Savoy 6

I have 4 versions of Men of Harlech on my MP3, one is the ending of Zulu as Richard Burton reads the VC (Victoria Cross) roll from the Battle of Rorkes Drift

Mother nature can be mean, there is no dumb-a** vaccine-- Jimmy Buffett My signature is one of many Teddy Roosevelt quotes I use. I think Nietzsche was a geocacher,"there is your way, there is my way, there is no THE way" Our office slogan, "Never argue with the investigator. It's like wrestling in the mud with a pig. After awhile, you realize the pig is enjoying it"

I listen pre caching and post caching. Like nature sounds while caching. My MP3 has an assortment- mostly old- Jimmy Buffet- listening to him for 32 years(before we knew what a Parrothead was) Michael Nesmith- yes, the guy from the Monkees( his post Monkee days) Emmylou harris Jerry Jeff Walker Guy Clark Linda Ronstadt(pre-1980) Waylon Jennings Bob Wills bagpipe (mostly military) Meatloaf plus whatever else tickles my ear

My sons, Savoy 6 Alpha, and Savoy 6 bravo eat it up. 7 and 14. Love to go as much as possible. After my wife died, I asked my 7 y/o old what he wanted to do to get his mind occupied with something, "caching, duh!" was his answer. My threshold of tolerance with them is 3 caches or 3 hours, whichever comes first. Then sibling rivalry and bickering set in. A shallow grave is not the answer

I know, the worst "carp" is bad. had some in Survival School. Too many bones.

ssshhhh! the black helicopters are flying over. terrorism can strike anywhere. the true purpose is to cause fear in the population, and a resulting mistrust in the government. Reality check- Cachers are not you usual agoraphobics or xenophobics. Most are outgoing, or going out at least. There's more to worry about in the woods. if you restrict your fun of the game, guess what, they win. I have been in countries with active terrorism and personally have seen the results. I never even considered it and geocaching together. Cachers possess or should have that attention to details. nuff said. I'm going caching today and many more days and terroism is not anywhere on my list of concerns And I'm not sticking my head in the sand. The IRA told the British, "we have to be lucky once, you have to be lucky everyday" I'm more concerned during the drive to the cache. Now that's terrorism

The voice of reason. It was almost to the point of green eggs and ham. I shall get my map and cap... Sorry I'm dizzy from the "cash", "ca-shay", "cashe", "heche?" I pronounce it fun, f-u-n!!!

I got the GPS for a specific job i was considering. I stumbled upon geocaching.com purely by accident/ It has beome what the yuppie-puppies call "quality time" with my sons. To show the impact of caching on my sons, let me share a personal story. My wife died this past Sunday morning. I asked my 6 year old, "what do you want to do after the funeral Thursday?"- not play with his friends, videogames or be with family. His first words out of his mouth- "let's go geocaching" It has become our time together. Mom took him to karate, but he, his dad and brother "cache" together. To sum it up, I quote the hokey pokey, that' what it's all about".

Brilliant minds think alike. My wife always asks, "how many packs do you need?"- Women, can't live.... Camelbak HAWG is my favorite, i seem to have one for 3 of 4 seasons. A MOUNTAINSMITH butt pack that's going on 10 years was great in the beginning, but I needed more room. My all time favorite for lots of gear and water is a BLACKHAWK PHOENIX. I've got an issued first generation GI pack that took the place of the old ALICE large ruck, has a detachable daypack. Great concept, most uncomftable day pack. Not for geocaching unless you have a cache on K2. Something I learned years ago on a hiking trip with my Uncle Sam, big packs are great, but the more room, the more gear. The more gear, the more weight.The more weight... So, unless you're invading Normandy, remember what you carry in, you gotta carry out. Size does matter, but also look at the straps, padding and adjustment. You can't just walk in and take it off the shelf, try it on. I've seen guys with packs that look cool, but at the end of the day their arms and back are sore and they looked like old men with hunched backs.

Paramedic by profession-Bureaucrat by trade- I coordinate all the EMT and Paramedic training for the State of Missouri, plus licensing of services and individuals. And of course other duties as assigned! I'm sure other government workers know that line. Learned years ago I needed a life outside of EMS/Firefighitng, so my old hobby was the Air Force. Took up geocaching after retirement. My geocaching skills are helped by old boy scout training and Air Force survival courses. To paraphrase an old joke, the difference between the Boy Scouts and the Air Force is adult supervision.

Prior to 9-11, I traveled and taught tactical assessment to military EMS folks. In my checked baggage would be 3 inert grenades and a half dozen fixed blade knives and assorted "bad guy tools". NOPE, NOT anymore. I was pulled out of line in November '01 for, gasp, handcuffs in my carry-on baggage. needless to say, I was searched thoroughly. (there is a reason non law enforcement officers can't carry them) Having been an Air Force cop traveling on Official US Government business, and my cuffs were in my tactical vest, I was a tad embarrassed. I fantasized that as i was getting searched, the guys from MAD magazine, Spy vs Spy were getting thru. My morale to the story is, if you have it, be prepared to answer questions, smile, be cooperative. If not, the sound of a latex glove snapping on the inspectors hand is a chilling sound. Have some geocaching written materials with you. You might get the "deer in the headlights look" but arm yourself with an explanation. Use mono-syllables if at all possible and don't "crack wise". Some TSA folks aren't the brightest, but they take their job very seriously. Low pay, high stress, makes for good morale.

Paramedic in EMS for over 30 years with Firefighter /Paramedic and military medic thrown in. Did field medicine in USAF(yeah some of us zoomies like the field), SWAT medic. Doesn't take much to help. A face shield for the A&B of ABC and some bleeding control stuff for the C. If you can afford a GPS why not a cell phone too. Yeah I know you can't always get a signal, but the life you save may be your own or a loved one or a stranger. Might even help your dog. A small hunter or campers first aid kit in your pack is all you need. More you add, the more weight you have to carry, keep that in mind. improvise is the best rule of thumb. don't get caught up in equipment, use what you or the victim has with them. In case of emergency, first, check your own pulse.

I carry a GI issue lensatic compass with Tritium so no outside light source is needed. One of those things in case signal is lost, I also carry a map case with a map of each cache i'm searching, I use Mapsource from Garmin. Uncle Sam taught me to use the map and compass, and tried to teach me GPS. My Garming is much easier to use.

49 next month. The great philosopher Jimmy Buffett says, "I'm gowing older, but not up". When you've been in the sandbox with folks almost 30 years your junior and are in better shape, age is not a factor. Alas, that is no longer the situation. Geocaching is my replacement for other long walks now that I'm fighting the Battle of the Bulge.

I was in a competition- If your were over 40 or 200lbs (or both) your class was- CLYDESDALE. I guess I R 1

" You might want to check on your local laws about carrying a kendo stick. Some cities law enforcement don't take too kindly to "weapons" being carried around. To some it sounds silly, but better safe than sorry. " Ahh, what you need to remember, the stick is just a tool, I am the weapon system. Just needed to add a joke

I love to take my "pup" Ike caching. He's a rescued, 90+lbs Shep/St bernard mix. He's a hoot. We had to go over a wall,, what a treat it was to get him over.. He loves it. Sometimes we have to go by his clock because of all the scents that get his attention. I take snacks and water and make sure he gets hydrated, you can't see the effects of heat and work on a dog like a human. I think it was Frank Zappa, or was it Vic Tayback, that said, "watch out where the huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow".

I'm old fashioned. I carry a GI issue Tritium lensatic compass. Feels like having a model T to back up my Cadillac Escalade, but it's done a good job for the 18 years I carried it.

Ah yes, opinions and military medals are like Hemorrhoids, sooner or later every ------- gets one. Sorry if off color, but I've noticed a big change in backpacking and other "outdoor" magazines in the last, oh, 28 years. I bought the first issue of OUTSIDE many years ago. Great reading, now it's like GQ. Ok, so some cachers are geeks. SO WHAT! If I'm a geek, huzza! I'd rather see it as a diverse group than a bunch of elitist prats!I haven't read the news today to see which monarch died and made them king, or queen.

USAF 1974-1978 as a medic 1983-86 Firefighter, 1986-1999 Flight Medic(Chief Enlisted Aircrew Badge) 1999-2003 Security Forces Desert Storm, Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom(Avatar is picture of me on flight home in '02 from the Gulf) 2003 Retired in November Had a blast!

If I'm off the beaten path, I have a backpack I carry. It's Camelbak compatible and can be adjusted for climate/terrain and duration.In it is what's called a "Battle Pack". It's made for Tactical/Military medics as a thigh rig. It's big enough for bleeding control items, but yet not so big to weigh you down. I've used mine for 4 years(only been caching about 6Months). Having been on patrols, you know over 8 hours away from base, I've learned to pack "need to have" versus, "nice or neat to have". Everything you pack in, has got to come back. You can't pack for every thing, that's where experience helps in improvising and of course my favorite first aid tools- my cell phone and car keys. A USAF survival instructor told me about a guide in Alaska that had a 350lb man as a client. The client asked, "I'm 350, you're 180. If I have a heart attack, how will you get me out?" "Easy the guide said, just like a moose, I'd make 2 trips"

In EMS now over 30 years. Paramedic for 25 years, firefighter for 10 years, retired as AF cop and full time in State EMS as state training coordinator

I was never a geek or nerd.(that's my story, and I'm sticking to it) On a cold Missouri January day, my son and I were caching in the snow and wind. He asked, "where do I get a pocket protector?" HE WAS SERIOUS. Geek?- let's see- Pager,radios, cell phone, mapquest and EasyGPS on two computers, two PDA's- My gosh I'm a techno geek. I found myself wandering around in weather for free, when Uncle Sam used to pay me, and I was loving the "hunt". Hey who cares= I'm almost 50, raising a family, spent my money not my folks-If I have a heart attack geocaching, that's a better way than some others I can think of. Most folks I've met caching don't care what others think. Let's try to come up with more geeky lingo and have fun just for fun's sake. Every sport or hobby has it's own language. Let's have our own. How about "Geo-geek speak",""gps-anese(jeeps-a-nese)","long-lat-in(lonj-latin)" "gpsr-sian(jeep-persian)","cache-ish(cash-ish). Okay, I'll stop."

The subdued patch is no longer available(I checked in December). The desert patch would be cool, but, as an old NCO, I'd advise you keep it to your gear not uniform. Don't want to shake a stick in the monkey's cage. Chicken excrement is plentiful even in the AOR. Some local vendors could make it. We had a TCN shop that embroidered and made patches less than dirt cheap.