NWOG's Spring Featured Cacher is YQT, who blasted through the Spring Cache Challenge and with all her hides and finds came out on top!

1. How did you get your geocaching alias?

   I used to work for Air Ambulance as a flight paramedic and the call letters for the TBAY airport are (C)YQT. I was looking for a short simple alias that wouldn't take too long to write on the logs and came up with the call letters of the city where I was born and raised and never left.

2. What do you do when you're not geocaching?

   I am a Registered Nurse and work full time, shift work, in the ER at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre (TBRHSC). I also sit on the faculty of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM).

3. When and how did you start geocaching?

   Looking at my stats, I started May 14, 2010. Not even one year ago. Originally I just tagged along with my husband, Surpriseme, after he was introduced to it by BP76MR two years ago. I gave Surpriseme his GPS 2 years ago as we were heading to Newfoundland to do some exploring. It was such a positive experience that I was hooked and shortly thereafter realized that I needed my own identity for geocaching. Up until then I hadn’t logged any finds.

4. What do you like most about geocaching?

   Finding places that I would never have thought of going to, or even knew existed, had it not been for a cache in the area. I also love the outdoors and hiking which blends well with geocaching.

5. Do you have any geocaching pet-peeves?

   Maybe a Poohma cache, lol. No not really. I see so much positiveness about this activity that I tend to dismiss the negatives. I do hate coming across all the trash in the bush at some of the sites; I really find it disheartning. I guess it's fair to say I am not a fan of puzzle caches and micros deep in the bush seem silly to me.

6. What do you take with you when you go caching?

   Usually the dogs. We have a chocolate lab that LOVES geocaching although she is yet to say "Found it!" I always take water usually in a Camelbak water system as we've been caught a few times on some long hikes and end up a little dehydrated. The Adena Water Tower cache in Whitefish area certainly made this true. We have a "GEO-SACK" with swag, pens, lights, garbage bags, ziplock baggies and extra paper to make the whole experience a little more well rounded.

7. Have you introduced anyone to geocaching?

   I talk all the time about GC, to friends, to coworkers, to any one who will listen. My FB status frequently has stuff posted about our GC activities and many pictures too. But our son Canadianstock is really into it, but he actually had his alias and a GPS long before me. Cathysoo and Racehedco have caught our fever for the activity and we are enjoying GC together lately. My sister in St Louis Missouri was fascinated with it when I told her about it and took me to places all around St Louis last fall with her 3 year old daughter who loved opening the caches and looking inside.

8. Which other geocacher has influenced/stands out to you the most?

   My hubby Surpriseme and son Canadianstock. We get to compare finds and locations and hides and opportunity to go grab a cache here and there in our busy lives. And of course their techno ability is far superior to mine so I often need their help negotiating around some of the technical stuff. They bought me a Magellan eXplorer GPS for mother’s day this year and it’s so easy to use. Great choice for me. They made sure I got it early so that I would have it for the SCC event. I don’t think they every expected me to be so successful in the SCC.

9. What is the most interesting place geocaching has taken you?

   Tough question. Locally, Silver Harbour which has 4 GC and it was a real treat. Regionally, Jackfish Ghost Town and the Last Spike. Nationally, Newfoundland’s west coast from Gros Morne to Cape Onion - beautiful and such a treat to be lead around by a GPS to some amazing sights.

10. What has been you most memorable geocaching find (or DNF?)

    My FTF earlier this month. We had been out for a weekend of caching up the north shore with Racehedco, Cathysoo, BP76Mr (and the Mrs), Surpriseme and myself. We stopped in at Neys Lunch on the highway to talk to the CO of the Jackfish caches and learned a few things about the area. Very nice folks to talk to and CO of many caches out that way too. Anyway learned that there was a whole new series up Gordie's Lake road that had not been found yet. So we headed up there. The very first in the series stumped us. Spent a lot of time looking with no success. But I persisted and found the cache much to the chagrin of the other cachers. Maybe I whooped it up with a bit of drama too, but just a little, lol. I was pretty excited with my FTF.

11. Which of your hides are you the most pleased with?

    I’m pretty new at this and had only put out two hides up until the SCC. I liked “Looking up the Highway” for type of cache but I like the fun of hiking in to “Canyon Trail”. After seeing all the caches in the SCC, I definitely have some ideas for future caches and have already been scoping out some new locations. Stay tuned.

12. What is your closest un-found cache?

    Up until tonight I would have said Poohmas “Not Again” on Hazelwood Road. But I tried again and finally found it tonight.

13. What caches do you have in your sights right now?

    I want to try the cache out the Dam Road called Peak Performance. It’s new this spring and is a 3 hour hike.

14. What was your strategy for winning this year's SCC?

    Cathysoo and I had always planned to go together in one vehicle. At the time I didn’t even own a GPS and coherced by son Canadianstock to come in our vehicle so that we would at least have 2 GPS units. Cathysoo created a mapping system using paper maps pinned onto Styrofoam boards and push pins marking all the cache locations. We planned our route for Friday night and Saturday and then we just gave-er. Grabbed the caches in the high density areas late Friday night. Food and beverages in the car eliminated the need for breaks. Up early Saturday. It really helped having Canadianstock on our team too as he has the eye for evil caches, ie “Tag along”.