Dear Geocaching Diary: Orange Headbands for the Win

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Dear Geocaching Diary,

Whew! What a crazy, wonderful, mixed-up month we have had here at Geocaching HQ. In the last few weeks, we hosted a party that brought geocachers from all over the world together (Geocaching Block Party – maybe you’ve heard of it?), celebrated International Geocaching Day, and unveiled the first ever International Geocaching Film Festival (GIFF)….all while keeping the 31 Days of Geocaching streak alive. Okay, we didn’t all go #31in31. There were some frustrating 13-hour DNFs and some waking up at 12:08 am only to realize what was forgotten the day before. But we all learned a bit more about what it means to be a geocacher and what it means to work and to play at Geocaching HQ. So overall, not too shabby. And as if that wasn’t enough, rumor on the street is that we’ve made  “orange headbands” the hottest fashion trend of 2013 (you ‘ll want to keep reading to learn more).

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Day 17: International Geocaching Day, Geocaching Block Party, GIFF, a flash mob (the dancing kind that is), and a few thousand balloons all in one action-packed day. Take a minute, breathe, laugh, cry, celebrate… ’nuff said. For a closer look and recap of the day, check out our Geocaching Block Party Video and GIFF Winners.

 

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Day 18: What is the best way to recover from an 18-hour day of non-stop geocaching mania? More geocaching. Community Volunteer Support Coordinators Kerb Lydick (Username: KerbL), Bethany Buer (Bethany_B), and a delegation from Geocaching HQ braved a ghost town on their way to the Going APE 2013 Mega Event.  That’s Kerb sharing a little  HQ love with the geocaching ape log.

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Day 19-23: After having such an epic weekend, we decided to keep our geocaching a little closer to home. This week was all about celebrating Fremont, the home of Geocaching HQ and the scientifically corroborated center of the known universe. Coincidence? We think not.  We had a ton of fun exploring the new HQ Geotour – a huge thanks to our wonderful co-workers who designed this awesome  “Geocacher’s Guide to the Center of Our Universe.”

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Day 24: The beginning of the last full weekend of 31 Days of Geocaching…no time for sleep! (Okay, well maybe a little time for sleep.) Director of Legal and Business Affairs Jennifer Arterburn (Username: Jennifer A) and her daughter Willow hit the Centennial Trail in Snohomish, WA for a day of biking and geocaching.  Partner Programs Manager Annie Love (Username: Love) celebrates her 1100 find while geocaching in Switzerland!

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Day 25: Community-Engineering Liaison Jon Stanley (Username: Moun10Bike),  Community Manager Paige Edmiston (Username: ThePaigeTurner), and Kerb check out the Tull Canyon plane crash site on a not-so-casual Sunday stroll. Kerb says, “What a peaceful location with such history, beauty and conversation starting views. Our morning started at 5:00am and ended at 8:00pm with caching and chatting all the way. This was an unforgettable trip and with some of the best people I know.”

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Day 26-30: Everybody was on board when it came to tackling the last week of the 31 Days of Geocaching challenge. It was time to get nautical and enjoy the water-based geocaching that summer in Seattle has to offer. (And yes, we know we have funny jokes.)

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Day 31: Donso, finito, we made it – hurray! Everyone at Geocaching HQ gathered at the Fremont Troll to celebrate the end of 31 Days of Geocaching. And see! The orange headbands really are catching on. Did everyone make it all 31 days? Well, there were weddings, kids and grown-ups got sick, a random bad-luck streak of DNFs and of course: the dog ate the geocache! But we all gave our best and discovered new places, got dirty, wet, bitten by mosquitoes, and perfected our “found-the-geocache” dance. Are we really done now? Of course not! This is just the beginning of our geocaching journey and we are looking forward to our many adventures still to come.

What were your top highlights from 31 Days of Geocaching? Tell us about them in the comments below.

 

When I'm outside I'm happy. Besides geocaching I love gardening, hiking, cooking and spending time with my wonderful two and four legged friends. Got eight legs? Sorry, but please stay far away from me!