+wimseyguy Posted September 15, 2004 Share Posted September 15, 2004 Here is a tale of my last weekend caching adventures. I thought about posting in the hunt/unusual forum, but knew it would get better exposure here. It was quite an odd experience, and another of those unique and special geo-moments that make this sport of ours so much fun. We meet here online, and are good friends by the time we see each other in person. None of the names have been changed to protect the guilty parties. The only semi-truth is that we were a bit more subtle in our approach at the Cracker Barrel (well at least to the untrained eye. ) Team CHB (WE4NCS, nittany dave, wimseyguy, nctreker and fishingfools) from Raleigh was planning a one-day trip to Hickory on Sunday, Sept 12th, to do a caching tour. Somehow wimseyguy heard about me and sent me an email asking about the conditions here. We got communicating back and forth and he ended up sending me their itinerary for the caches they were going to visit, the order they were going to visit them in, and about when they expected to arrive. He wanted to know if any of the caches were likely to be under water and make sure they were all still in circulation. The three members of the GEo Trio (regnad kcin, HannahWCU and I) all work together and frequently discuss geocaching topics, and this came up. We decided to give them a real welcome to Hickory. They planned to do 'Off Your Rocker', then 'Kobe Nano', then 'Gone Berserk', followed by 'The Heist #2' and 'Samuel's Revenge #1'. When they arrived at 'Off Your Rocker' we were waiting in the parking lot. As they searched for the cache, we surrepticiously took several pictures of them. It wasn't hard to do as they were very focused on finding the cache. Then they went to Kobe Nano. As they were searching, we did a drive-by and snapped their picture again. Let me digress for a moment. You might wonder how we recognized who they were when they arrived at Cracker Barrel. It was no problem at all. These guys search for caches the way the Charlotte Panthers defensive line searches for the opposing quarterback. The piled out of their vehicle and as soon as they hit the porch of the Cracker Barrel one went high, one went low, one went left and one went right. They didn't pretend to tie their shoes and peek under the benches - they lifted the benches. They didn't wait for the muggles to leave, they cleared them out of the way. No cache would ever have a chance against these guys. It was obvious that they've seen it all and done it all and they know where the cache is going to be before they even get there. Caches that took us hours and multiple visits to find were nailed in mere minutes. Later we told them that they left 'Off Your Rocker' so fast that we thought they didn't find it. They told us that they don't EVER not find a cache. I believe them. Getting back to the story - while they were finishing up at Kobe Nano and searching for 'Berserk', we uploaded the pictures from the camera into a photo printer that HannahWCU had plugged into the cigarette lighter of regnad kcin's cachemobile. By the time we arrived at 'Heist #2' we already had the pictures printed out. We put a picture of them looking for 'Off Your Rocker' into the 'Heist #2' cache, and we put the picture of them looking for 'Kobe Nano' into the 'Samuel's Revenge' cache. Then we parked up the hill across the street and waited. They arrived a few minutes later at 'Heist #2' and went into the woods to search. We found out later that they opened the cache and saw the picture. Then they realized the picture was of them. Then they realized the picture was of them taken just twenty minutes before. They couldn't imagine how anyone could have taken the picture, developed it that fast, and known where they would be going. They thought that WE4NCS must have set them up, but he pointed out that he was in the picture himself. They came out of the woods looking around and shaking their heads. Then they headed for 'Samuel's Revenge #2'. WE4NCS stayed in his truck since he had done this cache, and the other four headed into the woods. There they opened the cache to find a picture of them searching for their second cache, again taken just twenty minutes before. This time they came out of the woods seriously wondering what was going on. They were determined to do a strip search on WE4NCs's truck as they were sure he must have been behind it. Meanwhile we pulled up beside WE4NCS and rolled down the window. "Good Morning WE4NCS". "How did you know that? Who are you?" We explained who we were and what was going on. We had a good laugh out of hearing everyone's reaction to the first picture. By that time the other four guys had exited the woods and we waved them over and explained that we wanted to give them a real welcome to Hickory. All five guys were real personable and enjoyed the joke. We really enjoyed swapping caching stories with them for a half hour or so, then they were on their way. We had a lot of fun, and I think we gave Team CHB a unique experience to share with their fellow geocachers back in Raleigh. But I don't expect anyone will ever reveal their itinerary to anyone in Hickory again. " In summary it was a great welcome to a nearby territory, that has had fantastic caching growth this year. We found over 30 in about 8 hours of searching, ranging from typical sub/urban micros to not so typical ones. We also had two long hikes in very nice muni parks with 4-6 caches stashed in traditional wooded hides. We also logged one DNF; a micro near a playground that we didn't get to until midafternoon when it was very busy. We also solved a few puzzles that had vexed the locals so far. We found about 20% of the caches there, and there are plenty more to warrant a return visit. But you can bet that next time I won't be handing out our itinerary, just getting the weather report. Quote Link to comment
+art begotti Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 granted, im the type of weirdo that's always wanted to stalk someone, but let me just say... that is sweeeeet!!! Quote Link to comment
+Jamie Z Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 I thought about posting in the hunt/unusual forum, but knew it would get better exposure here. Perhaps instead of organizing the forums by topics, there should just be one forum, so all messages get equal exposure. I would have posted this request in the geocaching.com forum, but this seemed more appropriate. Jamie Quote Link to comment
+YuccaPatrol Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Finally! Who would have thought that Geocaching would turn out to be a harmless outlet for those stalking desires that I worked so hard all my life to suppress! Quote Link to comment
+Brian - Team A.I. Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 ok, that's just cool Quote Link to comment
+1stimestar Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Lol excellent! Quote Link to comment
+smullis Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 That sounds like something I would do...but I would have hidden near the 1st 'picture' cache to get a shot of the looks on their faces....awesome! <mental note: never send my itinerary to anyone!> Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Classic Quote Link to comment
+Fizzfever Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Makes me want to get a major zoom lense for the camera Quote Link to comment
Black Mage Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 yeah, I'm definently gonna have to keep this one in mind. Quote Link to comment
+JackCacheNC Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 I heard about this from MrPandHisGirls who lives in the area....Boy wish I had been there to see the looks on your faces! I would never do any thing like this to a fine group of cachers like you guys.. Knowing each of you this would have been one of those priceless Mastercard moments! This also would have been the perfect time to be a fly on the wall. (Except at Cracker Barrel when even a fly would not be safe when you guys rolled out of the car!) I had a trip there a few months back....more caches have poppped up since then.. So when ya heading back that way??? I have plenty of film in my digital camera! Quote Link to comment
+fly46 Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 rotflmao~ That's just much too good! Quote Link to comment
+drat19 Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 So when ya heading back that way??? I have plenty of film in my digital camera! Yeah, like they're ever gonna tell ANYONE where they're going beforehand ever again... -Dave R. Quote Link to comment
+nittany dave Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Yeah, like they're ever gonna tell ANYONE where they're going beforehand ever again... -Dave R. To be honest, it was so cool I was hoping they'd keep doing it longer. But alas, they evidently have lives of their own. It was an experience that I'll not soon forget. We were living a mystery that made opening the next cache a much anticipated moment. With all those cameras around it did make you think twice about taking a leak in the woods though! I'd gladly publish my itinerary again for an experience like this. Quote Link to comment
+MrPandhisgirls Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Ahhh, the Great CHB were got... good! Couldn't have happened to a finer group of cachers! I sure am glad the Hickory welcoming committee rolled out the carpet for you! I honestly believe that this adventure will go down as one of the greatest of all time. If the Geo-trio from Hickory had only known you guys like Jack and I do, the stalking would have even been sweeter...I would be willing to bet that it would have lasted into many more caches before the gig was up. I hope you enjoyed the visit to the newest geocache garden in Western NC. Quote Link to comment
+fishingfools Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 In my best Arnold voice: We'll be back! Fishingfools Team CHB Quote Link to comment
+Leapin' Lizards Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 What a riot -- love it, love it! Thanks for sharing! We've left messages in log books for cachers when we knew they were on our tail, but this earns some sort of dedication prize. You frighten me, but wow, that was great! Quote Link to comment
kayaker22589 Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 Pretty shifty and incredible. Quote Link to comment
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