among lonely roads dividing up expansive agricultural fields.

 

Here's a shot of our group grabbing one of the caches - neat old boat.

 

The day ended back where we started our hunt...with food, a fun raffle, and s'mores served up by a few of the surviving zombies!

 

After sleeping like babies that night, we jumped out of bed on Sunday...eager for another fun day of exploring. Here's the view near one of the last caches we grabbed that day. It was the perfect ending to a great weekend of playing together.

 

 

A BUSY weekend led right into a BUSY start to the week - hence the Wednesday update...but here we are. I know you guys have been adventuring out there! Let's hear it!

[+geocat_]

Many of you will recognize this...

 

 

[JASTA 11]

Spent the long weekend hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

 

 

Hiked twenty miles, bagged two 4,000 footers, found four caches, spent one night in an Adirondack shelter, the second at the AMC's Galehead Hut, and had a great time doing it all!

 

[+farrtom]

Besides watching my daughter participate in the state cross country meet we found a couple of caches to help fulfill a personal caching goal.

We also spent some of our caching time working on a couple information for some new earth caches we want to get published. I spent more time on the earth cache stuff then I did on looking for regular caches.

[+giddeanx]

Went to the Amish Country for some cache magic.

 

A picture for halloween:

Edited October 31, 2013 by giddeanx

[+6NoisyHikers]

BUMP - because we really like this thread

 

Last week we attended our local Geocaching in Space event. Over 100 cachers showed up in a civic park in Burnaby, BC.

 

Then we took the Mini-Hikers to the zoo and picked up a cache just outside the gate!

[Jayme H]

Love it! Thanks for the thread bump, 6NoisyHikers. I like this thread too!

 

I attended the Seattle version of Geocaching in Space last week. We had a fun laser show (haven't been to one of those since high school!) and had a representative from the Seattle Science Center's Space Education Program give us an awesome commentary on exactly what was happening to the astronauts as we got closer and closer to launch time. Very fun. I have to admit that I did get a little nervous as we watched the rocket launch - I am so happy that everything went soooo smoothly!

 

As for last weekend...I didn't do any caching. I know, right? Crazy! We went to a few movies and stayed cozy under blankets on the couch. Some weekends are like that though. I know that some of you went caching though. How 'bout it, what has everyone been up to for the past few weeks...I want to hear some updates.

 

P.S. If anyone has anything fun to share at anytime...go for it! I am happy to bump it every week, but there is no need to wait for me.

[+Harry Dolphin]

A friend wanted pictures of the fall foliage.