Is there a Va. Group?

[+Corp of Discovery]

Is there a Geocache group in Virginia? If not, is there interest in forming one?

 

How would we go about it?

 

How come I was never lost BEFORE I got a GPS?

[+Goblin]

I live closer to DC and am not aware of any specific VA group. I know Bigcall did a meeting and caching event in September of this year (2002). I'ld be interested but I'm going overseas next summer for two years.

[+JoeCthulhu]

There are 2 area of active cachers in Virginia. I live in Northern Virginia where there are about a dozen or so pretty active cachers (bigcall and Gaitor Man being the most active).

 

There seems to be a lot of activity in the Roanoke area too, but I'm not to familiar with caching and the cachers Southern Virginia.

 

There doesn't seem to be much interest in the Northern Virginia area to organize a geocaching club. An e-mail was sent around recently to most of the active cachers around here, and most of the responces were pretty negative about forming an organization.

[Lyra]

But it's not a bad idea. I'm in South Central Virginia and mainly do my caching (at least until I hit 'em all) in Roanoke. How about it cachers in SW Va? Any interest in getting organized?

 

Always wear proper caching safety equipment!

[+Black Dog Trackers]

I think there's insufficient reason to form a geocaching group, unless there is some current issue to solve like park relationships.

 

On the other hand, a lunch/event once in a while is a good thing. It's fun to meet other geocachers in a group.

 

If people want to form a group, a lunch/event is a good way to start too.

 

I enjoyed the northern Va. breakfast and cache hunt that bigcall organized last September. Setting up the new caches for it seemed like it may have been a lot of work and just a plain breakfast or lunch get-together would be fine, I think

[+Corp of Discovery]

But without organization how will we ever turn this into a professional sports with endorsements, our own cable channel and groupies????

 

How come I was never lost BEFORE I got a GPS?

[+Corp of Discovery]

I think something like what Bigcall did looks interesting. But that takes a certain level of coordination.

 

Something like that looks like fun. Would there be any interest in having one that was targeted at the whole state and nearby neighbors?

 

If there is interest, how could we make it happen?

 

How come I was never lost BEFORE I got a GPS?

[+JoeCthulhu]

I attended the Marylander's meeting 2 weekends ago, and had a great time. There were nine caches in the park. It gave me the first opportunity to meet and hunt with other cachers. The Maryland group is trying to get together once a month. A few of us discussed having them down one month this spring in NoVA instead of their usual in MD. They seemed pretty interested in the prospect. I'd be willing to devote some time towards organizing an event (hiding caches and what-not).

[Lyra]

Though there hasn't been any controversy raised by the authorities in Virginia, yet, it may well happen in the near future. If we're already organized and can readily tap into the experience of other states' groups in planning for any future problems raised by DGIF or any other governmental agency set on banning caches, it would at least prevent us from having to take the first step of organizing.

 

I think it's a great idea.

 

Always wear proper caching safety equipment!

[+bigcall]

I was thinking of doing something similar once the spring rolls around - say March or April?

 

Using a restaurant really makes things much easier since no one is obligated to bring anything but themselves and there are no up front costs involved.

 

As far as a location - if we really want to get the maximum number of Virginians then something in the middle of the state may seem a logical choice. However, I believe that something more regionalized would be the best bet though since it would involve less travel for many. I'm sure there would be some participation from other areas and states as well. Having a good caching location somewhat nearby would be a plus since it would allow attendees to move fairly seamlessly from eating/socializing to caching or vice versa.

 

I was thinking of something out towards Manassas as a change of venues, but I'm not terribly familiar with the area beyond the caches I have done there. I'm willing to help and/or coordinate and place some caches. Any other thought/ideas?

 

Way back in the days when the grass was still green

and the pond was still wet

and the clouds were still clean,

and the song of the Swomee-Swans rang out in space...

one morning, I came to this glorious place.

[+JoeCthulhu]

Bigcall, I've been talking (posting on www.mdgps.net) to some of the MGS members about hosting the Marylanders down in NoVA in March. I'm hoping you will chime in on that. They just posted their January get together BTW.

 

If you are considerng a central location, Richmond or Charlettesville aren't too far.

 

I know you've taken the reigns of organizing these things (ever since Jorgy! dropped outta sight), but I was wondering if you'd like a little help.

 

My offer: If you help me put together a MGS event in NoVA in March. I'll help you with a NoVA or VA event in April. What do you say?

[+bigcall]

I just saw the post over on the MDGPS site. Rather than doing two events why don't we just try to make one larger venue that would include both VA and MD cachers (and anyone else who wants to attend for that matter).

 

I see a lot of value in being able to talk at greater length with some of the folks who have set up the web sites and done the leg work with the parks. There has been some park resistance to geocaching in VA that I'm aware of (ask Disquoi), but so far I think we have been flying under the radar for the most part. We haven't had any caches blown up that I know of either (which helps).

 

I realize that this plan may make it harder to attend for some of the more Southern VA cachers to attend but frankly setting up something in the middle would involve a lot of compromise as well.

 

The obvious next questions are when and where? If we think it's going to turn into a pretty good crowd (40?, in September we had 25+ or so) and want to hide several caches, then I vote for something closer to home (i.e. Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria) to make the logistical planning a tad easier. Burke Lake, Lake Accotink, Lake Fairfax, Fountainhead, Pohick Bay, Huntley Meadows, Hidden Pond, Riverbend, Scott's Run, Frying Pan all come to mind as spots that already have existing caches (some even pre-approved). I like being able to do a loop, so maybe one of the lakes would work best? As far as a date, I'm pretty flexible at this point.

 

Any other interested parties and/or thoughts?

 

Way back in the days when the grass was still green

and the pond was still wet

and the clouds were still clean,

and the song of the Swomee-Swans rang out in space...

one morning, I came to this glorious place.

[+JoeCthulhu]

I like the lake-loop idea. For one thing if we do get a large turn out there will be 2 directions for cachers to take. At one point last month in Maryland there were 10 of us searching for a cache at one time - that was a bit much. I also think that if we do pick a park wih a lake it should have well defined trails and/or a picnic area.

 

The loop at Lake Accotink is 4 miles long, some of which ventures into residential areas, but there are 3 caches in the park with plenty of room for more. Burke Lake harkens back to the early days of Geocaching in VA, it might be nice to spark it back to life. Pohick Bay - might want to ask BrianP about the feasability of this park. Huntley Meadows - I've visited both caches here - the west side is just one long straight trail, and the east side seems to be enviromentally sensitive. I'm not very familiar with the other parks on your list.

 

Lake Accotink and Burke Lake were both on my short list. You know if there are 2 people hiding caches, there will be caches for everyone to find.

[+Jarosh]

I just found this site today, and even went out in the snow to try and find my first cache in the Signal hill park.

 

I would definately be interested in getting together for a group event.

 

Also get ready for some advanced searches in Prince william / Fauquier counties.

 

Later

Paul

[+bigcall]

I like either Lake just fine. Definitely more room to spread out at Burke Lake, but Accotink is fine too (plus no park fee in the summer and a better variety of eats to choose from as a potential meeting spot).

 

I just got some new containers in, so I'm raring to go on a hiding spree. Any dates in mind?

15th or 16th would give a St. Pat's flavor?

 

Way back in the days when the grass was still green

and the pond was still wet

and the clouds were still clean,

and the song of the Swomee-Swans rang out in space...

one morning, I came to this glorious place.

[+JoeCthulhu]

After thinking about it for awhile, Burke Lake Park seems a bit better. I'm OK with the dates you've cited too.

 

Are you going to the Maryland event this weekend? If so we could talk about then.

 

"I'm jumbled up. Maybe I'm losing my touch." - Echo and the Bunnymen

[+bigcall]

I think there are some interesting spots as well. With only 1 cache (maybe 2 if the Burke Lake Park cache is in fact still there) presently in the park, there will be a lot of opportunites to get a good spread and encourage a circuit hike while looking.

 

The park has a lot of picnic facilities (with playgrounds) available, the train and carousel are great (not sure they'll be running at that time though), it also has a frisbee golf course, an orienteering course, campground and a bird sanctuary as well. What's not to like?

 

I saw Lyra's post regarding this thread degenerating into a strictly Northern Virginia event and hope that we haven't alienated geocachers from the rest of the state. I think the problem has boiled down to getting the ball rolling in a place that we can actually plan for.

 

Once this is nailed down, then perhaps we can rotate it around the rest of the state. I would love to head down to the SW and check things out, it's obviously a bit harder to plan for though.

 

Something hidden. Go and find it. Go, and look behind the Ranges -- Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you . . . Go!

- Rudyard Kipling "The Explorer"

[Lyra]

quote:

---

I saw Lyra's post regarding this thread degenerating into a strictly Northern Virginia event and hope that we haven't alienated geocachers from the rest of the state. I think the problem has boiled down to getting the ball rolling in a place that we can actually plan for.

---

 

I think JoeCthulhu is correct as far as the concentration of active cachers in Virginia is concerned. I was in Richmond recently and, given that its population is much greater than my local area (known generically as "the boonies"), I assumed that there would be a great number of cachers in our capital. Much to my surprise, when I started scoping out caches in Richmond, I discovered that there is a much lower number of active cachers than I expected. Given that, I would surmise that there are two distinct areas of active cachers in Virginia, divided by what appears to be a pretty desolate cache concentration.

 

I only posted the new thread to see if there would be any interest in bifurcating the state into two organizations, as Roanoke and surrounding areas seem to be teeming with active, obsessed cachers.

 

Party on, dude!

 

Always wear proper caching safety equipment!

[+gazer444]

It sounds like a promising idea so far-and although I am a virgin when it comes to stashing a cache, if you need volunteers to help with organizing/hiding/scoping out places I can donate some time to it. Has anyone considered Sky Meadows? There is an entrance fee, but according to an article recently, once you get in you would have the run of the place. They have yanked funding, and the staff is down to a whopping one person. It's possible that even the fee collected would be on the honor system if the cuts come through-they wouldn't have the staff to collect it.

[+Last Lap Gang]

I just attended the Maryland Geocaching Society's January meeting. It was a great time and helps us mingle with others and trade war stories as well as look for some clever new caches planted by the veterans. My wife and I met JoeCthulhu and can't wait to drive over in March and see what Big Call and him have in store for us. I see a lot of good coming from the March meeting. After all what is between us but a little old creek that George Washington used to throw stuff across.

 

Wags, Russ & Erin

 

[This message was edited by Last Lap Gang on January 23, 2003 at 09:55 AM.]

[Klause Von Kuhn]

I too am looking forward to this. I think it will be nice to finally get to meet and talk with cachers from one of our neighboring states. Personally, I have never hunted for a cache outside of Maryland before. But I'm sure that it isn't much of a difference, other than the actual beauty of the parks. I've been to Virginia many times and I know that there is plenty of wilderness there. I would guess that you guys will never run out of places to hide caches, huh? Anyway, thanks for hosting the MGS meeting down there this coming March. It is greatly appreciated by all of the members that usually plan our meetings and events. My hat goes off to the Va. folks.

[+bigcall]

Burke Lake is one of the bigger parks in the area that is still very accessible. It kind of reminds me of Lake Frank up in MD. The nearby area was under consideration for a while as the site for a suburban DC airport. Dulles of course wound up out in Chantilly/Herndon so the area got to stay relatively undeveloped for a while.

 

Of course if this weather continues you won't have to walk around the lake since the freeze may allow you to go straight across!!

 

Here are a couple of links to preview the area:

http://www.restonpaths.com/BurkeLake/

http://www.patc.net/hiking/destinations/burklake.html

http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/lakefront.htm

 

There is no fee to enter in the off season, but the railroad, carousel, concessions and I believe boat rentals won't be running either.

The trail is normally pretty crowded, but most folks just stick to the main 4.5 mi trail loop. The back area is where most of the non-water land area is and where a present cache is already located.

 

A call to the park confirmed that there are no reservations or fees required to use any of the picnic areas at that time of year - it's pretty much first come first served. I still think the better gathering point is at a nearby indoor venue of some kind, so that may be the next decision point.

 

I have wandered around the back wilderness area and done the trail loop a few times, so I know there is good potential for more caches.

 

Something hidden. Go and find it. Go, and look behind the Ranges -- Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you . . . Go!

- Rudyard Kipling "The Explorer"

[+JoeCthulhu]

I'm sorry you weren't able to get up to Maryland last weekend.

 

I'm going to e-mail you my phone number, so we can discuss planning this. What is typically a good time for you?

 

I'm thinking that we're likely to get a pretty large turn out. There were close to 30 people that showed up in Maryland for last Sunday's soiree, and it was in the 20s out. I'm not sure that we'd be able to find an indoor venue that would be able to handle 40 to 50+ people.

 

"I'm jumbled up. Maybe I'm losing my touch." - Echo and the Bunnymen

[boydg]

I'm still a Geo-virgin, but there's a cache in nearby Algonkian Park that's calling my name to pop my...erm, well, that will get me my first find under my belt.

 

Anyway, in case anyone was gauging interest in the March event by the responses to this thread, I wanted to stand up and be counted.

[+bigcall]

For those new to this, there will be an event cache that will appear in the next month or so that will list the location and details of the meeting.

You can then post a note to that cache and let us know you are interested in attending in that manner as well as on the forums.

 

JoeCthulhu and I have been discussing the details off line. I think (and hope) there will be a good showing for the day.

 

Hope to see you there!!!

 

Something hidden. Go and find it. Go, and look behind the Ranges -- Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you . . . Go!

- Rudyard Kipling "The Explorer"