July 25, 2013 / Paige Edmiston /

50 First Dates: How to Hook Your Friends into Geocaching

geocachingdate — After an adventure like this, how could you not be hooked on geocaching?

Boy meets girl. Boy falls for girl. Girl forgets about boy. Boy asks girl on yet another ‘first’ date. Multiply this by 50 and you get the plot of the Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore chick flick sensation 50 First Dates. Sometimes – between stumbling across a less-than-spectacular geocache and landing a poorly-timed DNF – getting your friends and family to share your love of geocaching can also take 50 first dates.

Or at least it used to. We’ve asked the geocaching community for their best advice on how to turn 50 first dates into geocaching love-at-first-sight.

The first step is simple: Let us help you tell a friend! Because geocaching can at times be tough to explain (it’s…uh… finding tupperware in the woods?), we’ve created a tool that removes the awkward and allows you to send a message to all your friends explaining the game and inviting them to join you on your next adventure. Tell A Friend About Geocaching lays the groundwork to make your first geocaching outing together a success.

From here, the key is to plan well so that you know your friend’s first experience will be a great one! Geocachers (like you!) reported high success rates using the following strategies:

1. Go to one of your favorite geocaches. This guarantees the “wow” factor and removes the risk of having a frustrating DNF experience.

2. Start off your trip by watching a few inspiring geocaching videos. Geocaching isn’t always easy to explain in words. Videos, like those on the GoGeocaching YouTube Channel, can help set the stage for your adventure.

group — More friends means more fun! Increase your find count with the help of your friends. Sometimes it takes a village to find a geocache.

3. Combine geocaching with another fun activity. Casually guide your friends on a mind-blowing treasure hunt during your work lunch break or after a dinner party. Hint: Secretly plan out this adventure in advance so you know it will be a good one, but act like it’s no big deal (e.g. “What this? I do stuff like this all the time. Just comes with the hobby”).

4. Start ’em young. Kids take very little convincing….and their parents will naturally follow along.

5. Attend a geocaching event! What better way to introduce your friends to geocaching than to show them how awesome other geocachers are. You can check out the new Events & Groups tab on the Geocaching Facebook page to find an event near you.

Now that you have all these tips and tricks up your sleeve, we have one final (not-so-secret) secret for you. The timing is right! 31 Days of Geocaching kicks off in just 5 days. This is a golden opportunity to get your friends and family out geocaching…so get on it!

Did these strategies help you get others out geocaching? Do you have any pointers that we missed? Tell us in the comments below.

July 24, 2013 / Derek H /

Summer vacation inspiration — Es Pontas (GC20APF) — Geocache of the Week

Es Pontas. Photo by geocacher cachebieraten.

Mallorca (or if you prefer, Majorca), Spain is a popular vacation spot for people around the world—especially geocachers. This island in the Mediterranean has many top-notch geocaches with tons of favorite points. It’s also home to amazing beaches, warm weather, and the Geocache of the Week, Es Pontàs (GC20APF).

Geocacher Zumbat getting a little closer to the edge of the cliff than we're comfortable with. — Geocacher Zumbat getting a little closer to the edge of the cliff than we’re comfortable with.

If your summer vacation includes a trip to the island, a stop at this difficulty 1, terrain 1.5 Earthcache is a must. Es Pontàs (the Earthcache) was placed by geocacher Thoto, who says, “To be honest I discovered the arch by accident some years ago…I love earthcaches and therefore I am always at least a little bit looking for possibilities to create new earthcaches. So seeing this beautiful arch creating an EarthCache was a must.” The actual arch was formed by natural processes over many years by water erosion.

Some of you may already recognize Es Pontàs. Aside from the Earthcache and a traditional geocache located on top, this natural arch is home to the most difficult deep-water solo (psicobloc) climb in the world. It can be seen being climbed by world-renowned rock climber Chris Sharma in the video below. For those of us who aren’t super-human climbers, there are easier routes to the top.

The geocachers who have earned their smiley at this spot have had great things to say and have left many favorite points. Geocacher meranCache said, “Majorca is an amazing Island with a lot of fantastic places to discover and 90% of the caches are worth paying a visit. I found beautiful hides on interesting places, in fantastic caves and on amazing beaches and bays with crystalline water.” Another geocacher, SaarFuchs, said “I really like geocaching when I spend my holidays in a foreign country, because geocaching is a quite cool tourist guide…Thanks for showing us this place – a really amazing arch! Thanks a lot for creating this cache and we send greetings to the owner.” Thoto, the geocache creator says, “I am happy about every positive log and favorite point I “earn”. I highly appreciate the feedback I get from the community for my contribution to the game. This makes me proud.”

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-5IWojf3Cno”]
With summer in full-swing (for the northern hemisphere), trips to tropical locations are on the horizon for many geocachers. What’s your ultimate summer vacation destination for geocaching? 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.

July 23, 2013 / Derek H /

13 Years Lisboa — Bryan Roth’s Trip to a Portugal Mega-Event

Geocaching HQ staff are joining geocachers at Mega-Events around the world to celebrate and share the adventure of geocaching. One of the founders of Geocaching.com, Bryan Roth, a.k.a. Bryan, traveled from Seattle, WA to Lisbon, Portugal last June for the 13 Years Lisboa Mega-Event (GC42FFG). He says he was inspired to go by the exciting and growing Portuguese geocaching community and by other Geocaching HQ staffers who attended a Portuguese Mega-Event and raved about their experiences.

After arriving in Portugal, Bryan did what any geocacher would do—look for a geocache near the hotel. There was only one problem: the geocache description was in Portuguese. However, this didn’t stop him from searching. Luckily, Boonieh& Cllydeh, some super-friendly members of the Portuguese geocaching community showed up. They helped Bryan find his first geocache in Portugal and decided to attend the Mega-Event as well. With a geocache found, it was back to the hotel before meeting the Geocacherzone Portugal team for dinner and then a good night’s rest before the Mega-Event.

Fraldinhas, the Mega-Event's host. — Fraldinhas, the Mega-Event’s host.

The next few days brought tons of activities for geocachers from Portugal and many other countries around the world. In fact, the event gained so much popularity, there were a few stories on the local news channels about it. The Mega-Event host, Fraldinhas, with help from his parents, Xana and Nuno, and many volunteers, created an exceptional four-day event that included night caching, a Lisbon bus tour, a much-needed CITO Event (GC4BNP8), an awards ceremony, a traditional Portuguese singing group with a rendition of “Geocaching Portugal”, a number of meet-and-greets, “Bruning” with the local Geocaching Volunteer Reviewers, and (of course) plenty of geocaching. The awards, known as the “Seeker Awards”, were given out to geocachers in multiple categories, including Best Maintenance, Best Log, Best Cache and more. Bryan ended his trip with another Mega-Event Cache hosted by Fraldinhas, the Hike @ Belém, that featured a walking tour of a number of geocaches at historical places within Lisbon.

Bryan says, “It was truly an honor for me to attend this International Mega Event, spend time with so many exceptional geocachers and experience Lisbon, Portugal in such a unique way. I would thank all of the organizers for all the work they did to plan multiple days of fun geocaching activities for everyone that showed up. I also want to thank all of the geocachers who took the time to speak with me and make me feel so welcome in Portugal.” He would also like to give a special shout-out to Fraldinhas, Xana and Nuno for all of their guidance and support during his trip.

Check out some more photos from Bryan’s trip:

"Bruning" in Lisbon. It's kind of like planking, but on your back. — “Bruning” in Lisbon. It’s kind of like planking, but on your back.

The 13 Years Lisboa pinboard. Can you find Bryan's pin? — The 13 Years Lisboa pinboard. Can you find Bryan’s pin?

July 23, 2013 / Annika /

Geocaching Caption Contest 39 – Win a Barely Coveted Prize

birdcaption — If I can get the bird a little closer I can read the coordinates for the final on his leg…

The best friendships are made on the journey to go geocaching. Who says friends have to be the same species? Tell us your funniest caption for this picture of a possibly exceptional friendship, like “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” You could even win a ‘barely coveted prize’ (emphasis on the ‘barely’) in the 39th Geocaching Caption Contest. This picture was discovered on the Recent Geocaching Log Images page. You can discover the 1000 most recent images from recent logs.

Submit your best caption by clicking on “Comments” below. Please include your Geocaching username in all entries. Then, explore captions other geocachers have posted.

“Like” the caption that you believe should take home the barely coveted prize. If you think your caption should win, convince your fellow geocachers, your friends, and family to “like” your caption. Geocaching HQ staff will vote from the top finalists to decide the winner of the contest.

Continue reading →

July 17, 2013 / Derek H

Meet the German Robin Hood. — Schinderhannes (GC23VXF) — Geocache of the Week

A geo-dog with Schinderhannes. Photo by geocacher Glaubensbruder

Throughout the world, many people have heard the tale of Robin Hood. In case you haven’t, here’s a quick recap: an expert archer and his gang of merry men live in the forest, steal from the rich and give to the poor. There have been many movies made and even more books written about him. However, for this week’s Geocache of the Week, we’re going to get to know a man who is sometimes known as the “German Robin Hood”, Schinderhannes. In fact, you’ll even come face-to-face with this German literary hero when you earn your smiley for (the aptly named) Schinderhannes (GC23VXF).

To find this difficulty 1, terrain 2.5 geocache, you’ll have to travel deep into the Hunsrück mountains in the Rhineland. This is the area that Schinderhannes and his gang were known to hide out. While he is now known as a literary hero, this wasn’t always the case. Before his death, he was merely known as a criminal. It wasn’t until afterwards that incredible tales of his life emerged and he became known as a gentleman thief and helper of the poor. These tales became more widely known with the 1927 premier of Carl Zuckermayer’s play Schinderhannes.

A close-up of Schinderhannes. Photo by geocacher jtdd.

While the story is interesting, the actual craftsmanship that went into the container is where this geocache shines. One look at one of the more than 2,200 logs and you’ll see why this geocache have over 1,200 Favorite Points. Geocacher BenTien says, “what a cache !!! Really amazing – never seen something like this. It must have been a lot of work to create this one, and get it here to this beautiful location. Definitely one of my top favorite caches, so another well deserved FP.” “Extremely good cache. I will gladly share a FP on this one. One of the best caches on the whole week,” said geocacher camdan.

You can tell from the photos of the installation, this geocache is the product of several geocachers coming together to create something amazing. If you’re looking to collaborate with other geocachers—on hides or finds—be sure to check out the Geocaching event calendar and our new “Events and Groups” tab on the Geocaching Facebook page. Have you ever worked together with your local geocaching community to create a geocache, solve a tough puzzle ‘cache or host an event? Tell us about it in the comments.