Team Rampant Lion

This event has been cancelled for tomorrow due to the fact that there is about 9 inches of snow cover. It will be rescheduled. Here is the note from the organizer:

Because of the weather forecast 6-8" for Sparta tomorrow - Saturday. It may translate into a event delay so watch this thread.

Could be a plan - if we are still going, coins would still be offered.

The word on the coins is now a March 3-4 shipping date (to me). For the trades lined up I will be ready to turn around and mail to you quickly. These are taking a bit longer than I had anticipated so I thank you for your patience. PS - My kids still have a few version #1 coins (above - Bear) they would like to trade for other personals. We do have these in hand.

Congratulations! Keep on hunting.

I had an LE in my cart and before I could checkout - it was gone . But did get a couple black horses.

Congratulation! Keep on hunting.

Here is a copy of an email I received from the organizer. I will try to get an idea from him on Saturday night and get an email out to those of you who have planned to come.

Congratulations! Keep on hunting!

Congratulations! You and your crew are tearing up the area. Keep on hunting!

Just an update for those of you who have voiced interest in a trade. Things are moving a bit more slowly than I thought as I didn't count on Chinese New Year. I received the mint proofs last week and thought they looked good. I asked to see if a little more black highlight could be added to the silver coin to pull out the highlights on the lion. Once I get feedback on that we should be good to go and hopefully it won't be too long before the coin is in your hands. Here are some pics - thanks for your patience.

yup... grrrr M Brian b dropped me a note to point that out and it is disappointing. Unfortunately, I only received notice from them on Wednesday that this clean-up was planned. As the organizer and other participants consider themselves "custodians" of the area and are very favorable towards geocaching (they have offered us many opportunities to promote geocaching including the upcoming Sparta Mountain Day), I thought it would be worthwhile to try to drum up support for the clean-up. Enjoy your hike and I will speak with them about extending notice and possibly letting us participate in choosing the date in the future.

I'm a Scot, played in the top Pipe and Drum Band in the US (Midlothian Scottish) for years and even have parents that made me eat haggis. Trust me, geocaching has not helped me improve my taste for haggis.

On Sunday, February 24th we will partner with the group that hosts Sparta Mountain Day for the Sparta Mountain Trail Clean-Up. Please join us to help clean up one of NW New Jerseys favorite caching areas. I'll give anyone who pre-registers to help us (and participates) one of my new TRL geocoins - not a huge gift but a token of appreciation. Hope to see you there.

Oops, hit enter two times fast.

Someone's been hanging out near Jim's.

... you are on the Homeland Security watch list because you've purchased so many ammo cans and mortar cases online.

a bonfire in new jersey? don't get me wrong it'd be cool, but where?? A picnic event sounds like a great idea What about Swartswood State Park? They have 6 Yurts up in a very private area where you can have bonfires, cookouts. I believe you could bring animals during the day but they can't stay overnight (bear issues). The Yurts are only $25 a night and they are clean and new (only about a year old). Caches of Kitattinny, Whittingham, Stokes, Highpoint (a few along the AT) are all nearby.

I'm still a BEARS fan -- in more ways than one! Unfortunately, my team chose to go into hibernation early this year.

Yeah, me too. The timing of the last approved bear hunt was December 5th as supposedly all the mothers and cubs would be denned for the season. When it turned out that the vast majority shot during the hunt were mothers and cubs, I read an interview in the paper from a naturalist (?) that the readily available food supply with more and more of us humans moving into their neck of the woods was decreasing their need to hibernate. Previously, they timed their sleep to the availability of skunk cabbage and the other things they usually eat. Now, with Burger King down the road, they're pulling all nighters. This particular person (in the paper) was concerned that it is changing the whole nature of black bears in the northeast. As it is increasingly common to see 500+ pound black bears (where I guess 250 lbs used to be the norm), he was suggesting that it might not bee too long before their timid nature began to change to be more aggressive. The ones I saw yesterday certainly were still timid.

A previously shot bear doesn't sound like a good one to run into...

Congratulations! Keep on hunting.

Congratulations! Keep on hunting!

Congratulations to you as well!

Congratulations! Keep on hunting! (I'd do the booby thing but this is not that type of site )