Geocaching Part 4: Creating My First Geocaches

After our vacation to Hilton Head Island, the Christmas season arrived and then it turned cold for a few weeks, really cold for North Carolina. I decided to become more of an active part in the geocaching community by creating a series of caches about Coulwood Hills, the community I live in. I have been an active part of Coulwood Community Council and even was the first webmaster, starting their first website. I created the Coulwood Hills Tour Series of four caches, each telling part of the history of our fifty year-old community starting with the first cache. As a bonus and encouragement to finish the series, each cache gave partial coordinates for the fifth and bonus cache.

I placed all created, filled all five caches placed them in their predetermined locations that I had found in the fall when I started thinking about the project and when poison ivy was visible... did not want to make the mistake like some have done and place it near this stuff I have been so allergic to all my life.

I used cookie tins and plastic containers with lids that have good seals. I will check them every few weeks to see which ones hold up the best. After I started geocaching, I looked for swag I could use around the house, stuff on sale at stores, and at yard sales. It does not take long to accumulate

LOTS of it. I always like to leave better swag than I take so I have all good stuff... so much, I was able to easily fill the five caches with three having themed goodies:

• Cache 1 - General Content - largest cache
• Cache 2 - Audio CDs
• Cache 3 - Technology related stuff
• Cache 4 - General
• Cache 4 - Sports and Leisure

The caches were set out on Friday, January 15 in the morning and final approval by geocaching.com was finished at 6:30 a.m. The first to find the first cache was within two hours. During the first week, eight teams took the tour of Coulwood as they found the caches. There has been great response

and the finding the series and bonus can be done within an hour. To find the caches go to geocaching.com, Hide and Seek a Cache, then search for Hidden by Username, and enter glenngurley. It made true the statement, "If you build it they will come." I made sure I built this series the best I could to represent the community well.

Below is the graphics of the log sheets. Coordinates for the bonus cache are on the information sheets about the history of the Coulwood Hills Community.

One of the five pictures this family posted on the first geocache. Think they really enjoyed the spider glasses I had as swag in the cache.... Check the actual log on geocaching.com and see how they look on the puppy! Make sure you click on view all logs.