What is your real name

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Vicky’s Profile Pic=

What is your real = name?

Vicky

What do you do for= a living? =

I work part-time for a church.

Care to share any information on your family?

Husband PapaRozzy, two grown children ( Bartacus & Tawny), 11-year-old granddaughter, 1-year-old grandson, and Nabisco, the geodog, just 7 months old.

If you have a family, are any of them geocachers?

Bartacus is fairly active. My husband is a reluctant geocacher and will go along with me only if I really need a companion for the quest. My daughter occasionally caches. My granddaughter has no interest, but I'm hoping= my grandson will be able to hit the trail in a few years.

When did you start geocaching? &nb= sp;

I joined Geocaching.com on May 2, 2002. I d= idn't have a GPS at the time, but my husband borrowed one from a friend at work w= ho had one for sale. I ended up buying that unit (a Garmin 12) and also bought a Garmin Legend online at about the same time. Very quickly, I= was finding caches.

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Where did you firs= t learn about caching? =

I read about it= on Wil Wheaton's blog. The whole thing sounded so intriguing that I was immediately attracted and joined the Geocaching.com website tha= t same evening. I actually joined th= e Geocaching.com website before Wil did, but he found his first geocache before me. <= /span>

What is the origin= of your caching name?

I already used "honeychile" as my persona for other online activities and I just hung with that. Some people think my geocaching ni= ck is honey and Chile (like the country) and pronounce it "honey-chili." But it's actually just "honey-child", a southern endearment. Because of the "honey&q= uot; part of the name, I often use pictures of bees or hives or references to th= em in my caches. I've never owne= d or maintained hives, but I love all things "bee." They're such amazing creatures! I hope the recent = issues with Colony Collapse Disorder can be remedied = soon.

What has been your= most memorable caching moment so far?

I've had many amazing moments in caching including my first 5-star-terrain cache (you could = stand behind a waterfall just like in the movie "Goonie= s"); the time I broke a rib while caching (straddling a tree lying across the wa= ter trying to get to the cache); the time I got caught in a thunderstorm while caching; the time I was hanging over a ravine by my fingertips, and many others. I'm such a klut= z that I definitely can make the cache more challenging than was intended. Ordinarily, I'm fairly level-heade= d, but put me on the cache trail and I lose all good sense in my exuberance to find the cache. In recent memory, finding GCPTP0 " Bluestone Diver - Road to the Abyss,"= ; was a really exciting experience. The cache is underwater and requires scuba to find it. One of the Team High Point cachers= , BearOakDruid set up a "discov= er scuba" class through his dive club at the quarry where that one is hidden. I had never tried scu= ba before and had a few moments of panic, but settled down and managed to find= and sign the cache. That wa= s a very satisfying day.

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What kind of cache= s do you most enjoy looking for?

My favorite cac= hes are placed somewhere I can sit down, take off my pack, explore the contents= of the cache, write a thoughtful entry in the logbook, and carefully choose wh= at items I'll leave for the next finder. = ; Urban sneaky, scary, "is that a cop coming this way?" cach= es can be thrilling, but I really prefer a bit of a hike and some privacy. One of my favorite caches is GC35E5 " Gorilla's Gatorade" which is over 3 = miles roundtrip. I think I've done = this one three times with various people because it's such a lovely hike.

I like an ammo = box or other substantial container so that I can drop off larger travel bugs I might have. I don't do = much trading, although I do like things that children make and sometimes choose these items from a cache. I l= ike to leave my pathtags and geoc= oins in especially interesting caches. &nb= sp; I know that geocaching includes many children and almost all of them enjoy trading, so I try to leave behind a few goodies. If a cache has fallen on hard time= s, I'll try to rehabilitate it with some extra swag and usually have some Zipl= ocs, a few packs of desiccant, an extra logbook, etc., in my pack for this purpo= se.

What kind of event= s do you most enjoy attending?

I like casual evening events with plenty of time to enjoy a meal and indulge in some chit-chat.

Describe your ideal cache hunt.

Well, that would have to be any hunt where I get to go along with David & Diana. They do all the work plotting out = where we're going and how to get there, and they even drive! I snooze in the back of their geomobile, wake up when it's time to find the cache, = hike out and find it, and then back to car and more snoozing until it's time for another cache or possibly lunch. &nbs= p; Yeah, that's my kind of hunt!

What famous person= , dead or alive, would you like to take caching?

Whenever I go geocaching, it's a great opportunity to get to know my geocaching companion= s a little better. With tha= t in mind, I think I'd choose G.K. Chesterton, who was. I believe, the = best writer and thinker of the 20^th century. His intellect satisfies my l= onging for mental challenge and his wry wit makes me laugh out loud. He influenced so many important pe= ople and yet is relatively unknown. He died long before I was born but I enjoy reading many of his books, especially the Father Brown mysteries.&nbs= p; Since geocaching is a little bit like a mystery, I think it would be= fun to hit the trails with GKC who once said, "An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered."

Any other interests outside of geocaching?

I love to sing. I don't have a solo qua= lity voice, but enjoy being the doo-wop gal for someone who does. I also enjoy reading and usu= ally read "geographically" – by that, I don't mean I read about geography; I mean that I have books all over the geography of where I live – one in the bedroom, another parked in the living room, even one for= the bathtub! And I keep my = mp3 player loaded with an audio book.

Have you introduced other people to geocaching? If so, about how many people? =

I'm definitely a geocaching evangelist! Most o= f my family has been on geocaching adventures with me, although my son is the on= ly one who caught the geocaching bug and joined the ranks back in 2002 along w= ith me. Even if the people = to whom I wax eloquent don't take up geocaching, at least they will have an understanding of it, which goes a long way toward allaying fears of what otherwise might look suspicious. &nbs= p; Some people enjoy the secret, furtive element of geocaching, but I f= eel the more people who know about the sport and have gone on a geocaching trek, the better. And if some= of those people are Rangers or Park Managers, even better!

What type of GPS d= o you use? Do you use if for anything besides geocaching?

I still have a Garmin Legend. I download all= of the waypoints using pocket queries from G= eocaching.com. My son gave me a PDA in 2004 so that I could become "paperless" a= nd I've enjoyed that innovation. I use Garmin MapSource and Cachemate to help me organize my searches. I occasionally use my GPS to= make sure my husband doesn't exceed the speed limit.

How often do you geocache now?

I've had a long spell of health difficulties and have not geocached much lately. I'm hoping that will change soon. =

What inspires you = to hide a cache?

I'm inspired by= the anticipated delight of the people who find it. I want to hide caches in fun locat= ions with unusual clues and stages. I really like it when people laugh out loud when they find the cache. My " Phynding Phydeaux&quo= t; is one of these and so is "Gnome Home 3 ." Most of mine require= a bit of a hike, but I have some micros out there, too. I like to find special prizes for = the finders. One of my "Gnome Home" series has tiny little pewter gnomes as prizes; another pirate c= ache has blown glass pirate ships; my " Cache Hound" cache offers dog toys.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> I never require anyone to trade in accordance with the theme, but I like to keep the caches stocked with cool swag.

If you could hide a cache anywhere on the planet (forget the guidelines for this one), where wo= uld you put it and why?

I would love to= be able to put caches on trails on the Blue Ridge Parkway . My parents were avid campers and although we didn't have much money (probably why we camped), we managed to = camp in every single one of the campgrounds on the parkway. There are so many places alo= ng the Blue Ridge that could draw geocachers to= truly breathtaking scenes and a renewed appreciation of all of God's creation.

Can you think of a= theme song that would best describe your caching experiences?

I have to admit that I'm not one of those "it must be right there" kind of cachers. So my theme song wou= ld have to be "Misled" by Kool= & the Gang (how's that for a trip in the way back machine?). But what I lack in instinct,= I make up for in persistence and most of the time I'm able to eventually bag = my quarry.

What do you want t= o be when you grow up?

I don't care wh= at I do for a living, but I'd like to be someone my mother would be proud of = 211; someone kind and understanding. A good friend. I hope = to be someone who will help others find their smiles and reconnect with their fai= th.

If you were a cach= e, what kind would you be? What would your name be?

Well, there's nothing very fancy about me, so I wouldn't be a puzzle cache or a multi-sta= ge or anything very clever. A= nd looking at my hips, I know I wouldn't be a slender micro – so I guess= I'd probably be a big fat ammo box in the woods, hidden behind a downed tree ju= st waiting for the next finder. My name would be, "Come find me! I BEE right here!"

Do you prefer Cach= e run or long hike?

The long hike.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Of course, a long hike with caches strategically placed along the way is good, too.

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Vicky with her “Friend of the Frog” award=

How did you become= a volunteer reviewer and Groundspeak forum moderator?

I am always ask= ed how I became a reviewer because it's something that many people believe they would enjoy, too. The s= hort answer is that I started in 2002, in the early days of geocaching and was appointed by Jeremy Irish after I wrote to him asking if there was any way I could help. At that time, the= re were only a few of us handling caches all over the world. Eventually, as the sport grew, we = were clearly not enough and more were appointed. As time went on, we slowly b= egan to gravitate toward specific territories.&= nbsp; This made sense because of various land management issues that arose= as the sport became more mainstream. &nb= sp;

It's a tremendo= us amount of work to get up to speed as a reviewer, learning all of the land issues (state land, wildlife reserves, national forests, local parks, land trusts, tribal land, etc.) and also knowing the guidelines back to front al= most word for word and how to interpret them in various circumstances.

Nowadays most a= reas have multiple reviewers or a back-up in place plus there are a number who, = like me, can "float" and cover areas in times of emergencies or vacations. There are not currently any openings on the reviewer team that I know of. Once appointed, most reviewers ten= d to stick with it -- very few have left or been relieved of their duties in the past 5 years that I've served on the team. Occasionally someone takes s= ome downtime, but as I mentioned, there are floaters in place for these conting= encies.

The folks at Groundspeak are very good to the reviewers and although we are just volunte= ers, they make sure to let us know they appreciate the job we do. I'm attaching a photo of me = along with my five year "Friend of the Frog" award from Groundspeak. It's a lovely piece of Jaffa art glass with an etching of Sign= al perched atop the globe. And I want you to know that I was extremely tempted to Photoshop the wrinkles out= of my face, but decided that I want you to be able to recognize me at a geocac= hing event and so I restrained myself.

What was it like b= eing a reviewer, a moderator?

Most of the tim= e, it is rewarding. Sometimes it= can be frustrating, especially when a cache owner has not adequately read the guidelines prior to placing a cache. = If you are new to geocaching, you may think the guidelines are petty= or overly burdensome, but I can assure you that there is a good, solid reason = for each of the guidelines based on experience over the years as geocaching has evolved.

I have never be= en very active as a forum moderator, although for a time I helped out with the travel bug forum. I rea= d and post in only a few venues now. The forums take a tremendous amount of time and dedication to keep up with and I admire those who are up to the task. =

Do you still revie= w any caches.

I am still a me= mber of the reviewer team and may be called upon as the need arises and as my he= alth permits. Occasionally I= am asked to help out in an area due to vacation or emergency. I often respond to requests that a= cache be archived or a request to change coordinates, or other routine things.

Are there any chan= ges that you would like to see in geocaching ?

Not anything major. I'm very pleased with = the way the sport has developed. I think Groundspeak's decision to permit geocaching to be largely self-policing has been a wise decision.

Are there any chan= ges that you don't want or wish had not already occurred?

I would hate to= see geocaching become overly exclusive. It's exclusive enough already because it is largely limited to peopl= e who have a GPS. But I'm not really talking about equipment, but about mindset. There should always be r= oom in geocaching for everyone – those who are competitive and enjoy rack= ing up the numbers as well as those who like to smell the roses. For this reason, I'd really = like to see mutual respect from all cachers for their caching brethren, even if = they don't play the game the same way.

Who were some of t= he active geocachers in your area and around the state when you started?

There were many more than I can remember, I'm sure! Hawk-Eye and El Diablo were the "grandfathers of geocaching" in my area. David&Diana, adventuretom , The_Mariner, Botrytisfree and Erwinia = , and googalooga were (and still are) we= ll known NC pioneers in the sport and most continue to be active. By the time I joined Geocaching.com in 2002, geocaching was g= earing up. I believe nittany <= span class=3DSpellE>dave, wimseyguy, Geo13, WE4NCS, and many others got started (or got active) about the same time I did. MissAngele was my first geocaching= buddy – the first person I met online through the Geocaching.com website. DocKaos was the first geocacher I = met on the trail ("Hey, is that a GPS? = Are you geocaching?") And there are many, many others.&nb= sp; Geocaching has exploded in the past five years with so many participants. Unlike ot= her sports or activities I've been involved with, I have met some of the finest people I know through geocaching, which seems to attract the nicest sorts of folks.

How many caches we= re in your area when you started?

When I started,= I remember thinking, "wow, if I was willing to drive a couple of hours, I could find over a HUNDRED caches!"

Anything else?

"A joyful heart is good medicine!" A good hike, a satisfying find or two, and a good night's sleep will cure so many of the problems we have in our busy lives. &= nbsp; So get out there and do some geocaching!

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