Did you see that out-of-this-world geocache or maybe you’ve heard whispers of it in geocaching lore? It’s the geocache with King Arthur’s sword in a stone, that geocache placed at the scene of a Hollywood train wreck, or maybe it’s even a birdhouse that houses no birds or something else that’s magical, ingenious and never-before-seen in the history of the geocaching galaxy. Yeah, wow. So you’ve heard of it?
A quality hide inspires and invites other geocachers to flex their geocaching creativity. There are ways for you to find the best of the best and ways to get inspired to create amazing geocaches. Use Favorite Points to find the geocaches that made your fellow adventurers’ jaws drop when they found it and follow the Geocache of the Week on our blog. Check out the Geocacher of the Month to see innovators in the geocaching world. Many of these all-stars have geocaches that have hundreds or even thousands of Favorite Points. The Geocaching YouTube channel offers a whole video series dedicated to Creative Geocaches.
There’s one stop you should make before locking yourself in the garage to craft the perfect geocache hide. Check out Advice to Geocache Hiders from Law Enforcement. Then you’ll be ready! Join us on the Geocaching Facebook page to talk creative geocaches and show off your geocaching wonders to the world.
The earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin (sun flare optional)
A finder that’s also a hider, a hider that’s done plenty of finding, and then a newer hider/finder that’s using YouTube to connect to new geocachers. The nominees for Geocacher of the Month are all that and hail from three different powerhouse geocaching countries. This is your opportunity to help decide which will take home the earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin (at left).
Each featured Geocacher of the Month will receive the exclusive special edition geocoin, a hat and profile icon. They’ll also receive a certificate acknowledging their contributions, signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com.
In July, Mollov was officially named the Geocacher of the Month.
Mollov – Geocacher of the Month
One comment showed Mollov’s 360 degree passion for geocaching and its community, “Mollov is one of the most active geocachers in Bulgaria I know and probably the most enthusiastic one as well. His geocaching activities do not end with finding, hiding and maintaining geocaches. If you have seen any of his geocaching adventures on Youtube, or read any of his geocaching articles on his blog, or attended any of the events organized by him, then you probably know why Mollov deserves to be selected as Geocacher of the Month.”
Now it’s your turn to help us select the next Geocacher of the Month. Write a supportive comment at the bottom of this blog for the nominated geocacher that you feel should be awarded the title.
Each geocacher named below is already a winner and will receive a prize package from Geocaching HQ. A panel of folks from Geocaching HQ will then use your comments to help guide the decision of which geocacher is awarded the Geocacher of the Month honor.
Here are your nominees for the August Geocacher of the Month. Some testimonials have been edited for length.
Rich E, Nominee for Geocacher of the Month with his geocache Tinman (GC3JAY4)
Linda Wheeler writes, “Hi, I would like to nominate Richard Wheeler. Richard E has found over 27,000 caches so far, has geocached in every state in the continental US and has hidden 252 caches. Richard E has many unique and clever hides. He has several series caches placed such as the Wizard of Oz series and NY plowboy as well as a Popeye series and caches dedicated to local cachers.
Richard E discovered geocaching thanks to me, his daughter. I told him about it and he said he would find one just to see what it was all about. That was it for him! He is frequently accompanied by his lovely wife, Nancy who is also known as LadyBugNY.
She is a fantastic cacher in her own right having logged over 24,500 caches and has hidden 18. If you ask any cacher in the area if they know Richard E, they will more than likely say yes!”
die Helden – (couple on right) Nominees for Geocachers of the Month
Heather Bull aka Cache on Wheels writes, “My family and I would all like to nominate Die Helden for Geocachers of the month (Helden is their family name and also means Heroes in German)
We contacted Die Helden – Gehard & Heidi from our home in Dorset, UK, prior to our holiday to inquire how accessible their caches are as I have reduced mobility and we really wanted to do some of their caches, especially Geist of Hagen. We saw this had over 4,000 found logs and over 1,000 favourite points (FP).
We exchanged lots of emails and they have really helped us by arranging a suitable route for us to take to be the most accessible for me with my wheelchair.
They also went out of their way and gave up their day to accompany us with their daughter and grandson to help translate to English and guide us along the best route so I could access the caches with my wheelchair… They have also provided fantastic caches that provide information of historic interest, take you to wonderful locations in a beautiful place, awesome caches that are brilliant for children of all ages with a wide variety of physical, electronic visual and audio effects.”
Laura Standen writes, “Hi i would like to nominate Dr Evil. from London, England as geocacher of the month. Since 2011 Dr Evil has found 406 caches and hidden 39, his own caches are something everyone talks about around the south east of England, they are mostly child friendly but there is a few challenging ones for us adults too.
He has also introduced lots of people to this wonderful sport we play. I’m one of those cachers who he helped. When I first starting out He took me under his wing and showed me the ropes, some people care about the numbers, Paul is not one of those he is more about the quality of the caches he puts out rather than the numbers. One of his caches is in the top 200 caches in England for the amount of fave points it has. Paul also makes events in the area for like minded people to join him on his caching adventures
Paul also uses YouTube to show off his geocaching adventures, he vlogs every week. He gets a lot messages from beginners saying how he has inspired them to make better caches or start up a event.”
Comment below to tell us who you think should be the August Geocacher of the Month. We will be accepting comments through September 20.
If your nominee wasn’t recognized here, please submit your nominations again next month. We’re always looking for the next Geocacher of the Month. To nominate a geocacher, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@geocaching.com and include the following information:
Your name, the name of your nominee, their username
A picture of the nominee
Description (200 or more words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Featured Geocacher of the Month
Please inform your nominee that you have submitted them for the award. Nominations for the next Featured Geocacher of the Month should be received by September 15.Once Geocaching HQ has received 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 that we might learn from each other.
The sword in the stone. Photo by geocacher Lady dreamhummie
As the legend goes, Arthur pulled the sword Excalibur from the stone to become King of the realm. Sometimes when I finally pull the logbook from a micro-cache, I feel like a king too. For those who want a little more of an experience fit for a true king, finding this week’s Geocache of the Week will put you on the right track.
While you could probably rate the original Excalibur at difficulty and terrain 5, the geocache Excalibur (GC2VQ88) in the Netherlands clocks in at a mere 1.5 for each. The story begins in the geocache description, where new evidence suggests that the original sword in the stone was actually located in the Netherlands, not England. While this suggestion may be inflammatory, those that seek out this geocache will find the truth.
So far nearly 650 geocachers have made the journey to gently pull the sword from the stone, sign the logbook and potentially become the King (or Queen) of geocaching. Once such geocacher is imke1967, who in their log, said,”This one isn’t very hard to find. It’s a classic “Drive-By”, but still it is a brilliant one: The craft behind it is phenomenal and the effort is well worth a favourite point. TFTC!”
It’s really in there. Photo by geocacher patchanka
This geocache has earned 261 favorite points, which is a testament to the time and effort that went into its creation. The geocache owner, Zwiepjes, said,”This cache took me a lot of hours to build. Drilling the stone took me about 20 hours and making the sword about 5 hours work.” After creating the actual geocache at home, the perfect spot to place it had to be found. Regarding the inspiration for this geocache, Zwiepjes said,”Right from the beginning of when we started geocaching, we had this idea to make a geocache based on this famous legend. We wanted to make something where the geocacher could have the feeling he/she is King Arthur themselves. After some years of brainstorming, this is the final result.” Regarding all of the positive logs and favorite points, Zwiepkjes says, “It is great when your geocache is rewarded and certainly fun when we hear stories at events and when other people are talking about your cache. Reading the positive logs is so nice. We always say: that’s why we are doing this.”
Legends inspire many geocaches. Which geocache that’s inspired by a legend (well-known or local) is your favorite? Tell us in the comments.
Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog.
If you would 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@geocaching.com.
Geocaching goes hand-in-hand with snapping a few shots of the wildlife and your adventure along the way. And sometimes combining two passions like photography and geocaching pays off. Check out some of the early winners in Minelab’s Ultimate Geocaching Hunt photo contest. Seven geocachers have already won the photo of the month award, including WherzaWiggTherzaWay and JonesPosse.
PoteauPets won the February Minelab photo contest for their sweet father-daughter portrait under the caption of “Love is in the air for this father/daughter pair.” PoteauPets enjoy geocaching as a family, and usually find caches in rural areas near where they live. “We truly LOVE geocaching and the time we spend together ‘on the hunt’ as a family,” said Dana of PoteauPets. “My husband likes the ‘evil hides’ while on the other hand, my daughter and I enjoy the cemetery caches. Our daughter loves to keep up with the trackables.”
The Adventurers in Michigan won the March contest with their snowy photo of the Minelab geocoin and a metal detector. “Winning the contest for that month was a complete surprise,” said David of the Adventurers. David and his girlfriend/best friend enjoy discovering trackables and going geocaching everywhere and in all seasons. Another winner, Gary of JonesPosse, came away with a pocketed vest. He wore it to Geowoodstock XI and during a three-day hike along the Appalachian Trail for his 6,000th find.
Adventurers – March winner
There are still nearly three months left to enter the monthly photo contests and earn a chance to win a trip to Mexico. For more information on Minelab’s Ultimate Geocaching Hunt, visit the Minelab Geocaching page. When you’re ready to enter, go to the Minelab Facebook Photo Contest page.
Monthly prizes include a $400 Minelab coupon, a Minelab hat & vest, and all monthly winners will still be eligible for the grand prize: a Mexican cruise for two!
The Minelab “Ultimate Geocaching Hunt” photo contest is solely sponsored by Minelab, Inc., a subsidiary of Codan, LTD. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and Canada who are 18 years and older at time of entry. Entry period for the contest commences at 12:01 a.m. (CST) on November 13, 2012 and expires at 11:59 PM (CST) on November 13, 2013. Void where prohibited. For details and restrictions, see the Official Contest Rules.
Use a well marked. clear container whenever possible
Here are two words geocachers crave hearing when their geocache is published, “Found it.” And then there are two words all geocachers would prefer never to hear when talking about a geocache hide, “suspicious device.”
In an age of increased concern, geocachers must be increasingly diligent to follow the rules while hiding a geocache. Make sure to read and follow the Geocaching Listing Requirements/Guidelines. Also make sure to use common sense, and always keep in mind how your geocache container or the location of your container may be perceived by people who are not familiar with the game.
We asked law enforcement professionals and a bomb disposal tech with the U.S. Army to offer advice to geocachers. It’s easy to ensure your logs say “Found it” and your geocache hide never alarms authorities.
Here’s their advice.
Question: What are the do’s for geocachers when hiding containers?
Sgt. Kent Byrd answers this question. Sgt. Byrd has been featured in Geocaching videos, and is a Explosive Ordinance Disposal expert with the U.S. Army currently deployed to South Korea. He’s an avid geocacher with the username, JrBYRDMAN162.
Get permission: Sgt. Byrd says, “If you hide the container near a public building, make sure that you obtain permission from the business /property owner.”
Take pictures: “Also, try to give pictures of the geocache to the business/property owner. That way if the geocache gets called in, the owner has the option and ability to present those pictures to the personnel investigating/dealing with the geocache.”
Mark it clearly: The “Official Geocache” stickers are a huge help. Also, if the size of the geocache allows, write your phone number on the geocache itself in large numbers. This will give a law enforcement another option to deal with the geocache.
Be PROACTIVE: Talk to your local law enforcement entities. Offer to do a short workshop on geocaching. Get them involved. All it takes is getting one Bomb Disposal Technician involved in the game and they will start to solve the problem in your area for you, because of their personal love for the game.
Question: What’s your one piece of advice for geocachers?
Karin Fechner with the Austrian Polizei answers this question. Her unit, like many police departments, utilizes a complimentary Premium Membership to help them identify geocaches.
Karen says, “Always carry an id-card, passport or other document to be able to show it in case of a control. Show the navigation item or mobile-app you use in case of a control. We already had cases, when suspects claimed being geocachers but actually weren´t. So it is always a good advice to show your equipment to the officer in case of a control. There are still a lot of law enforcement-officers who don´t know geocaching – of course there are also a lot of geocaching police-officers – but be prepared to explain what geocaching means and what you are actually looking for.”
Question: What shouldn’t geocachers do?
Josh Nelson answers this question. He’s with the Department of Natural Resources at Wasatch Mountain State Park in Utah.
Josh says, “If you are geocaching in a State Park (Specifically speaking for Utah, but with my experience it’s universal) and are confronted by a park employee or law enforcement, don’t try to give some story of “I saw a cool bug” or the likes. These stories are great for other muggles, but just make you look suspicious to Rangers. Just tell them you are Geocaching, often they know the program and may even enjoy hanging out with you until you make the find.”
Question: What are the don’ts when hiding a geocache container?
According to Sgt. Byrd, “DO NOT put caution words on the outside of containers such as CAUTION, WARNING, DANGER, BEWARE, DO NOT OPEN, etc., regardless of what follows such words.”
Sgt. Byrd says, “Do remember, that some departments do have Standard Operating Procedure’s that require them to deal with all packages of a certain dimension in a destructive manner. Nano-caches, micro, and mini, caches are not only less likely to be spotted by a muggle, but are not of great concern to Bomb Squads… Use the common 9-volt battery as a reference. If it is smaller than a 9-volt battery, it is much LESS likely to be destroyed. Use clear containers whenever possible.”
Sgt. Byrd reminds geocachers that law enforcement are doing their jobs and their best to protect the communities they serve, whether it’s in Austria, a State Park in the U.S. or military serving abroad.
If you’re a Law Enforcement representative or Parks Personnel we offer a complimentary and ongoing Premium Membership for the purpose of monitoring geocaching activity in your jurisdiction. Learn more here at the Law Enforcement & Parks Professional resource page. Simply create a free basic account on Geocaching.com, choose a username that reflects your organization, and email us at geocaching.com/help for your upgrade.
Did you see that out-of-this-world geocache or maybe you’ve heard whispers of it in geocaching lore? It’s the geocache with King Arthur’s sword in a stone, that geocache placed at the scene of a Hollywood train wreck, or maybe it’s even a birdhouse that houses no birds or something else that’s magical, ingenious and never-before-seen in the history of the geocaching galaxy. Yeah, wow. So you’ve heard of it?
