Explore the joys of finding an old soda can or picking up faded, weather-worn newspapers. Sounds wonderful right? It’s a wonderful feeling if you’re tromping around with a group of geocachers who are helping clean up geocaching-friendly locations. It even has a name: Cache in Trash Out (CITO). It’s easy to earn a CITO Event smiley and put a smile on your face at the same time.
More than 12,000 adventurers in over a dozen countries took park in CITO weekend this past April. Together, they cleared 50 tons of trash around the world. That weekend gets much of the recognition, but CITO continues throughout the rest of the year. Check out CITO events near you or host your own. Many geocachers simply practice the principle of Cache In Trash Out every time they geocache. Interested in seeing the other smiley you receive from a CITO Event?
Watch this Geocaching HQ video and see what the CITO smiles are all about in less than a minute.
We thought Week #1 of 31 Days of Geocaching was pretty great, but it turns out that Week #2 was two times the fun! This week we learned that every day can be an adventure if you choose to make it one. Here is a photo recap from our HQ explorers:
Day 7: No hitting the snooze alarm this morning! A few caffeine-loaded Geocaching HQ explorers skipped up a mountain to catch sunrise over Mt.Rainier and grab an early morning Smiley before work. (Pssst…check out our new geocaching and Forest Service volunteer friend photo-bombing from the fire lookout.)
Day 8: What do you call a race that involves running, biking, swimming, and geocaching? A geocachalon. This heart pumping adventure was the brainchild of Videographer Reid Kuennen (Username: reidsomething). Office Manager Maria McDonald (Username: AKprincesswarrior) jumps into ice cold Lake Union to celebrate sweet victory.
Day 9: Copy writer Derek Hamilton (Username: scattermycaches) struggled to figure out this smarty-pants geocache hidden by one of our own, Community Volunteer Support Coordinator Cindy Potter (Username: Frau Potter). Derek says, “Call Bill Nye! There’s science in this tube!”
Day 10: On Saturday, Partner Programs Manager Annie Love (Username: Love) decided to lead her family off the beaten path. She reports, “Even though the geocache was 100 feet away, our group decided that exploring the creek drain and jumping in the swimming hole was necessary before we started our search.”
Day 11: Community Manager Annika Ledbetter (Username: Lebbetter) was a hero on Sunday (coincidentally also her birthday). She says, “This dinosaur was saved from extinction. After almost being lost for 4 years on Bainbridge Island, I rescued Dino and brought him to Geocaching HQ. We gave him a warm welcome and a day full of fun.”
Day 12: These intrepid travelers journeyed for hours (mostly because they have terrible navigational skills) to a hidden marvel that (for once in their chatty lives) left them speechless.
Day 13: Product Manager Joel Werdell (Username: Tieyak) takes his geo-parent responsibilities very seriously. His daughter Bennet says cheese after finding some sweet swag.
Day 14: Watch out for Troll droppings! Today marked the release of the Geocaching HQ GeoTour. We created this Tour to help share our favorite places in the Center of the Universe with all of you out there in our geocaching galaxy.
Day 15: Beering up for Block Party – our Keg Squad organized a refreshing get together at a local micro brewery. Armed with tiny beermugs, we made our way through Ballard’s breweries. As we crossed a busy street to our next refill, Geocaching Reviewer “The Leprechauns” remarked, “This is not jaywalking, this is urban bushwacking!”
Day 16: UX Manager Nick Botner (Username: Whiskey Bones) and his team take the cake for best Team Trackable. (Yes, it is actually a flying shark. Jaws has nothing on this monster.) Less than 24 hours left in the count down to Geocaching Block Party and International Geocaching Day 2013! But don’t worry – we still managed to earn a smiley in the midst of all the party planning panic.
Stay tuned for more adventures from Geocaching HQ. What are your favorite tales from the 31 Days of Geocaching trail? Tell us about them in the comments below.
Click for a printable version of the 31 Days of Geocaching Calendar
The Ark of the Geocachers and its guardian. Photo by geocacher andGuest
Some geocachers align themselves with pirates sailing across the sea in search of buried treasure. Others liken geocaching to being a secret agent on a special mission to recover a coveted piece of intelligence. Personally, I’ve always had an affinity for pretending I’m a certain brown-fedora-wearing adventure-archaeologist on a search for a forgotten artifact. If you’re anything like me, you’re going to enjoy this week’s Geocache of the Week.
Why did it have to be snakes?! Photo by geocacher Uncle Fuzzy
Raiders of the Lost Cache (GC2HN2H) takes you on a quest that parallels the plot of the movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Even though you (most likely) won’t encounter any gigantic boulders to smash you, bloodthirsty tribal leaders trying to eat you or booby-trapped temples, this geocache isn’t easy. The difficulty is only a 1.5, but the terrain is all the way at 4.5—so make sure you’re prepared. The geocache creator, mikehoffman, tells the story of hiding this geocache, “I like exploring the back parts of the woods off trails. One day I was following a boulder field in the back area of Mount Gretna, and I found a bunch of caves…I found the top entrance to [the cave where the cache is located] first (not really knowing if there was a good way out) and lowered myself in. I looked at the general layout of the room and it really reminded me of the movie. I watched the movie again that week and knew that I had to try to use the cave to recreate it…We got permission from the park…and placed it. We got a ton of really strange looks carrying it through the woods that day. We then had it published and have been doing periodic maintenance since.”
The time and dedication that went into this geocache shows. Over 400 geocachers have earned their smiley and left nearly 300 Favorite Points. Geocacher Pokehead11 had this to say in their log, “Wow! I had heard rumors of this cache. I wanted to experience it myself so when grizzlycacher called to say they were going after the ark I had to tag along. It was worth every scratch, scrape, bump and all of my muddy clothing! Thanks for a great experience!!!!”
Another successful find of the ark! Photo by geocacher cachematty
In response to all of the positive logs and incredible reactions to his geocache, mikehoffman says, “The logs are great. Everyone has been extremely positive. I do appreciate all the great logs. I would also like to thank those who have added decorations. I originally recommended people bring snakes since it kind of goes along with the theme and think people have gone above and beyond. I find a new decoration every other time I visit.”
Geocaches like this one showcase the true nature of adventure, just like our favorite adventure-archaeologist. What is the most adventure-filled geocache you’ve ever found? 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 or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.
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.
They’re lean, they’re mean and they’re swarming back to Geocaching HQ as we speak. Almost a full year ago at the 2012 Geocaching Block Party, we released a collection of Travel Bugs in The Great Geocaching Block Party 2013 Travel Bug Race. The trackables entered the wild to start the race of their lives. Geocachers and Geocaching HQ Staff (Lackeys) alike watched their intrepid racers start their journey with a singular goal: to make it at least 2013 miles and return to Geocaching HQ in Seattle in time for the 2013 Geocaching Block Party. Additionally, Travel Bugs competed in the following categories:
Fastest TB back to HQ (after traveling the minimum mileage)
TB with the most mileage
TB to travel to the most countries
TB with the best picture
TB with the best log entry
TB with the most geocachers who moved the TB
TB with the most creative Hitchhiker (item the TB is attached to)
Summer Time Geocoin’s Travel Map
We’re in the homestretch now, less than 72 hours left! But who will win each prize? Will the mileage race be won by budda63’s 28,000 mile powerhouse Summer Time Geocoin, which has already traveled further than the circumference of the Earth? Will “most geocachers involved” go to Pinscreen’s Hippo Safari racer, or will belaviz’s Pass’n Gasser Racer Tag take the prize? All questions are answered once and for all this Saturday in Fremont at the 2013 Geocaching Block Party.
In the meantime, keep up that 31 Days of Geocaching streak (we sure will)! You can also check out the status of all the Travel Bug® racers here. Who’s your favorite to win?
August is awash with Geocaching Mega-Events around the world. A Mega-Event connects hundreds or even thousands of adventurers from every level of geocaching. Those who walk into a Mega-Event step into adventure, family-friendly activities and, of course, all things geocaching. Whether you’re excited about finding your first geocache or you’ve already found each of the 2.1 million caches hidden around the world*, attending a Mega-Event is sure to be fun. And there’s a Mega-Event every geocacher should plan to attend at least once: the Geocaching Block Party in Seattle.
If you’re joining thousands of your geocaching friends for the Geocaching Block Party this Saturday, August 17, log your “Will Attend” and share the news through the Geocaching Facebook Event page. This year’s Block Party weekend promises more geocaching, more fun and more events. Plus, Geocaching HQ will debut new geocaching ideas for attendees to play with. Once the sun goes down on Saturday, you’ll cozy up in front of a giant outdoor movie screen for the first annual Geocaching International Film Festival (GIFF). GIFF will showcase the best videos from geocachers around the world.
Whether you attend the Geocaching Block Party this year or in the future, we’ll be here ready to swap tales and show you the latest in geocaching tips, tricks and tech. Can’t make it to Seattle? Check here to see if there is a Mega-Event near you.
*Not humanly possible, but don’t let that stop you from trying.
Geocaching Tech Update
Update now to the latest version of the Geocaching Android App. Check out the powerful new search, maps and toggle functions: http://bit.ly/GeocachingAndroid
Explore the joys of finding an old soda can or picking up faded, weather-worn newspapers. Sounds wonderful right? It’s a wonderful feeling if you’re tromping around with a group of geocachers who are helping clean up geocaching-friendly locations. It even has a name: Cache in Trash Out (CITO). It’s easy to earn a CITO Event smiley and put a smile on your face at the same time.
