So Washknight a fellow geocaching blogger found over here is grilling various geocachers about their caching antics. Today it’s my turn in the hot seat, cue the mastermind music.

1. When and how did you first get into geocaching?
I’m a relative newcomer to the game. Geocaching had been on my radar for a while as something I’d heard of and should probably investigate further, but it took a boring day in the May 2014 Half term holiday for me to actually do anything about it.

2. Do you remember your first find?
I won’t link the cache but it was very close by, hidden on a route we pass at least four times a day. Who knew!?! That was it, we were bitten by the bug!

3. What device(s) do you use for locating caches?
iPhone for me. Up until now it’s been my trusty 4S with the help of several battery back ups! Looking forward to trying out my new iPhone 6, not sure how that will go as the geocaching.com app doesn’t seem quite right when I’ve been fiddling with it. Time will tell I guess! Update. The 6 is fantastic for caching with! The 4S still comes too though, battery time has certainly improved but it’s good to have a back up.
I have in desperation due to battery failure used my car sat nav, an experience I’m not keen to repeat!

4. Where do you live and what is your local area like for geocaching? (density / quality / setting etc)
I live in Cambridgeshire. My home town and surrounding villages aren’t too bad for caching. I always wish some of the larger towns and cities nearby had more though. It will however be some time before I have to travel considerable distances for caches. We have several fairly local trails which offer a good mix of cache sizes and some quite inventive and challenging trails too.

5. What has been your most memorable geocache to date, and why?
The clip clop series in newmarket was the first series we came across that offered some more fun and challenging caches so will always be a bit special for us. A great evening was spent getting that series completed, not so great was very nearly getting my house keys stuck in a trig point trying to get a cache without a magnet. Chop STICKS then solved the day, we seem to have started a chopstick trend on this cache!

6. List 3 essential things you take on a geocaching adventure excluding GPS, pen and swaps.
Battery back up for phone, antihistamine cream for nettle stings (mud and nettles you see..!) and tweezers.

7. Other than geocaches and their contents, What is the weirdest thing you have discovered whilst out caching?
Bones, thankfully animal and not human!

8. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is I am obsessed by numbers and 10 is I am all about the experience and the quality of each individual cache. Where do you put yourself?
10! I’m all about being outdoors and discovering new places. Numbers aren’t that important although due to being busy we’ve been sat on 195 for a while now, rounding up will be a priority as soon as we have free time again. I’m also not fussed about first to finds, I have one by coincidence and no great desires to rush out for more. The kids however seem to have other plans…

9. Describe one incident that best demonstrates the level of your geocaching obsession.
The previously mentioned trig point! I tied my house keys with a slightly magnetic key on to my phone charging cable and dangled them in to a blooming magnetic trig point, that took some serious pulling out. Completely stupid but when you have a whiff of that cache you do what it takes!

10. Have you picked up any caching injuries along the way?
Nettle stings, bramble scratches and enormous mosquito bites so far.
We had a very close run in with a nasty unattended staffie on a trail which resulted in a bit of a stand off. If we had backed away it would have certainly attacked. Probably even swallowed all five of us whole. Luckily I have a husband who is happy to just wade in during these situations and ran at the dog roaring like a madman. Phew!

11. What annoys you most about other geocachers?
Leaving tat for swaps, eurgh! Oh and I’ve spotted some elitist logs about those of us who cache with phones not GPS handhelds. Go and get over yourselves! I’ve really enjoyed reading the responses of others interrogations and seeing lots of phone users. Hurrah!

12. What is the dumbest thing you have done whilst out caching?
Yup, trig point!

13. What do your non caching family and friends think of your hobby?
That I’m a bit of a weird geek. Quite right they are too!

14. What is your default excuse you give to muggles who ask what you are up to or if you need help?
I’m so stealthy this has never happened! 😉 Seriously though I’ve only been approached by other cachers, generally three children running riot provides adequate distraction!

15. What is your current geocaching goal, if you have one?
To round up numbers and to finish the EA geo mobbers trail.

16. Do you have a nemesis cache that despite multiple attempts you have been unable to find?
I’ve beaten my biggest nemesis recently, but there are a couple of others that are starting to irritate:
Ruby’s cache. I’m not alone in not finding this one it seems. Supportive CO 😉
common people which is too far away from home to check regularly. I’ve been up in the blooming tree with the hint number on. There is not a cache in it! A string of DNFs from experienced cachers and then loads of newbys find it?!? Argh!
Finally this one Thought I had it sorted but DNF WTF! Just give me the coordinates somebody please!

17. What 3 words or phrases best sum up what geocaching means to you.
Outdoors. Discovery. Ammo can!

18. What prompted you to start blogging about geocaching?
I blog about outdoor and family activities so it’s a natural extension of that.

19. Which of your own blog entries are you most proud of.
None of them. Insecure blogger :p

20. Which other geocaching blogs do you enjoy reading?
New to this blogging business so discovering a few gradually. Feel free to leave me links so I can come and say hi!

Thanks for the questions Washknight 🙂