Caching Name: Martin Mitchell

Real Name: Martin Mitchell

1. How did you become involved in geocaching?                                         My sons are/were both Boy Scouts and were working on the Geocaching Merit Badge. I was doing it with them and having at least as much (if not more) fun with it than they were. Once the badge was done, so were they, but I was hooked. At first I didn’t have a way to do it, but a cell phone upgrade took care of that. Since then I’ve also purchased a Garmin handheld and I go whenever I can.

2.  How did you choose your caching name?                                            Because the Merit Badge Counselor needed to look up the boys’ finds, we made it easy on him and just used our real names.

I wish I had some kind of clever, catchy name that described me, but I didn’t know too much about it at the time, and now a few people know me by Martin Mitchell so I feel like I shouldn’t change it.

  3.  What type of cache do you prefer seeking – traditional, multi, and puzzle, virtual?
I like regular traditional(s) the best because you never know what you might find in one, plus I love seeing the names of geocachers who came before me on the log…”I met that person at an Event!”.

But I also absolutely love puzzles. My favorites were probably GC47TX8 The Dark Side, the few of the Hobbit ones I’ve solved, and GC4ZHRK A Song of Ice Cold Beer and Fire.

The challenges have been fun too, because you can work on them over a long period of time and watch them come to completion.

4.  Which caches were the most challenging, either physically/mentally?                                                                                           Hmmm, The Dark Side and A Song of Ice Cold Beer and Fire were the most mentally challenging. But, I think GC4KVYG, Music through the Decades, took me the most “geochecker” entries!

Physically, I would have to give to GC5PA2H “My Kind of Paradise T.I.”. It was a long walk through marsh mud, high water, nonexistent trails, impenetrable reeds, and you had to plan against the tide chart, and also GC2MD1H, Cave, that I did when I was out at GeoWoodstock XIII.

5. What are your current geocaching goals?                                            Short term, I am really enjoying the Geocaching Road Trip for 2015. I have each of the souvenirs so far.

I have a few challenges I am working on including, Cemetery Challenge, and The Loneliest Cache Challenge. I am excited at the prospect of completing them, but not rushing, because it’s fun to come upon the needed caches in my everyday caching and on outings with friends.

Other than that, I am looking far forward to 2000 caches (I just reached 1000 in July) and really long term, I’d like to cache in all 50 states.

6. Where have you always wanted to go caching but haven’t?                    I sort of lucked out that right after I started caching last October we had a family trip planned to Florida. I am a huge Disney fan and was able to get the WDW virtuals while I was there. Since there are also a handful of virtuals in Disneyland in California, I’d love to go there someday.

7. What is your most memorable caching experience?                           After a few months of caching mostly by myself, I stumbled upon Mike Ott’s “Northern De Monthly Mid-Week Dinner Event January”.

Honestly, if I hadn’t attended that event at Café Napoli I might only be a once in a while geocacher.

At the event, I met all of these great people. They were as enthusiastic about geocaching as I was! And they were friendly, helpful, really nice people. I happily attribute any success I have had early on to cachers like Shorttripp and Waypointed who took the time, and had the patience, to explain things to the “new guy”.

8. What do you like about geocaching?                                                              I like the thrill of the hunt. “I Found it!” might be my favorite catchphrase of all time.

Most of all though, I like going out with the friends I have made and having a day in the woods, hiking, and sharing the finds and adventures.

I also like helping people. I try to always carry a few extra logs, baggies, and small containers in my geo-pack. That way, if I come across a soggy log or damaged container, I can give something back for all the great caches that people have put out.

I loved helping out with the Delaware State Star!

9. Do you have some favorite caches in the area?                                        In Delaware, White Clay, Iron Hill, and Mason Dixon caches that allow me to hike in the woods and along creeks.

GC3K2AZ Delaware Geocaching Jigsaw Puzzle, GC1ZKK9 Alas, Poor Yorik A Night Cache, GC31BDR A Treat and A Garden (my son loves UD Creamery), GC5RVJ2 Preserve Trail #2, GC2ZARE Yellow Submarine, GC4WAV8 Swallow Your Pride Rock, GC48GD3 Not So Nice And Easily Bamboozled, and the Santa’s Caches.

10. Do you have any other hobbies or interests?
I am a Boy Scout leader so I camp every month of the year. I also enjoy riding motorcycles, playing disc golf, and I am an avid comic collector.

Caching Name: MDPlayers
Real Name: Karen and Ashley Skipper

1. How did you become involved in geocaching?
Karen: I was at a Girl Scout Volunteers Training camp weekend and one of the classes was Geocaching. I was instantly hooked after taking that class. Ashley is just along for the ride I think. But he’s recently gotten interested in creating some gadget caches.

2. How did you choose your caching name?
The teacher of the class I took was MD(something). I decided to follow with ‘MD’ for our home state of Maryland and ‘Players’ just because we are playing a game.

3. What type of cache do you prefer seeking – traditional, multi, and puzzle, virtual?
I like anything except the difficult puzzles. I don’t have the time for them. I like simple field puzzles though. Ashley likes traditional caches small size and up, no micros unless they are near a cool site to see.

4. Which caches were the most challenging, either physically/mentally?
Karen says CAM 2009 – Hoye Crest (GC1NKTA) cache was physically difficult for us; we are flatlanders for sure. What a climb and the view is well worth it.
Ashley says it was Rapid Cache (GC1E44) in West Virginia. It’s a terrain 5 (boat needed) and the water was low when we were there. The cache is up the mountain side.

5. What are your current geocaching goals?
No real goal except to cache when we can and have fun doing it.

6. Where have you always wanted to go caching but haven’t?
We haven’t really thought about it. We just cache when and where we can.
7. What is your most memorable caching experience?
We were doing the long since archived 20 Feet Concrete (GL1B5V66) cache at the old hatchery in Elkton. The water was frozen and our son skipped a rock over the ice. Wow! What a cool sound that makes. It is something we still talk about.
8. What do you like about geocaching?
It’s been a great excuse for getting outdoors together. I love a long walk at a State Park with a few caches to grab along the way. It has also been fun to learn about some of the historical sites around DelMarVa that we’ve seen only because we’ve been caching.

9. Do you have some favorite caches in the area?
GL87C0PH Mares eat oats
GC1NC7D Lums Hydilea
GC3DYYT Your Key to Cache

10. Do you have any other hobbies or interests?
We are both involved with Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, Ashley is a fisherman, and we camp. We’ve been doing at little kayaking lately and having a good time with it.

Caching Name:  Delicious “D”

Real Name: Dave Yannes

1. How did you become involved in geocaching?                                     My brother and his family “The Lowpers” started geocaching in January of 2010. They came for a visit Memorial Day weekend and said there are a few caches in Rittenhouse Park just up the road. I never heard of geocaching before but we decided to try it. We searched with their automobile GPS but came up empty as one of the caches was missing and the other one “TGPTBM -Tourist Spot – Newark, Delaware” (GC1K2GK) was in the middle of a mud pit surrounded by stickers.  Having read the clue and having a sense of the general area, I went back out myself and found the cache without a GPS. I was hooked now. The next day I went out and bought a Magellan Explorist GPSr and signed up to become a geocaching member. As of today I have over 2000 caches and the “Lowpers” have 12.

2.  How did you choose your caching name?                                               I was playing video games with my niece and nephew and they said, “Uncle Dave, you need to come up with a name for your player”. I was eating a red delicious apple at the time and we came up with the name Delicious ”D”. It stuck so I decided to use it as my geocaching name.

3.  What type of cache do you prefer seeking – traditional, multi, and puzzle, virtual?                                                                                     I like being outside either hiking or riding my bicycle so I prefer traditional caches in the woods. I also enjoy mystery, field puzzle, multi, and challenge caches.

4.  Which caches were the most challenging, either physically/mentally?                                                                                             The most physically challenging so far was Mike Ott’s “Delaware Centum Challenge at C&D Canal” (GC35VCC) where you needed to find over 100 caches in one day to qualify. I put my bicycle in the car and drove to the C&D canal where I did the C&D power trail. I rode my bicycle on both sides of the canal and went from one end to the other – from Chesapeake City, MD to just south of Delaware City, DE. After traveling over 20 miles by bike I ended up with 122 caches for the day.

There have been other caches where you had to climb a tree or climb up rocks to get to a cache.

5. What are your current geocaching goals?

* My next milestone is 3000 caches (I finally reached 2000 caches in January).

* I want to get some more caches published. In February I placed my first 4 caches in Middle Run Valley Park and in May I placed another 4 caches in Iron Hill Park.

* I want to get at least one cache in all 50 states. So far I have caches in DE, MD, PA and MI. I sure have a long way to go on this one.

* Finally, I want to go out west to attend a Mega Event.

6. Where have you always wanted to go caching but haven’t?              I would like to travel out west and geocache in the Colorado Mountains or the Grand Canyon or maybe even in Hawaii.

7. What is your most memorable caching experience?                            I took a trip to Petosky, MI with my brother and his family (The Lowpers) and some of their friends where we rented a log cabin for a whole week. It was located in the northern most part of Michigan and only 50 miles or so from the Mackinac Bridge leading to the Upper Peninsula. On one day of our trip we took a Star Line hydroplane ferry boat ride from Mackinaw City, across the Mackinac Strait (which separates Lake Michigan from Lake Huron) to Mackinac Island. We explored the historic Fort and buildings on the island and geocached as well.

Other camping/geocaching trips included going to Cunningham Falls State Park in PA and to the Herrington Manor/ Deep Creek Lake area in western MD.

8. What do you like about geocaching?                                                            I like the friendliness of geocachers and I like attending events where new and old geocachers meet to eat and swap geocaching stories. One of my favorite events is the “Picnic on the Brandywine” in PA. I also like traveling to some out of the way park or historic building or even abandoned ruins in the woods which I would not have seen if not for someone placing caches in those places.

9. Do you have some favorite caches in the area?

* The first cache I ever found – “TGPTBM – Tourist Spot” (GC1K2GK).

* The archived “World’s Largest Bison Tube” (GCYPE6) but has been reborn by me as “Return of the World’s Largest Bison Tube” (GC5KD29)).

* Caches in the LOTR series (#01 to #20) [even though #01, 11 and 16 are archived the rest of the caches are fun to do]. (See “LOTR #01 – Gollum’s Lake” (GC3HA6Z) for more info on the series)

* Several multi-caches: “Hillside cache” (GCWFY7) and “The Smithmill Devil Returns” (GC29T0E) in Delaware, and the “Ruined-Chicken Multicache” (GC2BE4) and the “Fair Hill Multicache” (GC2570) in Maryland.

10. Do you have any other hobbies or interests?                                        I love bowling. I average around 200 per game and have even bowled a sanctioned 300 game. I also like camping, fishing, hiking, bicycling and gardening.

Caching Name: Crafty Wolf
Real Name: David and Janet MacDonna

1. How did you become involved in geocaching?
While Janet was in Vet school, our neighbor in Stillwater, OK introduced us. He took us and group of friends on a puzzle cache adventure around town. (Painted Walls GL1B167Q). We were intrigued enough that he took us on a few more the next day. We then decided to create our own handle and started caching on our own once David found an App for his old phone that worked.

2. How did you choose your caching name?
David loves wolves and Crafty was Janet’s Girl Scout Camp name. We find caches together so we combined them to form our name.

3. What type of cache do you prefer seeking – traditional, multi, and puzzle, virtual?
Typically “traditional,” but it depends on the location and what is around. All are fun however some of the puzzle ones are very complex.

4. Which caches were the most challenging, either physically/mentally?
There was this one puzzle/ multi in Oklahoma that was very frustrating. We got the clue wrong 2-3 times and one time ended up by this abandoned house and a police officer stopped us for loitering. We still were FTF! (Philosopher’s Journey GC2Q3GA)

The most exhausting physically was one off a bluff lookout on the Illinois River. We canoed all day on the river then hiked 3 miles to the cache. We were sunburnt, dehydrated and with cramped muscles—however we found the cache!! (SparrowHawk Vista – Illinois River GC5D81)

5. What are your current geocaching goals?
Have fun and continue to cache. Try to cache a little more frequently. Hide more caches.

6. Where have you always wanted to go caching but haven’t?
New Zealand

7. What is your most memorable caching experience?
There was a cache on an island the middle of Lake Boomer in Stillwater OK. David walked out on the semi frozen lake during his lunch break from work. Janet was waiting for the call from Stillwater Police that David was rescued from falling through the ice; however, David made it safely to the island and back!

8. What do you like about geocaching?
Love seeing different places and the thrill of the find. Like how caching gets everyone outside and has a reasonably low cost to get and stay involved. How almost any age can participate and that it is really fun getting new people involved!

9. Do you have some favorite caches in the area?
UD’s Solar system, Mike Ott’s Route 9 Series

10. Do you have any other hobbies or interests?
Skiing, walking and hiking with our 2 Alaskan Malamutes, game nights with friends, and cooking.

Caching Name:  Evanspack

Real Name:  Jan Evans

1. How did you become involved in geocaching?
In 2006, when my son was a young teenager, I tried to find a hobby that we could both participate in. I had heard about geocaching and thought this might be something we could do together as a family. We cached together for the first couple months, but he soon lost interest. I did not!

2. How did you choose your caching name?
I wanted a name that would include both me and my son. A pack of Evans’, so Evanspack was created!

3. What type of cache do you prefer seeking – traditional, multi, and puzzle, virtual?
I prefer virtuals, although they are quite a challenge to find now. I like that virtuals take you to some cool location! Since there are not many virtuals around, I will try to find a traditional that takes me somewhere historic!

4. Which caches were the most challenging, either physically/mentally?
Some puzzle caches have become a real challenge for me. I will work on puzzles off and on until I am completely stumped. Sometimes I will write the CO for help.

5. What are your current geocaching goals?
I would like to become the number one cacher in Delaware! No, I am kidding!
Here are my real (which are all attainable) goals.
1. State Stars
2. Oldest cache challenge
3. 30 earth caches in 30 days challenge
4. 30 State challenge

6. Where have you always wanted to go caching but haven’t?
I have always wanted to do the ET trail! It is a rite of passage for all geocachers I have heard!!

7. What is your most memorable caching experience?
I have had quite a few. Caching with 12 women, in three days completing 4 states comes to mind. I have gone on a lot of crazy caching trips with my caching friends!

8. What do you like about geocaching?
I like that you get to see a lot of unique and interesting locations that may have gone unnoticed if not for a geocache.

9. Do you have some favorite caches in the area?
I like Mike Ott caches, he will always take you on a nice hike in a nice area.

10. Do you have any other hobbies or interests?
I like to run in the early AM!

 Caching Name:  Scrapple-ers

Real Name:            John and Dawn Tomeski

1. How did you become involved in geocaching?
In April 2006, John’s brother, #1Papabear, came to visit from NC and said, “I have this cool new hobby for you to try, I think you’ll like it.”

Our first adventure was actually in Redden Forest, when they allowed caches, we got muddy and walked all over the woods and had the best time EVER, and we were HOOKED.

2.  How did you choose your caching name?
We live in Bridgeville. It is home to an apple orchard and a scrapple plant, so we did a little play on the name.

3.  What type of cache do you prefer seeking – traditional, multi, and puzzle, virtual?
Traditional are the most favored, but we LOVE virtuals because you learn and see so much more with them. NOT fans of puzzles.

4.  Which caches were the most challenging, either physically/mentally?
We like the physical challenges. We did one in NC that we had to walk on a guide wire (tight rope) over the top of a pond to get the cords and cross back to climb a tower about 150 ft high to get the cache. THAT WAS AWESOME!! Some of us had a little more difficulty crossing on the wire, when things start to jiggle and wiggle, ya kinda lose your balance.

5. What are your current geocaching goals?
We would like to travel a little more and find some unique caches. And maybe place a few more caches.

 6. Where have you always wanted to go caching but haven’t?
Well, we’ve been mainly in the Mid-Atlantic states, I think we’d like to just head west and see wherer the GPSr takes us.

 7. What is your most memorable caching experience?
We have experienced so many different caches, there are some really challenging ones out there. We’ve been on a tightrope, in wells, under streets, climbed trees in the middle of a highway, kayaking, crossed a river on foot, and did the BLING trail in a day (can we say exhausting?) It really is hard to pinpoint one cache specifically.

8. What do you like about geocaching?
We love the adventure and the really great people we’ve become friends with. It is a great sport/hobby that anyone can do. We love travelling and getting off the highway.

 9. Do you have some favorite caches in the area? 
The kayak caches are really the most fun to us.

10. Do you have any other hobbies or interests?
We are crafters, we make a lot of different wood crafts and small furniture.
John and the older kids (KATnissT and BMXer17) are fire fighters.
Brad (B.A.Tman) is going into 1^st grade and plays baseball and ice hockey.

Mike Ott has been named the Geocaching.com Geocacher of The Month!!

http://blog.geocaching.com/2014/03/announcing-the-january-geocacher-of-the-month/

CONGRATS MIKE!!!!!