Geocaching trail opens in Hatfield and McCoy country - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

Geocaching trail opens in Hatfield and McCoy country

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History buffs and adventure seekers now have a new opportunity to explore the story behind a famous feud with the recent launch of the Hatfield McCoy Geo Trail.

Thanks to a surge in interest generated by the History Channel miniseries, geocachers and those who are just plain curious can retrace the footsteps of these famous mountain families with the popular outdoor activity of geocaching following the new trail.

Geocaching is a modern-day version of treasure hunting, with nearly 2 million caches placed all over the world.

The trail is a collaborative effort between Williamson's Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce member Wendy Baisden and Pikeville's Tour Pike County member Kelly Moore.

The Hatfield McCoy GeoTrail offers a new destination for geo travelers from across the country and around the world. The trail includes 15 caches placed in historic locations relating to the families and their conflicts. Participants use hand-held GPS units or their smart phones to seek the location of hidden objects. These caches can be found in Mingo and Logan counties in West Virginia and in Kentucky's Pike County.

Baisden and Moore are avid geocachers. Each was named GeoCacher of the month for August and September respectively by GroundSpeak Headquarters. They designed, placed and maintain the caches. In addition, a collectible coin is offered to those who travel to the area and obtain a copy of the passport needed to confirm each find. Visitors must carry the passport to each of the locations and stamp it with a specific stamp found in each of the geocache locations. The coin depicts the Tug River and the images of the patriarchs of the feud's families: Devil Anse Hatfield and Randall McCoy.

"The coin is our gift to the caching community," Baisden stated in a news release. It is also an honor for us to be able to personally place each coin into the hands of the visitors."

"Wendy and I worked together to purchase the coins because we felt it was our way of giving back to the geocaching community," said Moore. "It also adds to the excitement that visitors feel when coming to the area to geocache."

Plans are in the works to offer a Labor Day weekend event in 2013 of MEGA stature to continue to showcase the areas rich history. Details for the coming event will be posted as they are available on the Hatfield McCoy GeoTrail website.

To learn more about the Hatfield McCoy Geo Trail, how to begin geocaching or how you can obtain your own collectible coin, go to www.hatfieldmccoygeotrail.com, email Baisden at whbaisden@gmail.com or Moore at cachepants@gmail.com.