Lodge Pole

So I wouldn't be needing to register this with garmin as a used gps then? The idea occured to me I might to get any down loads or updates if that is possible at times. I don't know how much a gps is like a specialized pc, and or if at times it needs a update. I also don't own a cell phone, but my wife does, and it appears to need updates if she is out of the local area. I dont really know what that does either.

With a purchase near at hand, set up for Wednesday now, in the add it made mention of a registration card. Other adds here and elsewhere also mention registration cards, which when I have any for products usually end up in the garden compost, unless I happen to buy something new. Even then there is a good chance I won't register the item, figuring it will last at least 2 days after warrenty runs out. So why is this a point of sale for even years old gps units? Is it a means of anti theft?

ProMed Rick I owe you big for that link. I didn't see that page on the site, but i just booked marked it. Would you happen to know if I keep it in a warm inner pocket at -40ish if then it would work? Long ago and for years I ran Minolta 35mm all manual cameras in -40, and learned to never let them warm up. Once they were chilled, you left them chilled, or condensation would build in the body and the shutter, or film would freeze solid. Motor cameras were a Royal Pain. But maybe this GPS would deal with a wool shirt pocket next to my skin??? Pop it out deal with it, put it back in the warm?? With my mitts system I can peel open a swiss army screw driver blade, and even pick up dimes off a flat hunk of ice so long as the dime was cold and there was no sun. Of course back then you could make a call in a pay phone, but there were none on the mountain. Up there you can not remove mitts for more than 0,5 seconds, and I can't do anything that fast, so everything I do is with mitts on.

I got real busy, sorry. I also am on 56 k dial up I got to see the stone slide video, which we have here in many places, much like that. I got to see a little girl walk on dino foot prints I also found to buy, a GPSmap 60SCx, but best of all, my son is home in NH from the sand, and I might get to see him sometime tomorrow!~ On Edit: Suddenly I just realized i am buying the wrong GPS! I need the kind with a dawg collar! So I can track my son!

Well I am going to pay and pick it up face to face Wednesday. I don't know if I got 'played' but in e-mail the seller said some offered 215, and i said i would match that offer. I won't move up any more though. Also he said he would take it down off NH Craig's List, but I haven't checked. Things are a little busy as my son has returned to NH from the sand. I was just on the phone with him, and he knows about gps stuff. My next question is How bloomin cold can a gps work in? Will it deal with -40 below? Maybe so long as I don't drop it 1,000 feet straight down? I know I can warm batterys, so long as I can keep a beer from being a cylindrical hard object

Good idea. He says in the add: 2GB micro SD card LOADED with maps and installed. Complete High Definition 1:100,000 scale topo maps for all of the US, Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico. Instruction booklet, quick start guide and registration card. With some other items as well, so this maybe a ok deal, so long as it is as stated. I think it is, since he is in my state and appears to be willing to give me a demo/lesson. He e-mailed promtly twice, but I think I lost him for the day. I think he is younger than me, and all you youngsters are living life as if thar's no tomorrow

Well the seller wants a firm 200, and I might bite on that, if he can show me it has full functions. The problem there is I won't be able to tell if it works but has a flaw, since I know nothing about this at all. So long as it works as it should, if i don't like it I can always place it for sale. I can afford to loose 20 dollars, but not 200. Unless I drop it off a cliff, which is my doing.

I would like to see pictures, but I probably can't ID what you have. Maybe you have pics on photobucket now?

Good. I want to be fair. At the same time I want to be treated fair.

There is a Garmin 60 CSX in my state. I am thinking of making the guy on craigs lists an offer. He wants $215, which seems high a little to me. I might offer 180 cash, and take a ride if he agrees. Is my offer fair/with in reason?

The more I read the better suited the garmin 60CSx seems to be. I am not sure if it comes loaded with maps, but probably a used one would. I am the type that would just assume all gps come with maps.. But I don't know the big picture, or the marketing. For all I know I will have to pay for service, like we all do to be on line.

I am not sure I understand. On the Home page dropdown menu a listing under forums says events, and there is on in NH tomorrow, but clicking on it does nothing. I must be in the wrong place on that calandar. On Edit: I think I understand now. Went to new england > new hampshire > events, and there is one in the southern part if the state tommorow.

I am new here too. This looks like a decent gps for your uses. I am in research mode still, and what i do is copy/paste to google to find additional info. I also don't believe in sniping a would be buyer. This is what goolge has to say. http://www.google.com/search?q=Garmin+Astro+220+GPS+&hl=en&tbs=shop%3A1&aq=f#sclient=psy&hl=en&tbm=shop&source=hp&q=Magellan+SporTrak+Pro+handheld+GPS&oq=Magellan+SporTrak+Pro+handheld+GPS&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=924796l924796l0l929718l1l1l0l0l0l0l1204l1204l7-1l1l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=ee045cc55d691584&biw=1680&bih=878

That palm tree like fossil is a carbon plant. A smaller section was given to me by a local I met out riding between London/Loodon and Somersot. Marker is on my map, and I can't make out if it says London or Looden. I no longer have the fossil, as it was stolen in one of the two boxes in the way of my motorcycle which was stolen too. Everything in the way of the bike was stolen in W.Va. Make a long story short My wife and I rode a mc from NH to Cal pulling a small mc trailer behind the bike. From Cal to Fla, from there back to Oklahoma, and back east again into Arknsas, where we hit winter, and so bought a full size 86' Dodge conversion van and a larger 6x6x12 enclosed trailer to winter in. We kept that, and still have it. But the bike is gone along with 2 boxes of rocks, which contained that carbon plant fossil, 1 deer skull with antlers on, alot of assorted rocks, and all my hard found Tn flint. Another box of camping gear, some of it fit for re-enactment, and a back pack will all my wifes clothing she didn't have on at the time of the theft. Luckily I had a few other rocks and fossils in the van, I had gathered along the way. A most cherished one found in West Point Ne, is a small section of 11 million year old live oak. I was walking a reclaimed river bank, grav el pit turned to be a pond off the Elk River, and saw what I first took to be porky pine antler chew, as the bark side was up and had turned white with silica invasion. Once I picked it up the other side was amber color and I had no idea what it was other than a rock. I asked a few locals and they told me it was "Lightning" meaning or as explained to me lightning hit the sand and melted the sand to be what I found. I accpeted that for ignorance, but wasn't convinced. A little while later I was at a place called Ash Fall, and talking with the head geologist, who saw the rock, claimed 'what a nice specimen', and then pointed to a whole stump of the stuff. Fossils are a big deal to me as NH has very few of them.

All my current vehicals including 2 motorcycles have 12 volt power take offs, in the form of lighters. I installed these on the mc's, for running volt meters, charging my wife's cell phone, and or running a small air compressor. I am a x foreign car tech (Euro cars mainly) In the sence of my thinking, if a gps can run on AA batterys and also run on 12 volts, it would know which power source it was on, usually due to a mechanical switch at the jack plug. Power specs on line seem to be missing, at least on older gps units. I was looking over craigs list, and see in NH VT Me and Ma, some gps units. If I can narrow these selections down to one, I would prefer to buy face to face and get a mini lesson, if at all possible. One way I find out an apx date is to read the add, then search on google, an d when google opens the page hunt for the eariest date. I was looking over this GPS II Plus, which appears on google as early as 2002 for example. What I can't tell is if this is too old of a unit, if it can run on the 4 batterys as stated and also run on 12 dcv (direct current volts) In fact here is the link to craigs http://nh.craigslist.org/ele/2513367464.html I am not sure how to contact the seller, but I see a e-mail address, most likey assigned to the seller, and a phone number, which seems odd. For the money I could drop it in a lake and not miss it much, but will it work for me? The seller seems a bit proud of the gps too ;-)

Another question is, is there a hand held unit for off trail, that will also run off a 12 volt power socket? Besides geocaching I do hiking, and ride a motorcycle long distance sometimes. 2 or more power sources might be nice.

@Lodge Pole Under $100 is a bit light for a used Oregon 400T, as they sell for $200+. You might want to research the eTrex series, which is a bit more affordable. I agree 100 is a little light, but I didn't know what you wanted in the first place and have no real idea on the item. I plan to follow the sale for my own education. This gps is far more than I need to geocache, but i wouldn't buy one new just because I need to learn first. Thanks for the impending education, I am so sure

The letters change around a little but within the 60 series you had the 60 (base model), 60C (colour screen) and 60CS (colour screen and sensors). Then came the 60Cx (colour screen and microSD slot) and 60CSx (colour screen, sensors and microSD slot). The -x series also had the higher sensitivity GPS chip. Then came the 62 series where IIRC the 62s has the sensors and the 62st has the sensors and built-in topo maps. The Oregon, Colorado and Montana have units with different numbers that have more features than a unit with a lower number, and the -t suffix means they come with preloaded topo maps. You can always buy the topo maps (or use something free based on OpenStreetMap or similar) later. If you buy a used unit your best bet is probably going to be to buy it from someone who can show you it working. Obviously that limits your options but also means you know the thing works before you send a stranger your money. Based on what you've described I'd say you'd want to be looking for an eTrex with the H somewhere in the name, for High sensitivity, and probably an HCx (high sensitivity, colour screen, microSD slot), or a 60-x series, or a 62 series. Which one will depend on your preference and your budget. If you go to a local caching event you'll probably find people with all sorts of units there that you can play with and see what works best for you. The Oregon, Dakota and Montana units have a touchscreen which some people love and some people hate, the 60/62/eTrex use buttons to navigate menus. That was very helpfull. I am not sure about finding anyone local with a GPS, more so used and for sale, but I never say Never. You appear to be using Euro English. If that is true run my zip code 03886 in a topo map program. Back out some and move 6 miles due south for a ancient volcano, then go north for more mountains. These are all mine Naw I just love this place.

The blog like conversation seemed long. Natural like wise around here is rarer, and while I don't know, I suspect Button Mold Bay on Lk Champlain must have a geocache location. The type of sedimentary rock there is a sand/mud base, and grasses that grow with wet feet, pop right up, cutting the stone, and it creates 'Buttons'. These are too brittle to use on a garment, but study enough to sew to something not used every day. The problem is each button has one hole, and those that have more are irregular and have holes that don't line up. Never the less I find them interestng. Where I am in NH occasionally you can find a smaller than palm sized rock with a depression cut by nature that makes a god top bearing for a bow drill spindle. I suspect you know what that is. If not feel free to ask. And yes I can and do start fire with a bow drill in 120 seconds every time, so long as I use my own tools. Wish other Native relics lasted so well as stone does. Oh, I have a rock I found near by here, up in the O ssip ee /Awe sip EE (Modern Ossipee's) that for a ong time I thought was a grinding mortar, but not in a bowel shape. This more of a rectangle, and it may be natural, or it may be made by the hand of man, I really can't tell. There is a grooved cut all the way around, and at this time I think it is a boat anchor, that was wrapped on a line, as was done in ancient times, whether or not it was made by man. The base rock is Basalt. The problem with this is I found it pretty far from any larger bodies of water, while it was closer to a few small ponds, and it was above 1000 feet above sea level. Still there are larger lakes in the area, and at about 15/20 miles as the crow flies is the Weirs at Weirs Beach NH. I may never know the answers on this rock.

Many EarthCaches as well as other type listings can be found without a GPS unit. I have used the driving directions from the cache page and google earth or some of my other maps to view the area. Urban caching is eazy this way, and with the new map layout on this site may be all you need. When you do get a GPS unit, look at some of the lower end Garmin units. Ebay can be a good source. I would like to have a real costly one that is able to communicate with the wireless beacons like the Garmin Chirps, but I won't shell out the money for one of the paperless units. I use a Venture HC most of the time. I used a map and compass before they "flipped the switch". I still carry a compass in my pack. I've been a hiker longer than geocaching has been around, and my first unit was used for recording locations of old cemeterys, as I'm also into geneology. There are some mounds and Native American burial sites that I would never disclose the location of on the internet. One of my listings, "Indian Grave Gap" which is the name of the mountain pass was a burial site that was looted many years ago. There is a village site nearby that is listed on the National Registery of Historic places, and the location is restricted. It is near Dungannon, Va. Quite sure that a mound existed there once, but farming has destroyed it. I remember the farm once had a different color of soil in the center, and it was a great site for surface hunting relics. I have tryed to pass my hobby of relic collecting and surface hunting to my children, and my young 10 year old daughter has really taken to it. My wife calls us rock collectors, which is true. Perhaps I have stated something incorrectly. I am 59 years, soon to be 60, and with a book, map and compass, ruller and pencil I can find anything I know about. Having a used first time gps will open the door to what ever normal cache hunting is. Having someone like you will open another door to earth caching, or historical sites caching if there is such a thing. I agree not all should be opened to theft, burial raids, and over use of the few wild places left. Places as you have allowed your children are ruined by farming, condo construction, parking lots, and other. Still in some ways these very items are a loss to the understanding and nature of the old ways, but your gains are yours, and I understand, as I have a smaller collection of plowed up items too. Some things man does when he is ignorant, not stupid, just happen, as it can be hard to know what is buried a few inches down, when 250+ years have buried an artifact and then normal anything we do brings something to the surface. I have been lucky to be able to work with the NH state geologist, and get to huntpaloe sites and cherts in Maine. We don't get to keep a thing, but atleast we can get a picture sometimes. I tend to not keep pictures of chards, which is about all that is found during these state digs. I also do historical re-enacting, have spent years learning woodlands skills, and get in a lot of hiking (modern), and trecking (not so modern), and last miss the last of the truely wild places. Sounds like you have about 15 years on me, but we are both old school from a time before GPS units. The batterys have never went out on my compass, but I have lost a map or two before. One of our local mounds may be excavated soon. The landowner has worked out some kind of deal with I forget who to do a dig at the site. All relics found will belong to the landowner. I saw this in local news papers two years ago. The mound is listed here as GC1KKPG and WM9KTA. I have a few caches and waymarks in the area. I hike the trails in Cumberland Gap National Historic Park along the ridges. We had some nice EC's in the area, but banned member Cav Scout made some mistakes and his 203 EC listings got archived. I have done some historic re-inactment also. It's a big to-do at Wilderness Road State Park where there is a reconstructed Fort to resemble Martin's Station. I have a geocache there on the subject. We also raid the Block House (GC1Q3HY) every year. You may be new to geocaching, but I think that we are the kind of folks that enjoy geocaching. One of my recent quests for new EC listings may not work out so well on this site, as it is a mound in a tourist area with motels and buildings all around. I don't think piled up dirt and asphalt would make a good earth science lesson, but the site will make a nice virtual listing and help educate geocachers about our culture and history. Small world. I was at the re-bulit park and wanted to play, but wasn't allowed, because they didn't know me and I wasn't on anyones team/side in 2006. There was some interest in my Trade Silver, and I went back for the Gun Makers Fair. I was at Bledso Park too for the south eastern, and got to play there though. Interesting weatha that was. Most of the camp was blown flat. I found some Tn flint there, enough to work for awhile, but it wasn't ment to be as it was stolen, with my motorcycle in W.Va headin to NH. I am still a bit miffed for that loss of tool stone. I wish the mound you mention would be left alone, to tell the truth. I can see it maybe when it is for the history and lessons of the past for all, and a museum is created, open to the public. That helps me deal with the inherent problems of basic grave robbing. Surface finds are already ruined as I said in another post. So I don't have much problem there. I hope atleast what ever happens is documented well, and it isn't just a fancy high art sale in the end. Of course I am no one, and what I think doesn't matter a bit. I am wondering if I/we are off topic and if I/we will get busted. I'ld hate to get you or anyone else busted, and me with just a toe in the door. I think that we are still on topic, somewhat anyway. One of the Rangers at WRSP is a heck of a gun maker. Did you see the Native Americian relics on display in the visitors center? Most of it is from that area near the mound, donated by locals. I have knapped flint some, but it has been some time. I see some great work at a flea market in Jonesboro, Tennessee made by a man in that area. Some of the best points that I have ever seen in my time. I just aquired a nice block of Catlinite a few weeks ago for some carving this winter. I normally work with native grey sandstone from the Oconoluftee River. Mounds may be in a "grey area" as far as EarthCaches go, and I don't know much about geology as it is taught in school. I have been taught respect for the Earth, and things that it provides for us. One of the mounds that myself and others visit is slowly being rebuilt. When we visit we bring a handfull of dirt from our home and add it to the center of the mound. That is the only bare spot on the mound, and the soil is red now in that spot. It is the dust of our ancestors, and the color of their skin. Yes, as I recall there was a smaller musum like display and a retail store. I bought a brass compass there (India likey) but it has a screw on threaded top, and the top can screw on the bottom, for less chance of loss. Supposed to be circa 1750 sytled. My flint knapping is not of jewelery quality, most of it is for cheaper gun flints. They are right thru the roof these days like anything else. I can and do make other tools, but these are tools not jewelery. The time of year was early to late Spring and the heat and muggies drove us out. Before i do get you in a mods problem, would you mind pointing me to the What's a Earth Cache page. On sites like this, most often there is pages sort of hidden, and it takes me months to find them. About that time I end up feeling like the worlds biggest fool. That's ok, as my wife tells me this is true anyway.... But I don't want to take anyone else down with me. I am not studied in geology either, but many parts are more than fasinating to me. The quest of where we come from sort of thing. NH is called the Granite State, but oddly isn't made up mostly of granite at all. There is a semi related mineral types called shist, which is a lead silver color, and makes up most of the larger mountins here, and shines in sunlight like silver. This is all bent and warped, very aged rock, with no trace of shells. many myths have been created over this rock type, glowing at distances seen from sea. This isn't to say there is no grainite here as there is and in red and gray, with assorted other colorings, and the green is a bit unusual when you can see it cut and polished. (Once coming back from Yarmouth Cdn to Portland Maine before i could see land, i could see 'my mountains' floating in mid-air, a mirage at nearing sun set. That is one of my top 10 ever sights)

Yes i would prefer USB. At least i know what that is. Thanks for the links I will read them. I do a lot of reading, but some I don't understand. I am a doer type and while reading helps, having the tool, no matter what works better in hand. The ast time i was in a possition like this i wanted to learn all about black powder guns and had no one around that knew anymore than I did, which was nothing. 40 years later I know most of the tricks. I never said I was fast.

A lot of GPS units are cheap because they are no longer made. So technically they are discontinued, but they actually work just as well as they ever did. It's only very slightly like buying a PC where you can keep your old Windows 98 PC running forever but new software doesn't work with it. If you had something like (say) a Garmin Geko (a very basic and now dated unit) you could still find all but a small number of new geocaches with it - it doesn't play Wherigo cartridges and doesn't support Chirp but aside from that it still works. Newer GPS units give you a faster satellite lock and hold the lock under tree cover. Higher end units will give you more features (electronic compass, barometric pressure, paperless caching etc). I've got an old Geko 201 that I bought in about 2004 that still works just as well as it did when I brought it home. It doesn't support mapping and it tends to drop the satellite lock under heavy tree cover. My old Garmin 60CS that I bought about the same time. It has an electronic compass and barometric pressure meter, supports mapping, street-level routing (if the map contains routing data) etc. It too tends to drop the satellite lock under heavy tree cover, and like the Geko it works just as well as the day I bought it. My Garmin 60CSx dates back to early 2006, has a high sensitivity chipset so you can take it through the forest and it won't drop satellite cover. It takes a memory card which means I can store far more track logs (like a digital trail of crumbs showing where I've been) then the 60CS, and also lets me put larger map sections on it. It's showing cosmetic signs of age (some of the buttons are worn where I've used them so many times) but still works perfectly. It's still the unit I use for day-to-day caching. Thanks for the info. On another thread I am looking at/for the OP Alex to come back, from asking the worth of his Garmin Map 60c, and hope to buy it. Can you comment on if that GPS will work in tree cover? NH sure has trees. I read about Wherigo cartridges, but not yet about Chirp. I tend to learn best doing, and starting at the bottom, so first getting my mitts on a gps, then finding basic easy caches is my first step. I know all about worn buttons, as the keys on this key board are missing most vowels, and several other letters from wear and tear. It's what I do If it's a 60C then the chances are it will drop satellite lock under tree cover. It will be much the same as my old 60CS but without the electronic compass and barometric pressure sensor. If it's a 60Cx then it will hold its lock much better (it will be like my 60CSx but again without the sensors). I've been caching with both the 60CSx and 60CS at the same time and although the CSx never dropped its lock at all the CS was often struggling under tree cover. Wherigo cartriges can be fun but none of the 60-series units support them. I don't think the 62-series (which replaced the 60 series) support them either. If you've got a smartphone then you get Wherigo players for the iPhone, Android, Windoze etc. I've seen the Android and Windoze versions and they seem to work just fine. I still think of Chirp as a solution desperately looking for a problem but apparently there are a few good Chirp caches out there. If you get a Colorado or Oregon unit they support Wherigo, I think you'd need an Oregon to support Wherigo and Chirp. I was wondering what all the letters were. Is it possible to create a lite list, that would be ok for a newbie? I think I would like a gps, that worked in the moutains of NH since I live in them, and thar's trees alrighty everywhere. I don't plan to vist cities much, and never if i can help it. Topo maps, and color seem fitting. I don't mind a note book (paper) or pencil (wood with graphite core) A built in compass would be nice, and so would any form of distance. I can do metric if I must. I see some units don't appear to come with maps and you have to buy these for the areas you plan to be, and it can get costly, while other units come with maps. I'ld be mainly interested in Maine NH, and VT, but the lower 48 would be nice, or the eastern half of the USA coud work. I haven't a clue. IMO there are way too may gps devices out there, and I am having a problem sorting them out. Used but working is another key point. I wouldn't know a broken gps from a hole in the ground, err well, i know what a hole in the ground is. And water proof would be a better bet, I have been known to get real wet before. Maybe something I could grow into as I learn.

Thanks for the interest! I have posted the item on eBay and will keep it there. I don't want to remove it as it doesn't seem to be to be the fair way to do things. I've posted the link here, though, in case you're interested. Thanks! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170681173719&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 Thanks for the reply. I had been hoping to catch you before E-Bay. I don't play E-Bay, or Pay Pal. I tried once and didn't like the way people worked it. Once i bought something and almost lost it as the last second, and the time I sold 2 silver items, things didn't work out so well either. And with Pay Pal they just claimed the account, because i didn't use it often enough. Lesson learned. I am a total newbie anyway, so i don't know if that gps would have been good for me or not. Under 100 is about right, but that's all I know. I read about gps's but i can't say I understand all I read. I don't want to buy new and find out that what i got takes a rocket scientist to run, and I am no rocket scientist. I dont have or want a cell phone, so I own exactly nothing like a gps.

And it is appreciated. Don't worry about asking questions. We are more than happy to answer even if it has been asked before. bd Thank you. I am reading all about geocaching, but without any gps yet, or some hands on experience, there is much I don't understand. I have to learn how to crawl before I can walk, then walk before I can run. I am using search, commenting on some older related threads here and there, but read the dates, and say I know it's an older thread, but some are still relivant to learning. I have no mentors around to teach me, so for now, it's all reading and prep for taking baby steps. Reading the board is helping, albeit slowly. I don't know if this will help.... but for my first 20 caches that I found, I didn't have a GPS receiver. I just found them by getting a general location of the hide and reading the hint. There are several in my area according to the local maps I see when I run my zip code. I bet I could find 1/2 of them with no map or compass, just by the clues. By not finding them, or re-finding them with a gps, I will get to learn about the gps. I have already found 3 for no effort what so ever, other than having open eyes. All 3 were lock n locks, a term I just learned. At these times I had no way to figure out who owned them or what the game was about. i can't say I have any deep interest in the trinkets in these boxes, but finding things is fun for me. I had a good time with my geocaching bro in law. One of the 6 caches we found was a small red anodized pill bottle hung on a pine tree. All that was inside was a list, I assume you folks call a log. Another hide was pretty clever in a dead hollowed tree, which was tough to see. That's my game, or I think it is. And this other, in a guard rail.

Many EarthCaches as well as other type listings can be found without a GPS unit. I have used the driving directions from the cache page and google earth or some of my other maps to view the area. Urban caching is eazy this way, and with the new map layout on this site may be all you need. When you do get a GPS unit, look at some of the lower end Garmin units. Ebay can be a good source. I would like to have a real costly one that is able to communicate with the wireless beacons like the Garmin Chirps, but I won't shell out the money for one of the paperless units. I use a Venture HC most of the time. I used a map and compass before they "flipped the switch". I still carry a compass in my pack. I've been a hiker longer than geocaching has been around, and my first unit was used for recording locations of old cemeterys, as I'm also into geneology. There are some mounds and Native American burial sites that I would never disclose the location of on the internet. One of my listings, "Indian Grave Gap" which is the name of the mountain pass was a burial site that was looted many years ago. There is a village site nearby that is listed on the National Registery of Historic places, and the location is restricted. It is near Dungannon, Va. Quite sure that a mound existed there once, but farming has destroyed it. I remember the farm once had a different color of soil in the center, and it was a great site for surface hunting relics. I have tryed to pass my hobby of relic collecting and surface hunting to my children, and my young 10 year old daughter has really taken to it. My wife calls us rock collectors, which is true. Perhaps I have stated something incorrectly. I am 59 years, soon to be 60, and with a book, map and compass, ruller and pencil I can find anything I know about. Having a used first time gps will open the door to what ever normal cache hunting is. Having someone like you will open another door to earth caching, or historical sites caching if there is such a thing. I agree not all should be opened to theft, burial raids, and over use of the few wild places left. Places as you have allowed your children are ruined by farming, condo construction, parking lots, and other. Still in some ways these very items are a loss to the understanding and nature of the old ways, but your gains are yours, and I understand, as I have a smaller collection of plowed up items too. Some things man does when he is ignorant, not stupid, just happen, as it can be hard to know what is buried a few inches down, when 250+ years have buried an artifact and then normal anything we do brings something to the surface. I have been lucky to be able to work with the NH state geologist, and get to huntpaloe sites and cherts in Maine. We don't get to keep a thing, but atleast we can get a picture sometimes. I tend to not keep pictures of chards, which is about all that is found during these state digs. I also do historical re-enacting, have spent years learning woodlands skills, and get in a lot of hiking (modern), and trecking (not so modern), and last miss the last of the truely wild places. Sounds like you have about 15 years on me, but we are both old school from a time before GPS units. The batterys have never went out on my compass, but I have lost a map or two before. One of our local mounds may be excavated soon. The landowner has worked out some kind of deal with I forget who to do a dig at the site. All relics found will belong to the landowner. I saw this in local news papers two years ago. The mound is listed here as GC1KKPG and WM9KTA. I have a few caches and waymarks in the area. I hike the trails in Cumberland Gap National Historic Park along the ridges. We had some nice EC's in the area, but banned member Cav Scout made some mistakes and his 203 EC listings got archived. I have done some historic re-inactment also. It's a big to-do at Wilderness Road State Park where there is a reconstructed Fort to resemble Martin's Station. I have a geocache there on the subject. We also raid the Block House (GC1Q3HY) every year. You may be new to geocaching, but I think that we are the kind of folks that enjoy geocaching. One of my recent quests for new EC listings may not work out so well on this site, as it is a mound in a tourist area with motels and buildings all around. I don't think piled up dirt and asphalt would make a good earth science lesson, but the site will make a nice virtual listing and help educate geocachers about our culture and history. Small world. I was at the re-bulit park and wanted to play, but wasn't allowed, because they didn't know me and I wasn't on anyones team/side in 2006. There was some interest in my Trade Silver, and I went back for the Gun Makers Fair. I was at Bledso Park too for the south eastern, and got to play there though. Interesting weatha that was. Most of the camp was blown flat. I found some Tn flint there, enough to work for awhile, but it wasn't ment to be as it was stolen, with my motorcycle in W.Va headin to NH. I am still a bit miffed for that loss of tool stone. I wish the mound you mention would be left alone, to tell the truth. I can see it maybe when it is for the history and lessons of the past for all, and a museum is created, open to the public. That helps me deal with the inherent problems of basic grave robbing. Surface finds are already ruined as I said in another post. So I don't have much problem there. I hope atleast what ever happens is documented well, and it isn't just a fancy high art sale in the end. Of course I am no one, and what I think doesn't matter a bit. I am wondering if I/we are off topic and if I/we will get busted. I'ld hate to get you or anyone else busted, and me with just a toe in the door.