Watch this Geocaching.com Presents video: Unlocking Hidden History. See how the adventure of geocaching reveals a hidden world around you. It happens whether you’ve found a new park, a new viewpoint or unlocked a hidden history.
Go along as two Pennsylvania geocachers lift the veil on the history of a former prison, and discover how similar institutions of reform are found on four continents. Have you ever discovered a hidden history while geocaching?
Click the image to unlock local history
Subscribe to the official Geocaching.com YouTube channel to be one of the first to see new videos about the evolving world of geocaching. Watch the more than 50 videos produced by Geocaching.com on our video page.
March’s featured nominees are a great example of those who take geocaching wide and far. Though many other qualified candidates were nominated, Groundspeak Lackeys selected these three daring, helpful, and inspirational nominees. Now it’s your turn to help select one of them as March’s featured “Geocacher of the Month.”
Magicman65 - February 2012 Geocacher of the Month
Write a comment on this blog post about which of these three geocachers you feel should be the feartured “Geocacher of the Month.” Those whose nominees were not recognized here are encouraged to submit their nominations again next month.
Last month, Magicman65 was chosen as the February Featured Geocacher of the Month. Magicman65 was recognized for his ability to engage the geocaching community with creativity, commitment, and encouragement.
Here are your nominees for the March Featured Geocacher of the Month. Some testimonials have been edited for length.
Nominated by Hmichel777, “Alexschweigert led the Allerhalligen-Cruises on March, 24th on the fastest ship in the Wadden Sea with 280 cachers on board. That’s the 5th event of its kind involving chartered ships on the north sea led by Alex and his team. Alex shares his love for geocaching and the sea with others by inviting them to experience a geocaching adventure like no other. All events are recorded and can be found in Alex’s blog.”
Nominated by Treknschmidt, “We met Lisdowney aka Arnie and Gerry when we were working on completing a tough challenge cache. They were always willing to share their own experiences with us and to provide us with words of encouragement along the way. It’s not unusual to find one of them up a tree, in a cave, or canoeing to one of Ontario’s remote locations to log a lonely cache. Not only are these two always willing to offer a helping hand but they are truly inspirational to everyone of any age.”
Nominated by BSW2010, “Glenn is one of the best cachers in our area and contributes a lot to the geocaching community. He hosts an event every year on New Year’s Day. This proud Silver Level EarthCashe Master puts a lot of thought and effort into every cache he hides. Glenn keeps us plenty busy and is willing to help with any of his hides.”
Comment below to tell us who you think should be the featured March “Geocacher of the Month.” A panel of Lackeys will use your comments to help decide which geocacher is awarded the honor. Each featured “Geocacher of the Month” will receive an exclusive special edition featured ”Geocacher of the Month” Geocoin along with a Geocacher of the Month hat and a certificate acknowledging their contributions signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com. We will be accepting comments for March’s award through Friday, April 20th.
If you know an outstanding geocacher you would like to nominate to be a Featured Geocacher of the Month, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@groundspeak.com.
Geocacher of the Month Geocoin
Every nomination must meet the following requirements:
Please include your name, the name of your nominee, their username, at least one picture of the nominee and a description (500 or fewer words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Geocacher of the Month. Please inform your nominee that you’ve submitted them for the award. Nominations for the April Geocacher of the Month must be received by April 30th.
Once we have received all of the nominations, we will choose the top candidates and post them on the blog. You will then get a chance to champion your favorite. Our goal is to involve the entire geocaching community in this process so we might learn from each other.
Basel 1 (GCG95Z) hides along the banks of the Rhine River in Switzerland. It’s the most “favorited” geocache in the country. Basel 1 has accumulated nearly 300 Favorite Points to date. Some geocachers simply write in their logs, “One of the best caches in the world!!!!”
The traditional geocache was hidden by muelsee in 2003. The geocache combines an historic location with an unforgettable experience. The difficulty three, terrain one geocache has been found by more than 1500 geocachers from around the world.
Read the logs on the cache page for an idea of what makes the geocache so spectacular. Many of the log entries are in German and may need to be translated. Warning as spoilers may be contained in the logs.
View from near the cache location of a reenactment on the Rhine
Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.
If you’ d like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.
Are you like this? When you’re not geocaching, you’re thinking about geocaching. Maybe when you’re off the geotrail, you’re planning your next geocache? Or maybe you’re exploring your thoughts on geocaching through the majesty of a Haiku.Yeah, you read that right, a geocaching Haiku. The geocaching Haiku is alive and well, and a great Haiku could win you serious geocaching swag.
PodCacher podcast is sponsoring the “GeoKu – Geocaching Haiku Contest.” A geocaching Haiku looks like this.
Green and lush landscape
Rhythmic footsteps towards our goal
We seek adventure
A Haiku is composed of three lines. The first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables and final line is five syllables again. Interested in competing? Check out the contest and details here. The winner will be selected by a panel of Lackeys. You have until Friday, April 20 to enter. Good luck!
Being a better hider begins long before a lucky adventurer claims a FTF (First to Find) on your brand new geocache. It even begins before you submit your freshly hidden geocache for review. Some geocachers are already experts at hiding great caches. For the rest of us, here are four quick pointers to be a better hider.
1 — Land Owner or Manager Permission
Make sure to get permission from the land owner or manager before placing a geocache – even many public locations require permission. This step will help to offer a great experience to geocachers without them being concerned about seeking the cache at that location, and means you won’t need to worry about cache removal.
2 — Location
Geocaching guides treasure-seekers to a precise set of coordinates. The adventure begins there. Make sure that “there” is the right “there.” You should double (even triple) check your coordinates using a dedicated GPS receiver. Avoid using smartphones to establish coordinates for new geocaches.
3 — Weather Proofing
Do your best to ensure the cache and the log sheet are weather proof. A soggy log sheet can dampen the joy of geocaching. See examples of great geocache containers that help keep the log and contents of the cache dry.
4 — Creative Caching
Place the geocache in a location you would like people to visit. Ask yourself, “Would I show my favorite person in the world this geocache?” Is the geocache placed in a scenic overlook? Does it reveal a hidden history or is the geocache experience creative? If you answered at least one “yes,” you’re on the right rack to placing a great cache. Check out some creative cache ideas here.
You can learn even more. Get to know the geocaching guidelines. Your geocache needs to meet all the guidelines before it is published.
