Out of the Woods: A Ninja Chipmunk on the Loose: Team Whiplash: Cowpens, SC

The Upper South Carolina area is a dream come true for Geocoin collectors!! With many incredible reward trails to choose from, these amazing and dedicated folks have worked tirelessly to make their slice of home a virtual paradise for cachers who have a passion to learn and experience history as well as those who crave the more tangible rewards of a free coin for doing that which we love to do anyways.

There cannot be enough thanks and gratitude sent out for all that they have done for the rest of us and I am taking a moment here to give you my personal Thank You from the bottom of my heart!

It is thanks to these fantastic trails that Team Whiplash was able to once again assemble and pile ourselves into the Mischief Machine for another exuberant day of pure caching bliss!!

Having already completed all but the Inman trail (yes, you've seen these in my previous posts), and since my fellow team members were actually insane enough to let me take charge, I decided that another shiny new coin was exactly what I needed to make my world perfect. And far from minding doing one of the other trails again, I actually adore taking people out to these trails and being a part of their own happy experience, it was decided that they would derive the most pleasure from completing the Cowpens trail for the first half of the day.

Not only does it have some of the most entertaining caches set about the most charmingly quaint small town you can imagine, it also has the most colorful and eye-catching reward coin that you can claim right on the spot if you make it to the local library in time!

On our way down, we discovered that this was to be Paula's (Scouter Mom) first SC geocache! She was going to finally achieve her SC souvenir for her geocaching page. I decided that we should make it a good one and take her to one of my favorite caches from the trail. In full disclosure, it is not the cache itself which makes you take a few extra moments to gaze in wonder, it is the magnificent site at which they chose to place this particular cache...at a mural- the U.S.S Cowpens. When you go, which I know you WANT to after reading this, remember to bring your camera! Congrats to Scouter Mom on her SC souvenir:

As this was my third time taking this particular tour, I was able to navigate easily and, though I did not tell them where they were located, it did not take us long to make our way around the trail and find the caches. It took just 2 hours to complete the entire tour that day and no one was disappointed with the creativity and thought put into these hides.

In a short stretch of time, you will find yourself at a memorial to lives lost in a flood, on a lovely short walk in the woods, on a pleasant stroll past windows filled with many interesting and unique items, and face to face with a new bovine friend. There is just no down side to making this quest!

Although there are 15 caches total, you only have to complete 12 of them to receive your coin...but really, they are not difficult and all are amazing, so why not go for the gold and get them all?!? You can download your passport and print it out from the geocaching website and then you just fill in the squares as you find the caches. Couldn't be any easier!!

After completing the trail, we found our bellies rumbling and decided to show our appreciation to the town by enjoying some of their local fair. The enticing smells had been calling to us all morning and there was no way we could escape town without partaking in at least a little something!

Team Whiplash enjoying a brief and delicious
hiatus

Our fellow team member Atlasymm suggested the BBQ place we had passed and so we found ourselves standing in the midst of some of the most enticing smells we had ever known. The staff was warm and inviting and the food was phenomenal! Some of the best BBQ we have ever had. We were all around super pleased with our visit and if you are in the area, I don't think you could go wrong if you stopped in as well. But not to seem like I am being biased or paid...the Big Red Barn was also a delight on my last stop through and would be offer a homey and relaxed respite from a day of caching as well.

As much fun as this trail was, I believe each other's company is what made it a truly memorable affair. Conversations with random statements such as "This is what it would look like if Lorena Bobbit were to hide a cache" and "The trick to it is how you aim your fingers" were also mingled among general awe at some of the sites we came upon and the beauty we found there. (Though you most certainly can enjoy and complete this trail with no problem flying solo, so have no fear of venturing out there, it really is a lovely and friendly town!)

And if you get done quickly, there are always more trails nearby that you can tackle and just as much fun to be had! Here are a few shots from our time in Cowpens and a shot of Susan holding the gorgeous reward coin you receive at the end!