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May 2013 Spotlight - CacheSking

Highlighting Maryland's finest cachers!
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Calvertcachers
Former MGS Officer
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May 2013 Spotlight - CacheSking

Post by Calvertcachers »

It is a great honor to introduce Dave Oshman - CacheSking in our May 2013 Member Spotlight. Dave has been a member of the MGS since 2010, and he has done some awesome extreme geocaching! He is also a great puzzle cacher. Say hello to Dave!

Interview Date: March 2013
Caching Name: CacheSking
Real Name: Dave Oshman


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1. How did you become involved in geocaching. When did you start?

I had heard about geocaching years ago, and while it sounded interesting, I was busy with a couple of young children. But, in 2010, the Boy Scouts started talking about geocaching as an interesting hobby so one of our leaders (Pack355Mom) gave a short presentation on geocaching in August of 2010 and we walked through the woods to find a cache. It was called zack attack. I had my son and nephew with me and they really enjoyed it and we were hooked! I had a GPSr in the mail within a few days and I was off.

2. How did you choose your caching name?

I was thinking of just using what I’d use for email so I started with doshman. But, after logging a couple of caches, realized how boring that was. Having been in the .com bubble a few years back and hearing about some unfortunate events that a friend went through, I understood the meaning of “Cash Is King” with respect to accepting company stock in lieu of cash for a deal. I like the play on words for Cache Is King but that was taken so I went with Cache S King, without the spaces. Well, most people have trouble pronouncing it—is it cache-sking, or perhaps cache-skiing? Still unfortunately difficult to figure out but I still like it for another reason that I’ll talk about when we get to collecting coins.

3. How many caches have you found so far?

1047 caches as of 4/2/2013, not counting the handful of CAM 2013 caches plus bonuses.

4. What brand/type of GPS do you use?

I started out trying to find a few caches with only Google Maps and hints but graduated to a Garmin eTrex. That was OK but I wanted more detail and recent logs so I upgraded to a Garmin Oregon 450. I lost that while kayak caching in Southern MD and was going to upgrade to something else but it turns out that the 450 has everything I need. I also have an iPhone which I use when I don’t have my GPSr handy.

5. What programs/software or hardware (PDA/laptop/phone) do you use to make caching easier?

GSAK is my goto app for downloading caches to my GPSr. I know I don’t use all of the features that it offers but I haven’t really wanted much more. I use Google Earth and Google Maps a lot as well, as I like to research what I’m getting into. I also love solving puzzles so I use Purple Hell and Rumkin websites a bit.

6. What type of cache do you prefer seeking – traditional, multi, puzzle, virtual?

I’d say that I prefer puzzle caches. Although a physically challenging traditional or multi will get my blood flowing. Something with difficulty or terrain greater than 3. If both are greater than 3, it’s even better!

7. Which caches were the most challenging – physically/mentally? Why?

Physically, the most challenging one has got to be Chuck's Wall: The Unexpected Party. It's a true 5/5, involving a serious climb up an 80 foot rock wall. The climb is rated as a 5.7, which is quite challenging for a first timer. The first 10 feet are the crux (the hardest part of a climb is called the crux) and it took me about 4 tries to make it. Thanks to TeamPanda173 on the belay, I only fell a couple of inches each time. But, once I made that, it was a fantastic climb all the way to the top. A couple members of our team actually forgot there was a cache at the top of the climb! Completing it with a fantastic team made it all the more memorable.

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Rappelling off to get the cache!

Mentally, the most challenging puzzle was PMC – Song of the Master Sun. I had looked at it for years and had hints from the COs but couldn’t make it all come together. Finally, I opened up to Sue-Cat about where I was and what I had tried and she set me straight. I was over-thinking things, of course. That was a fun physical challenge as well with the climb to the final.

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My 1000th find happened to be a climbing cache so I pinned the honorary sign to my harness.

8. Do you have a favorite or favorites among the Maryland caches that you’ve found?
(Feel free to list a favorite for each type of cache) Do you have a favorite in a nearby state?

All of the Psycho Urban Caches have been awesome. PUC #14 is my favorite multi.
Favorite puzzle cache is definitely PMC-Song of the Master Sun.
Favorite traditional is Chuck's Wall: The Unexpected Party.
My favorite in a nearby state is WVTim’s “Cave”, in West Virginia.

9. What’s the most unusual thing that you’ve ever found in a cache?

I found a vial of gold in a geocache. It was small and diluted gold dust but it was extremely cool.

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My 100th puzzle cache find at PMC - Song of the Master Sun, and where I found the vial of gold.

10. What are your current caching goals? Is there a certain cache that you can’t wait to do?

A general goal that I have is to keep my average Difficulty and Terrain ratings over 2.0. The more specific goals for this year are to finish off the last 4 Psycho Urban Caches that I haven’t found. I also want to grab a couple of special caches that require climbing gear. We just finished Chuck's Wall: The Unexpected Party from Indy-MD. Incredible cache.

11. How many caches have you placed? Do you have a current hiding goal?

25 active caches out there, another 5 that should have been published by the time of this Member Spotlight. No current hiding goal but if I find a good place to hide a cache where you are required to climb to get it (using climbing gear, of course), I will jump on it for a new hide. I was stoked to hide the last (12th) of my series, BAC, Chesapeake District Cache to Eagle caches. Since then, I’ve only hid a couple of challenging puzzle caches.

12. What advice would you give someone that wants to place a cache? What steps do YOU take when placing a cache?

A. Get good coordinates. If you don’t have a standalone GPSr, enlist someone’s help that does. Smartphone coords can make life tough!

B. Find a BUNCH of caches (at least 50) before you hide your own. It’s important to learn the frustration of finding some tough caches before you try to hide your own.

C. Use a quality container. A cache should be placed to last a long time and water will get into almost anything. Ammo cans rock!

D. Offer a little something for the FTF. I almost always have a coin for the FTF—at least a pathtag.

E. It’s my personal preference, but I really don’t enjoy looking for a challenging cache in a place where there is a lot of muggle activity. So, for me, I’d suggest making it so that one can take their time looking and not have to worry about the police getting called.

First off, I choose a spot that will be easy for me to maintain; either near home or work. Hopefully, there's something cool there that I want people to see. My Cache to Eagle series points out specific Eagle Scout projects in my community. When I place a cache, I tend to be obsessive about good coordinates. I use the Waypoint Averaging function on my GPSr until it gets to 100%. Then, I'll go home, write up the cache description, request permission if needed, and go back and do another waypoint average when I place the container. If it's in a challenging signal area (near a rock wall or deep tree cover), I'll do another waypoint average at a later time. Every time I do maintenance, I'll do another average. Yes, it's obsessive. Living on the water, some of the nearby places where I have caches tend to flood so I make sure they are up high enough to avoid floating away. I'll make sure there's SWAG in there for the kids to enjoy the cache. My kids get disappointed if there's not something to trade in there. Finally, I'll often query the FTF cacher to see how the coords were and if everything was as expected.

13. How often do you go caching?

Not as often as I used to. When I first started, I wanted to find every cache nearby. When I hit the “big time”, at 100 caches, that stopped. It was all about the numbers at that point. After that, I slowed down some and concentrated on the Fizzy Challenge, which I was able to log as my 500th find, which is currently the record for the least number of caches before qualifying and finding that. After that, I did the 100+ in a day with Corfmania and cardinal points (we hit 159). Since then, I’ll plan an outing with geo-friends and we may walk right by a traditional without even looking. See above for keeping my D/T averages over 2. It's all about what we enjoy finding.

14. What advice would you give a beginning geocacher?

Get to know some other cachers as soon as you can. Trust me; I learned so much from caching with other people, czar7, Sue-Cat, Team Red Oak, flaffle, cardinal points. There are so many caches that I might not have found if not for another set of more experienced eyes around. Now, I’m not afraid to search for a 4 difficulty traditional that I know I wouldn’t have found with only 20 total finds. So, go to events, and do CAM, and try for FTFs, where you will definitely meet other cachers. Oh, and having a phone full of numbers for PAFs is not a bad thing either.

15. Have you completed CAM in the past? What was your favorite aspect?

I completed CAM in 2011 and 2012. When czar7 told me about CAM, it didn’t sound like too much fun. But, I tried it in 2011 after Team Red Oak convinced me that it was really fun. Thanks to them and the blast we had on the road trips East and South, I’ve become hooked on CAM and look forward to it as much as I look forward to the first ski trip of the year. My favorite aspect is spending time with my good friends and getting a chance to meet "famous" cachers on the trail or at the picnic. Last year's highlight was meeting SeekPeekers and RedLights and trading pathtags with them and Moonpie10. I will complete 2013 CAM and actually got a shared FTF on the Baltimore County 2013 CAM.

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16. Do you collect geocoins? Of the ones that you’ve collected, which is your favorite?

Not in a big way but I actually have 12 or 15. My favorite is my Cache Is King coin, which is rectangular like a playing card. I’m almost complete with the full house in the same set but still need the Jack. I collect pathtags (not an online trader) too and I have some which I’ve found in some great caches that are special.

17. What type of gear do you carry with you on your caching trips? What’s in your geopack?

Well, I’m a Scout leader so I try to be prepared for anything. However, I use a small hydration pack and have a minimalist philosophy since I enjoy some substantial physically challenging caches. In it, I keep 2 liters of water, a first aid kit, tweezers, a headlamp, a couple of energy bars, extra batteries, baggies, TP, CPR kit, compass, hand sanitizer, DEET towelettes, a small notepad, pens, pathtags, and a couple of Scout patches for SWAG. I’ll read the logs about the caches I’m going for and will bring an extra container if I read that a cache is having issues.

18. What is your most memorable caching experience?
Last summer, on the North Branch of the Potomac River, there were three caches that had been placed on islands but had not been found after being out there for a year. So, Team Red Oak, flaffle and I decided to take a kayak trip. We ended up doing 18 miles in 10 hours and it was the most peaceful, beautiful trip, for the most part. Near the launch point, we saw a couple of fishermen catch a fish. As we kept heading downstream, we saw no other human being for the next 17.5 miles. We saw bunches of deer, including a doe swimming across with her fawn. We saw a couple of bald eagles and some of the most majestic cliffs you’d ever want to see. The caches were in great condition since the CO used good containers and waterproof log sheets. It wasn’t all peaceful though. The water was pretty low so we hit bottom a lot. Mrs. Team Red Oak has a kayak with a built-in skeg underneath and it got stuck more than the others. At one point, it got wedged between two rocks and filled with rushing water. That was quite a challenge to get it free and empty it. At one point, I also went in the drink. We had a choice of going left or right at an island. I was in front so I chose right since after the first section, it looked pretty calm. As I started into the rapids, I called out behind me to avoid the low trees on the right bank. Well, wouldn’t you know it; I got into the rapids and was forced to the right side and into the low trees. I leaned just a little too far to the left and capsized. I dried out easily enough and it was a nice warm day so we got a good chuckle out of it. So, 18 miles, 10 hours, and three FTFs with two great friends made a fantastic, memorable day. The only thing missing was Sue-Cat who wasn’t available that day.

19. What is your best caching story?
Back when I decided to complete the Fizzy Challenge (late 2010), I was checking out which D/T combos I needed and looked into nearby 4/4s. One was G.P.S, from LegendPilot, and another was The Snake Pit from flyingmoose. G.P.S. had an issue with the first stage so I figured I’d have to do The Snake Pit. Fortunately, I became friends with a previous finder of G.P.S. who had kept the coordinates that he got from the first stage. So, I repaired the first stage and was able to find the final. I got my 4/4 and didn’t think about The Snake Pit again for a while. Since then, a 5/5 got placed near The Snake Pit, which hadn’t been found since 2009. Flaffle, Team Red Oak, and I decided we wanted to tackle the 5/5 (Cachers Oven) but had trouble scheduling a time. We finally were able to settle on January 2013 for a date. Since it was nearby, flaffle suggested searching for The Snake Pit. Only trouble is that it’s hidden in a pond in the woods and we are talking about January for doing this. Knowing I wouldn’t have a chance otherwise, I borrowed some chest waders from a friend and after Cachers Oven, we headed over to The Snake Pit. MurphysPack joined us, as he lived nearby wanted to do Cachers Oven and had searched for The Snake Pit at least 5 other times with no luck. He decided to stay dry but wanted to watch us idiots. So, flaffle and I got our chest waders on and stepped into The Snake Pit. We turned over every rock that was close to GZ with no success. Team Red Oak showed up to gawk at us after about 15 minutes. Finally, we found a large rock that I couldn’t turn over by myself. I leaned into Sonya to be able to get better leverage and ended up getting water down the front of my waders. Still couldn’t budge the rock. We found a fence post and tried to pry it up but the post just bent. We knew that the cache had to be under it but had no way of getting it moved. So, we kept searching around. The hint says that the cache is exactly 17 feet away from a particular tree (picture provided) at a specific compass bearing buried under rocks to keep it from floating. We had a 17’ rope tied to the tree and searched every inch within those bearings. The big rock was still there but we decided to spread out a bit. We had been searching for about 40 minutes and were beginning to think that we weren’t going to find it. I tied my hiking stick to the 17’ rope and started prodding at regular intervals. What’s this? I bumped into a pile of rocks that was different than the individual rocks we had found before. I bent over, moved the top rock and felt the familiar smooth texture of a plastic waterproof container. Sonya could tell by the smile on my face that I had achieved success. That was such a rush. As an added bonus, flyingmoose decided he wanted to archive the cache (probably due to the new “Do Not Enter The Water” signs near the pond) and said the next finders could keep the container. After more than three years, the contents were almost completely dry inside. The container is sitting on my mantle as home proudly displayed as the trophy it is. To this day, I still can’t believe we found The Snake Pit.

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Snake Pit

20. What do you like about geocaching? What keeps you going?
Since I began geocaching, I’ve gotten in such better physical shape. Nowadays, I wouldn’t think twice about going on a 7 mile hike just for fun. I really love being out and seeing what God has put out there in nature for us to marvel. What keeps me going is planning out excursions with friends like Sue, Team Red Oak, and flaffle. Like I mentioned, I don’t get out all that often so it’s fun just planning trips and thinking about geocaching.
I’ve also enjoyed following around the Travel Bug Hot Potato VA-MD Lives Again and wish more Maryland cachers would join in the fun. Virginia keeps beating us!

21. Besides geocaching, what other things do you like to do?
I spend a fair amount of time doing Scout stuff as a Den Leader and Assistant Cubmaster. When I’m not doing that, I love skiing. My friends know that my winter caching time is limited because most free weekend days are ski days. I love archery and am an archery instructor. And I try to spend some quality time with my 3 children and wife whenever I can.

22. What question did you expect us to ask but didn’t. What is the answer?
You asked me for advice to geocache hiders: what about advice to those geocachers who are finders ?
Cooley1103 stresses this but so will I. Many of us hiders go to great length to hide quality caches. We want feedback from our finders. Please spend a little quality time writing a log. Explain a little about the process of finding it (most of mine are a small to medium hikes), how challenging it was to solve a puzzle, what the weather was like, what you saw on the way to the cache, any misadventures that happened on the way, etc. Post some pics if it’s a scenic area or you have little guys with you. On PUC #10, Derelict Grunge Acropolis, which is in Fort Armistead which is an abandoned, ugly old early 20th century concrete fort, the place is inhabited by hookers, druggies, and all kinds of scary people. Even though the park is public, the area where the cache is placed is never cleaned, and all of the things that you would expect to be discarded by prostitutes and druggies are all throughout the tunnels. There’s some impressive graffiti and some perilous climbing to get to where the cache was. One cacher had the nerve to leave a “TFTC” log. I know the CO was insulted (as was I, just having been there a few times as a finder and helping to maintain it) and he almost archived a great cache because of it.
I may go overboard with my logs as my average Found It log is 414 characters long (80 words). Please don’t leave a “TFTC” log on any of my caches (other than the one C&D). I know that many other hiders feel the same way.

BONUS QUESTION:
Who do you look up to in the geocaching world?

I've got to say that Sue-Cat and mmammel are incredible puzzle solvers and makers. I'm always so impressed by how quickly they solve my puzzles and other puzzles. Flaffle is a geofriend in PA. She's amazing in her stamina on the trail and what she will do to retrieve a cache. She's crazy! Czar7 is incredible for setting goals and achieving them: 400 caching days in a row is outstanding. Then there are the couples that spend a lot of their time together caching, particularly Team Red Oak and the Cooleys. Finally, Dr.MD for all of the work he/she does along with the the officers of MGS and all they do. Geocaching gods! All of them.
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cooley1103
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Re: May 2013 Spotlight - CacheSking

Post by cooley1103 »

It is great to see Dave highlighted. :-D :-D :-D

We have been caching together many times and he is definitely a player I respect. I truly respect his personal drive to go for the challenging caches over the C&D's. Sometimes quality is more important.

Also, thank you for your work with the Boy Scouts. Being a former scout I look at the leaders I had growing up and know they shaped my life to where it is today. So thank you for being a positive role model for today's youth.
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TeamPanda173
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Re: May 2013 Spotlight - CacheSking

Post by TeamPanda173 »

What an awesome Spotlight! Thanks much for sharing Dave. Dave is a great guy to cache with and go after some of the tougher caches in the area. Really enjoy caching and climbing with him. Great job on Chuck's Wall! You came through like a champ and pulled it off perfectly! Looking forward to our next adventure!
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Hixon
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Re: May 2013 Spotlight - CacheSking

Post by Hixon »

Supercool spotlight. Nice to learn more about you and your adventures.

I noted how the pack contents for a "minimalist" scout leader is more robust than mine when I think I'm fully-loaded. Guess that's the whole "be prepared" thing. :)
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OhMelli
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Re: May 2013 Spotlight - CacheSking

Post by OhMelli »

GREAT spotlight! LOVE reading about the truly "adventurous" caches! I fear I will never be physically fit ENOUGH to do serious climbing... hehe... I'm barely fit enough to hike! But in my heart of hearts I am UP that wall and IN that cave ... and wherever else I need to be! Thank you Dave - for sharing your experiences! And... I am totally with you on the logging thing! It's just not THAT HARD to think of something NICE to say to a CO!!! [:)]
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Death Wish Dave
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Re: May 2013 Spotlight - CacheSking

Post by Death Wish Dave »

OhMelli wrote:GREAT spotlight! LOVE reading about the truly "adventurous" caches! I fear I will never be physically fit ENOUGH to do serious climbing... hehe... I'm barely fit enough to hike! But in my heart of hearts I am UP that wall and IN that cave ... and wherever else I need to be! Thank you Dave - for sharing your experiences! And... I am totally with you on the logging thing! It's just not THAT HARD to think of something NICE to say to a CO!!! [:)]
Melli--
I enjoyed your spotlight as well. Not everyone can or wants to do some of those crazy caches. That's why there are so many C&Ds, which I certainly enjoyed when I started caching. I can remember finding my first LPC and thinking how clever it was and that I didn't know that part lifted up!

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

Jay--couldn't have done it without you. Looking forward to more of it. I wonder if there's some close climbing to where the CAM picnic is.

Brian--it's always a pleasure caching with you and/or Angela. I lucked out and found a CAM 2013 pathtag in a cache so you can trade the one you were saving for me!

Hixon--
I was hoping to meet up with you today in Frederick but . . . well, Sue probably explained why I didn't. See you at the picnic!
==============================================================================
The geocacher formerly know as CacheSKing.
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nighthawk700
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Re: May 2013 Spotlight - CacheSking

Post by nighthawk700 »

Another excellent write up. CacheSking helped me with PUC #10, I was being scoped out in the parking lot, so was nice to have another person there to dissuade the person from cruising me. ;-) And I agree with you completely about not writing short logs, especially for caches that have some effort in them. Thanks for sharing!!
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coupleocachers
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Re: May 2013 Spotlight - CacheSking

Post by coupleocachers »

Great write up. Now we can put a face to the name.
We are now Mr. And Mrs. Coupleocachers and Proud parents of AmeliaGrace
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littleblkdog
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Re: May 2013 Spotlight - CacheSking

Post by littleblkdog »

Great write-up for a great guy. I've "hunted" two caches with Dave and the were both "extreme". He doesn't give up! Can't wait for some more adventures!
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MotherWolf
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Re: May 2013 Spotlight - CacheSking

Post by MotherWolf »

What a great write up. I am awed at the things few of our cachers will attempt & a bit envious I am not able to do them myself but I mostly love the fact that this sport/game/hobby, however you tag it, is so diverse there is something for everyone.
I went crazy over The shot of Chucks Wall. What an awesome sight, both from the photographers point & Im sure more so from Dave's point of view. How cool that must have been.
It has been a pleasure learning about you & what it means to you. TY so much for sharing & great job on the Snake Pit. 'Yeah thats 1 I would have liked to look for................I was lucky to just get past its title LOL'
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