Horn229
Horn229
Interviewed February 2006
Last month Horn229s Under Cover series was our featured geocache. But he has created far more that those six. In fact, at the time this article was written he has placed 22 caches. Horn229 is gaining the reputation of being a first rate cache site creator - especially with his micro and nano sized caches.
Horn229 is also known as Nick Horn. During the day he attends Delaware Technical Community College where his major is Paramedic Technology. Some of his fellow Delaware Geocachers have described him as a "wild man" When asked about that he responded:" A wild man eh? Well, I enjoy caching in the dark, mainly in the wee hours of the morning. I seem to have gotten terms like that to describe me from going after The Dam Trolls caches the night before the event, when I got home at 2:30am. Oh, and I went after the "Rail Cache" the night it was published, despite warning that it is a dangerous place to be in, especially at night. heh" This interview should help you get to know him better.
Note: the Dam Trolls site Horn229 refers to above is the Fourteen minus six site that is this month's featured geocache.
How did you become involved with geocaching - and how long have you been doing it?
In September 2004, a friend of mine from California came to visit. While he was here he mentioned geocaching, so we went to the Travel Bug Depot, which we quickly found, and then went and got the Brandywine Springs Amusement Park Cache. Then on June 3rd of this year, my brother, known as Whatevah.com on the geocaching.com site, asked if I wanted to go caching. Since that day I've been hooked.
How many caches have you found so far?
Currently, 237.
Which type of cache do you prefer seeking - traditional, multi, puzzle or virtual?
I enjoy them all, there's more traditional caches around so I've found more of those, the multi's are greats and some take a long time to complete (such as MikeOtt's "Mason Dixon Part 2 Moving West" cache), I also love the puzzles as they usually require some sort or research or creative thinking to accomplish, and the Virtuals are always fun to do. They always contain either facts or history that I never knew. It's really a shame that we can't make them anymore.
Which find was the most challenging?
Physically or Mentally? Physically, it's a tie between MikeOtt's "Mason Dixon Part Two Moving West" cache, and his "The Dam Trolls Could have lived here" The reason I rate them both the same is that I made them much harder than what they really were by bushwhacking through the toughest terrain around. Mentally, that would definitely be "Fourteen Minus Six" by THE DAM TROLLS. That cache took me a good 10 hours to complete, and was a true challenge as I searched everywhere thoroughly within a 200' radius.
Which was the easiest?
The easiest Micro, would have to be "Ain't it Cool?" by PRM. The easiest Regular size cache would be "Zeros #00" by Runfrog.
Which was your favorite?
"Agrarian Antiquities" and "Mystery Structure #2" by MikeOtt. Those caches are awesome, there is so much history around them. Agrarian Antiquities is in such a beautifully kept area, and the structure next to it is amazing. It just leaves you wondering about who lived there, and what their lives were like. The exact same goes for the Mystery Structure #2 cache, I literally walked right past the structure as I was staring at the remains of the old stone house just past it. These two are great and the history behind the area is simply amazing.
What's the most unusual thing you've found in a cache?
Do frogs count?
Have you had any memorable experiences while seeking a cache?
Yep, but I can't think of any off the top off the top of my head.
What advice would you give to a beginning geocacher?
I'd like to think of myself as a beginner still, but I'd have to say start out small and work your way up. Better to find some easy ones to get your search abilities up, so when you go to look for the hard ones you'll know better for where to look.
How many caches have you placed?
22 so far.
Have any of them proven to be more "popular" than what you expected?
Not yet, but I'm hoping some will. :)
Have any of them proven to be more difficult to find than you expected?
Yes, my Batter Up! micro seems to be pretty difficult, there's been 8 logged DNF's, and I know of at least 2 unlogged DNF's probably more, and only 14 successful finds. So I guess that's pretty good for a film canister. And my Seven Stories High, this cache seems to drive the best cachers around crazy, so I'm pretty happy with that. :-|p
Have any of them been muggled? If, so how did you handle this?
Yes, my first cache, a micro was muggled. I simply replaced the cache in a different location where no one will probably ever go.
What advice would you give to someone designing a cache placement?
Find a unique location, or make it interesting to get to the cache itself. Make sure the coordinates are accurate by setting the GPSr sit there and hone in on the location for 5-10minutes. Oh, and shell out the 5 bucks and by an ammo box, they'll last forever and they are waterproof.
What's your best caching story?
Hmm. On my first try at TeKnights "Getting Around To It" cache, I saw a rather large cobweb, so I tried to break it with the usual ammount of force to break a cobweb and nothing, tried a bit harder and still nothing. I then noticed the spider was nearly two inches in length, and was yellow and black. That sorta scared me off from finishing that day, so I went home. Finally went back out on Dec 3rd with Baldboy75, reached the cache in 1 hour and 6 minutes.
Beside geocaching, what other things do you like to do?
I'm pretty active in an organization known as Civil Air Patrol, in that I'm a Search And Rescue Instructor and a Search Team Leader. I'm also a student at DelTech with my major being Paramedic. Oh, and I'm trying to get more involved in Waymarking, since Geocaching.com no longer allows Virtuals or locationless, it seems that waymarking will be the only place to do those types of GPS activities.
Which Delaware cache site would you'd like to see featured on the web page and why?
Definately "Getting Around To It" by TeKnight, as it's one of the, if not the most challenging cache available in Delaware right now, and only 11 successful finds. With only 6 of those done by land, the other 5 cheated and did it by boat. :)
Our thanks to Nick Horn (Horn229) for sharing these answers with us.
P. S. Those with sharp eyes (a kind of necessary attribute for geocachers) should be able to spot Horn229 among those who attended the Fall Event. Check the photo gallery section of this web site for the pictures.