Night Creatures by Delawhere

Night Creatures (GC1341E)
by Delawhere
rating 2/2
container size 3 (regular)
photos by Evanspack, Runfrog and JenniferQP
as posted on www.geocaching.com

Delaware Geocaching is pleased to present a review of the first geocache site selected by our members as an example of outstanding geocache construction.

Night Creatures, created and placed by Delawhere on May 31st, was voted best geocache for the 2nd quarter of 2007. Those who visit the site description page on www.geocaching.com will see it now displays the Delaware Geocaching Award Icon so everyone will be aware of this honor. There are several features of this geocache that make it a bit different from any other Delaware Geocache as you will learn as you read this review.

Delawhere chose the village of Hockessin as the location for this cache. Hockessin is located in north western New Castle County quite near the border with Pennsylvania. It has been called the biggest "non town" in Delaware since it is unincorporated and, in fact, does not even have any set boundaries. There is no mayor or town council. Despite this Hockessin has a long history.

Around 1688 settlers moved into the area. Trade was good between the Hockessin area and the area to the north that was to become Pennsylvania. William Penn gave about 15,000 acres of the area to his daughter Letita and this created an interest for Quaker families to move to the area. By the 1780's there was enough trade passing through the area that Tweed's Tavern was established nearby. What was to become Delaware's first road was also created through Hockessin - the Newport Gap Pike. This toll road linked the shipping town of Newport with the farms of Gap, Pennsylvania (near Lancaster). Today this road still runs through the village but now it is called Delaware 141.

Delawhere's Night Creatures is located just slightly off of Delaware 141. No matter which direction you chose to enter the Hockessin area you will descend some kind of hill and find yourself in a kind of valley with the village spread out on either side of Delaware 141. Crossing Delaware 141 at a right angle is Valley Road. Turing East onto Valley from Delaware 141 will take you quickly to the starting point for this adventure - a telephone pole across the street from the starting spot. You'll quickly also spot a place for safe parking. One word of advice. Once you park your car be sure to set a waypoint for it. You may find yourself needing it to find you way back to it after you've found this one.

Delawhere has created some interesting twists with this cache. First is that it can only really be found at night. That's right - after the sun has gone down. Second is that it is rated as a multi cache but you will not be finding any additional coordinates. Those parking coordinates are the only ones you'll get. But you should also know that this cache is VERY kid friendly. In fact, if you don't have kids of your own, borrow some grand kids or nieces and/or nephews or take this opportunity to talk a neighbor with kids to come find out how much fun geocaching can be - especially in the dark.

As you exit your car and look across the street you'll be looking at a wooded area and you might be wondering how you are supposed to make the batteries in your gps last long enough to make it to the cache and back. After all keeping that back light on really eats up the juice. Relax, Delawhere has it covered.

She explains; " Look for the orange reflector to find the path to enter the woods." With this cache you are finally going to be able to get good use out of that flashlight you keep in you backpack. Having one for each member of your team might be a good idea too. Once you spot the orange reflector and safely cross Valley Road you're ready to find the way in. Let the fun begin.

Instead of looking at your gps and trying to read it's messages, you'll be using Delawhere's system of reflectors to find your way to the hide. Delawhere recommends keeping your flashlight at eye level as you work your way into the woods and seek out each reflector that will lead you deeper into the woods and closer to the hide.

Delawhere suggests: "Follow the small, orange reflective fire tacks until you get to the two larger RED reflectors. From here you will need to shine your flashlight all around to find the reflective cache container." We add "look up, look down, look all around. It could be anywhere. But when your flashlight hits it, you'll know."

Delawhere has used one of her unusual containers as the final hide. There's no room in it for regular swag but do sign the log. Also look for the bag Delawhere has provided that contains some glow sticks for the kids. You might even consider bringing one of more as replacements to help keep the supply of these fresh.

Those reading the logs for this cache will have noted that as of this posting there were 40 entries. A couple of them were from Runfrog and Harthausen (be sure to visit www.geocaching.com and read these log entries) and include Runfrog's warning of a ravine and a "rushing torrent of water at the bottom" that will be encountered along the path. Delawhere disputes this. She says the "ravine" is about the depth of two stair steps and the "rushing torrent of water" is about 5 feet wide and about ankle deep. But if you do bring the kids along you can be sure that with even this moderate water hazard someone is going to get wet.

Once you've found the hide and signed the log the next part of the adventure is getting back out of the woods. Again Delawhere has you covered. She notes" There are infrequent white reflectors to help you find you way back to your car." She also warns, "Be careful stepping onto the road from the woods because there is no shoulder."

There's one more Delawhere twist to this cache but to discover it you'll need to visit the cache description page on www.geocaching.com. Delawhere has turned poet and provided a 5 stanza poem to lead off the cache description that gives lots of good advice for turning this find into one of the most unusual and fun nights you've ever spent in a woods.

One final word of advice - The Hockessin area has several caches located nearby. Why not make a day of it? Arrive in the late afternoon and do a few of the Hockessin based caches that can be done during daylight. Then as daylight turns into dusk, cap off you caching adventure with this award winning Delawhere created geocache.