CacheCrazy.Com

Hey guys, its Bloodhounded here!

Today I am going to introduce you to one of the world’s most creative cache creators of all time. His ingenuity and imagination carry over to the way he “sets” a hide and even his cache pages are cool!

But, first I want to prime the intro with a quick shout out to all hiders everywhere!

Thank you for hiding a Geocache!

In a game centered on how many “finds” you have, stats geared towards “finds”, badges issued for “finds” in other states and rewards given to those who make the “find” not to mention the holy grail of Geocaching itself, the coveted FTF! I ask you!

What does the game do for the hider?

Issue special badges? How about hider stats, rewards or even recognition? Nope.

And, they have to fight with the reviewer (I do anyway), get special permission and even pay for permits at state parks in some states like PA to put out a decent hide.

They ask for nothing in return but to receive a cool log, maybe a picture and anything more the “TFTC” will pretty much do.

Like I said, Thank you for hiding a Geocache!

Meet Nishollow. He is the master mind behind several superior cache hides in Northeast PA. His creations of both creative containers and extreme hides do have a bit of a dark side to them, stir controversy and even include a touch of evil……….. But I like it! When it comes to creativity of geocache containers, he is to me an artist of the craft. Just look at some of his imaginative work and you’ll agree, there are few like him. That is why I am so excited to present to you this interview with Kyle aka Nishollow.

Enjoy!

So, welcome to CacheCrazy.Com Nishollow. It’s been a long time coming. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to get to know you better.

Let’s start with how you selected your geocaching name and when you started caching?

My name is Kyle Powell, AKA Nishollow. As a kid I loved the story of Sleepy Hollow, but I thought it would be just a little too much if I had that name so I tweaked it and got Nishollow. I started caching February 8th, 2010. I was working and I always heard two people talking about it so I thought I'd ask about it. That was the day I found something where I could channel my creative side and art side into something else I love, the woods. I thought Wow! This is fun! I can make a ton of cool stuff for people to see.

Why did you start making those crazy containers and tell us about your very first creation?

When I discovered geocaching, I couldn’t wait to start making some cool caches. Like all cachers, we have to get our feet wet and find a few so we know what is out there. My first cache I hid was called Tre's cache (GC27QZN). It was called that since my son's name is Tre. The cache is an old log drilled out with a nano in it. I don’t know if it’s just me, but every time I make a container, I have to make it better than the last one I made. Now don’t get me wrong, I like the common MKH on the guardrail, or the ammo can under the rocks. They are all good to me, but I like to think every cacher is known for something. For example, if you see that Teamgetz has a new cache, then you know you are going to a beautiful waterfall. Since I’ve been geocaching I have seen so much that I never would have seen -- from underground caves to waterfalls. I think that is what geocaching is about - the adventure, the sights along the way, good times with friends, the thrill of the hunt for the geocache and then finding the container, all in all a great time.

What inspires you to make these awesome cache containers?

One day I was caching and saw this piece of junk just laying there and I thought, “Wow I know where that would fit in perfect”. I took it home, cleaned it up, spray painted it, and then hand painted the other stuff. I put it right in muggles view. It looks like it belongs there. That Cache is called NisHollow's Intersection (GC307WY). It's a puzzle cache. The puzzle there is to find the highway number and then unlock the lock. That one is a simple puzzle.

I guess from there it was history! Tell us about some other caches you have created?

Another container I made for a cache was called Rawrrrr,The land of the lost (GC34YYK). It was a t-rex head I made from a mold from my sons toys. I air brushed that container to give it a realistic look.

When we had our event, Geopalooza 1, I made all the containers for that. For example, I made a bee hive where you had to put your hand inside and pull out the log sheet. It looked so real that cachers were scared to even get near it. I also made a dino head for the event. I make a lot of them.

For the Alice in Wonderland series, I was given the Mad Hatter. In the beginning I thought how am I gonna do this. Well again I was caching in the woods with fromhell3706 and he saw something that looked like a head, and I thought please don’t be a dead body. Thank God it wasn’t. It was Mannequins head. Keep in mind I made him gothic. I hand painted a tribal face tattoo on him, pierced his lip, and gave him a dog collar with spikes. The cache is a 5/5 multi-cache. One stage has the cacher going in a lake. Depending on how high it is, they could walk out or swim. To get to the lake they have to go into a cave that is sort of flooded and grab the cache....it is under water. Another stage I have rattle snakes (fake snakes) in holes and they have to put their hands in the hole to get the next stage. Another stage has 12 trees with dog tags in them and only one of the dog tags is the right one. Hatter is in a cave waiting for someone to have tea with him. That cache is Mad Hatter-AIW#5 GC3F8CA.

I also came up with a sword in the stone puzzle cache that I donated at a NEPAG event. It was a sword placed in stone and the puzzle was to try to figure out how to get it out and sign the log. That one was a bison tube.

I love swimming and thought i should do a swimming cache, so I came up with 3000 leagues under the sea (GC3994G) .It’s a pvc pipe about 5 inches weighed down with a red floatation device attached to it so it can be seen and easy to grab while diving for it. It was only found once so far.

I love zombies so i came up with this idea of a geo-virus Cache. It was an ammo box with a log book and crap load of film cases that were zombies (Seed Caches) to take over the world. And they were numbered like Zombie #15. You had the option to grab one or not. The cache was called Geo-Virus (GC3BTT4).

Ok so we had the Zombies taking over the world. What do we do now? I know what to do. I'll make a cache that over takes the zombies. I teamed up with Team-Pachulski and we made a 5 part puzzle cache. Each cache is a puzzle and gives you and piece to the final. The final is a steel box that weighs about 200 lbs and it's filled with toy guns, toy knives, first aid spray, and anti-virus. It has badges with cachers names on them, with all the info on the cacher and a qr bar code that is scannable. When I was making the badges I must have written down over a hundred names and printed them and got them laminated. If I missed a name there is a visitor badge for the cacher. It's my way of saying thank you for taking the time for doing the cache and the really hard puzzles involved in the cache .The trading card is really nice and there are survivor caches (Seed Caches).

You are the featured Geocacher in CacheCrazy.Com’s Trilogy Of Terror event this weekend and I thank you for that! Without giving too much away can you tell us your thoughts on The Evil Within and Mary Shaw (two caches in the trilogy)?

I always wanted to make a playhouse into something from Texas chain saw, so one day I saw one for sale and bought it cheap. I took spray paint and a few creepy boards to the windows, some fake blood all over the place with a few creepy items and I had The Evil Within (GC3F3GR). That is another puzzle cache. You have to scan the qr code and it gives you the code the door.

Mary Shaw is based off a movie that my son and I love. It's about a woman who had no kids - only dolls. She killed kids and some grownups. The cache is in a creepy tunnel with dolls hanging everywhere.
The coords take you to a door bell dinger. Push the dinger and listen.....walk in and sign the log.

AWESOME! I can’t wait!

So, what other interesting things have you done?

I loved the cache American Baby, and from the day I did that cache I wanted to make a cache that would be as creepy and scary. I wanted the cacher leaving thinking now that was a great cache. I put a lot of thought into this cache. I made my own cemetery at the cache location with over 100 crosses and tomb stones. A few wooden ones and two real stone ones. I have an 18 foot cross with a sacrifice altar. I have a pine tree with heads hanging in it with fake spider webs. I can’t even tell you how many doll parts are in the woods at random spots. I make you go in a creepy tunnel with water coming out with dolls floating in it. That is my new cache Hansel and Gretel (GC3NE7D). I love the story Hansel and Gretel but in my version you should be lucky to make it out alive.

I grew watching the smurfs, so I made a smurf village for my son and we placed it at a rest stop, it’s called La La the La La La.

I made a fire Hydrant cache, but never placed it. Its a real hydrant but the cap comes off and its a bison tube. It sits in my living room. I had to paint the knobs on it black in case i do ever want to place it in the wild. The black knobs tell a firefighter that this hydrant is dead and not to hook up to it. But yes it’s a real hydrant.

I placed a multi-cache with my buddy LilKip and made the final Container for it. It was called Not A Very Merry Christmas. The cache was three stage multi-stage but is now archived, due to muggles taking the final.

I also have a payphone cache. This is not out in the wild yet. When placed, the coords will take you to the phone in front of a store. I will get permission to place it and the log will be in the phone. You will have to ask the store clerk for the key to the phone in order to sign the log.

I am working on a slaying the vampire cache as we speak. I am air brushing the final which is a vampire killing kit. The kit has a mirror, garlic, holy water stakes, Holy bible, hand cuffs, and crosses. It’s gonna be a multi-cache so be on the lookout for that. It’s going to be in Duryea, PA

Some folks might say your containers and hides are a bit controversial, maybe a little too difficult, maybe a little “off the norm” of the game. What do you have to say to those folks?

I love making caches that will challenge me. I love the art side. The fact that I will have the cacher
thinking, “Wow, this is something crazy, but cool as hell”. I normally take junk and turn it into something really cool. I can tell you this: I WILL NEVER stop making cool containers. I have a wild imagination!

Thank you for taking time away from your creative cache container laboratory and sharing some inside information with us on you, your excellent work and the contribution you give to the game! We are pumped to do some of your caches in The Trilogy of Terror and we’ll report the event to the readers here at CacheCrazy.Com afterwards.

In the meantime, you can find all of Nishollows caches in Northeast PA so, if your ever in this part of the woods, be sure to look one up but, it’s best you not do any of them alone……...

6 comments:

Kim@Snug Harbor said...: This is an AWESOME post!! I would love to go out your way and do some of these caches. They all sound very cool! Great job Kevin.; Sat Jul 28, 12:15:00 AM
kyle powell said...: That was awesome,thank you Kevin; Sat Jul 28, 07:45:00 AM
Ann said...: Lol & rofl. If ever I attempted anything like these caches i would end up having nightmares! I am SUCH A BIG WIMP lol. But they look fun. Great imagination you have. But then my DH tells me I have a vivid imagination hmmmmmmmm I wonder?????; Sat Jul 28, 08:01:00 AM
BigAl said...: Kevin and Kyle, nice job. I look forward to finding some of your caches sometime in the future. Keep them coming.; Sat Jul 28, 11:47:00 PM
Mr & Mrs TravelnbHappy21 said...: Kevin - awesome interview.

Kyle - A great friend, what fun we have on the trail and the most creative person we know when it comes to cache containers!

For those who have not snagged a Nishollow cache....you just may not understand until you do!; Mon Jul 30, 12:12:00 AM
Abdul Basit said...: Sahi hai bhai tera crazy blog Geo Super live; Mon Sep 03, 03:03:00 AM