Rachelhead
Rachelhead
Interviewed August 2007
See that hint of a grin? That's a clue that THIS geocacher is someone who really enjoys her sport. As you will learn in this interview Rachelhead has, in the span of only 24 months gone well over the 1000 finds mark. And, all the while she has had fun.
Rachel Streck is a downstate Delaware geocacher calling Magnolia her home. And while she has been all over Delaware seeking geocaches, she also has branched out to other states. Along the way she's also created a few of her own. So here's your chance to learn more about a geocacher who knows how to read the clues, find the swag, and have fun.
How did you become involved with geocaching - and how long have you been doing it?
Two years ago for my birthday, I was given a Magellan and information on the geocaching.com website. I had never heard of it before and I had no other use for a non-routing GPS so I gave it a try. I was instantly hooked, eventhough my first attempt was a DNF. What attracted me most about continuing this new found hobby was the mystery and surprise of it all. You never know where the next geocache hunt is going to take you, what you are going to find and who you might meet along the way.
How many caches have you found so far?
1360!
Your profile shows that you have geocached in several states running up large numbers of finds in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Tell us a bit about your adventures in these states.
In May I went to my first mega event -- Geo Woodstock 5 in North Carolina. All of my finds in NC are from that 4 day weekend. It was an exhausting trip, but we tried to fit in as many caches as we could.
Understanding that the geography in these other states where you have geocached is quite different from Delaware - how do the Delaware geocaches compare with those you found in other states?
Delaware has the reputation of being a very flat state, but I have done some hikes here that were very challenging and worthy of a 3 star or higher terrain rating. I prefer a shorter more challenging terrain hike than a very long walk on level ground.
Is there any particular kind of geocache hide you've found in other states that you like to see replicated here in Delaware ?
I like caches that are unique and creative; caches with more imagination.
Your profile includes a graph showing your geocaching rate over time. It starts off gradually and then takes a big jump. It appears that you may be one of the busiest geocachers in the state. What's happening here?
I only had 24 finds after my first year of caching because I didn't like to cache alone. Last fall, I decided to get out more, do more caching and made attempts to meet fellow geocachers. After going to a few events and learning about www.geocachingde.com, I made lots of new friends and starting caching more and more.
It also helps that I am dating another Geocacher. We both enjoy caching and spend a lot of time caching together. If it wasn't for geocaching we never would have met. My cache finds took a big jump shortly after we met.
Which find was the most challenging?
That's a tough question. There are a lot of challenging caches, but a large percentage of Hart612 caches I had to DNF and make a return trip to find them – such as Port Mahon.
Which was the easiest?
Your Dover Bullseye. I had printed the page before leaving work but had I had forgotten my GPS at home, I was itching to do a cache so I went for it anyway and found it right away.
Do you have a favorite or favorites from among the caches you have found??
CollinsBeachis one of my favorite caches. It has a lot of features that I enjoy in a cache - an old historic building, an old cemetery and a nice enjoyable walk.
Green Hill Light is another favorite, but I think it has more impact of being a great cache if you go in knowing nothing about the area and what you will see there.
Bay View - the most spectacular sunset can be seen over Old Mill Creek.
Have you had any memorable experiences while seeking a cache?
When ODragon and I celebrated my 2nd Geocaching anniversary and my birthday by finding my 1000th cache – Play it Again Sam(uel).
Also: Going to the King Tut Treasure Tour Event in Philadelphia and having our team, OdocMathHead (ODragon, docdesi, chsmathwisch and myself) come in first place. We completed a series of 12 caches in about 2 hours and had a lot of fun. It felt like we were on The Amazing Race. We were even stopped by the police on Jeweler's Row, they had mistaken our GPS units for guns and thought we were going to rob a jewelry store.
What advice would you give to a beginning geocacher?
Don't be afraid to go to events and be part of the geocaching community. You'll make a lot of friends and learn a lot of tips and tricks. And don't forget to do a tick check!
Your profile shows that you have placed three geocaches and two of those seem to be associated with the recent Delaware Hundreds C.A.C.H.E event. Is this an accurate assessment?
That is correct. I adopted one of the caches placed for the Delaware Hundreds C.A.C.H.E event from Programmer64. Unfortunately, this cache has since gone missing. With 80 finds, I felt that it had a good run and it was best to archive it.
We don't want to put you on the spot but do you have any plans to place any more geocaches in the near future?
I have a lot of ideas going through my head. I plan to place some more caches in the near future.
Beside geocaching, what other things do you like to do?
With all of the geocaching I have been doing lately, I don't have a lot of time or energy for other things. But I do enjoy reading, family history research, painting and photography.
Thanks, Rachelhead, for sharing these answers with us.