Year: 2013

/ Eric Schudiske /

The First Geocaching First-to-Find in Space

rick in space with Travel Bug
Rick Mastracchio with the International Space Station Travel Bug

An American astronaut Rick Mastracchio (AstroRM) enters the Geocaching history books. He logged the First-to-Find (FTF) on one of the most exclusive geocaches in existence. It’s a geocache hidden five years ago aboard the International Space Station. The geocache has orbited 260 miles above the Earth since geocaching pioneer and video game designer Richard Garriott created the geocache in 2008.

Signed logbook on the International Space Station geocache
Signed logbook on the International Space Station geocache

Astronaut Rick Mastracchio’s FTF log reads, “The geo space bug (TB5JJN1) has made it to the Russian Service Module, panel 218. He traveled from Waterbury, CT to Houston, TX to Cologne, Germany to Moscow, Star City Russia, to Baikonur Kazakhstan where it launched on a Russian Soyuz Rocket to the International Space Station. He has traveled around the space station and will continue to do so for the next 6 months. When he is not traveling he will be staying with me in my very small crew quarters. He hangs/floats on my wall and waits for more adventures while I do research and perform experiments here on ISS. Thanks for getting this little guy started Cizzors. Every journey starts with the first step and you took the first step of this one. Rick.”

Mastracchio thanked fellow Connecticut geocacher Robert Cizauskas (Cizzors) who first introduced the idea of geocaching to the astronaut. More than 26,000 geocachers at nearly 1,200 events around the world celebrated Geocaching in Space during Mastracchio’s launch into orbit.

The Travel Bug with Mission 38 hitchhikers to be delivered to schools back on Earth
The Travel Bug with hitchhikers to be delivered to schools back on Earth

The Travel Bug is riding along with Mastracchio on an educational mission. He’ll use the Travel Bug as a tool to teach kids back on Earth about geography and science.

The Travel Bug  is scheduled to return to Earth when Mastracchio finishes his six-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

The previous Travel Bug Richard Garriott carried to the space station remained on-board the ISS for three years. It accumulated more than 350 million miles as it orbited the Earth. That Travel Bug returned to Earth by one of the last U.S. Shuttle missions to visit the International Space Station.

Watch the video of Richard Garriott’s mission to space. Leave your best wishes for Rick Mastracchio below in comments.

/ Paige Edmiston /

Geocaching Quick Quiz: Name that Lingo

Sometimes reading geocache logs can be as tricky as deciphering top secret super spy codes. Check the geocaching acronyms in the log book below. Can you decrypt this geocaching lingo?

GC_Acronyms_Quiz_vFINAL_Q

To reveal the answers…

Just.

Scroll.

Down.

…

 

You’re.

Almost.

There.

The answers revealed! Are you a geocaching super spy?

GC_Acronyms_Quiz_vFINAL_A

 

These are just a few of the gazillions of geocaching acronyms out there. Have you come across lingo not listed in this log book? Tell us about it in the comments below.

/ Derek H /

I hope you packed your paddle. — Amsterdam Urban 2 – Under the Bridge (GC921) — Geocache of the Week Video Edition

 

[vsw id=”cYfquPnJrY4″ source=”youtube” width=”853″ height=”480″ autoplay=”no”]

Geocache Name:

Amsterdam Urban 2 – Under the bridge

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

1.5/4.5

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

One of the best ways to see Amsterdam is by boat. You can take in the sights on the many canals that flow throughout the beautiful city. Of course, if you can pick up a geocache (or two or three) along the way, that’s a bonus! This geocache is one of the oldest in the Netherlands and a favorite of locals and tourists. At one point it was also a favorite of local pigeons, but thanks to a clever anti-pigeon system, that’s no longer an issue. Earlier this year, Geocaching HQ’s videographer, Reid (reidsomething), and a Geocaching HQ Volunteer Coordinator, Kerb (KerbL), teamed up with two locals to find this geocache. If you don’t think you’ll be able to make it to Amsterdam soon, just kick back, watch the video (spoiler alert!) and enjoy the ride.

# of Finds:

909

# of Favorite Points:

239

What geocachers are saying:

“Thanks for an amazing cache – definitely a Fave cache for the fun we had finding it. TFTC” – scrap happy annie

“Best cache in Amsterdam! We had so much fun to go trough the canals and search this cache!” – Team eeH

“Very pleased to find this cache! We’ve used it to start the journey of our first trackable. Very good cache and well hidden.” – Triage76

Read More Logs

Photos:

Beautiful views along the way. Photo by geocacher LollipopDZ

 

Found it! Photo by geocachers Team Dorus

 

My geosenses are tingling... Photo by geocacher lady pinguin
My geosenses are tingling… Photo by geocacher lady pinguin

See All Photos

 

Geocaching is an awesome way to explore new places. What has been your greatest discovery while 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.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, leave a comment below with the name of the geocache, the GC code, and why you think we should feature it.

/ Paige Edmiston /

Geocacher vs. Zombie – Who wins?

GeoZombieRun1
Brains! Brains!

Editor’s Note: No geocachers were hurt in the making of this story. Based upon true geocaching events that occurred on the Washington-Canadian border on October 26, 2013.

Guest Blog Post By Jayme Hewitt (Username: benandjayme)

GeoZombieRun2
Permits are important – even when hunting zombies!

I awoke with an uneasy feeling in my stomach on the morning of October 26th. The fog sat heavy in the fields and echoed the thoughts  running through my head. Is this the end? Does the zombie apocalypse start today? Rumors spread far and wide about zombies invading the west coast, even as far north as the Canadian border.

With no time left to ponder humanity, we threw some supplies in the car and headed out the door. There was a job to be done and we heard that some geocachers were gathering nearby to make a plan. We met up with some friends in Lynden, WA at the Zombie Safe Zone and received our Zombie Hunting Permits.

We began our hunt at the Zombie Paintball Shooting Gallery, honing our skills.

GeoZombieRun3
Take that, practice zombie target!

We then carried brains with us through the forest to disguise ourselves with the smell of the dead. The zombies had set up tricky obstacles to slow us down, but we all made it through.

GeoZombieRun4
“I not only use all the brains I have, but also all those I can borrow.” -Zombie

After a long day of finding survival clues and dodging the un-dead along scenic logging roads, beautiful harbor spits, and many, MANY places in between (more than 124 miles driven!), we decided that it was going to be incredibly cost prohibitive to continue the hunt. We put our heads together and came up with a new strategy…one that had never been tried before. We decided to make some new friends.

GeoZombieRun5
Zombies like s’mores too!

Hindsight is truly 20/20, but  in the end we were so glad that we decided to give the un-dead the benefit of the doubt. Those s’mores were delicious.

How to survive a Zombie Apocalypse, er, I mean geocaching event:

  • BYOP (Bring your own pen). With zombies on your heels, you can’t afford to waste time frantically searching for a pen. A stamp works too!
  • Don’t be afraid to say hi.  A geocaching event is a great place to make new friends. Bonus: That new friend may even save your brains from a zombie.
  • Find a carpool buddy. Zombies (and geocaches) can cover great distances. Team up, save gas, and increase your odds of survival.

The GeoZombie Run 2013 (GC497DT ) was a blast! Thanks for all the hard work in organizing this event, Half-Canadian and Scooter the Wonder Dog!

 

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You never know when you might run into a Zombie (especially if you visit Geocaching HQ). It’s time to gear up with the Special Edition Zombie Hunter Geocoin. 

 

 

 

/ Eric Schudiske /

Does Your Geocache Pass the D2W Test?

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Three things can ruin any geocache. It’s true whether your geocache is a creative hide, a geocache that delivers hikers deep into the untamed wilderness or a fantastical Puzzle Cache with a big surprise twist. If your geocache is soaked through with water, the container is cracked or geocachers don’t know it’s a geocache because it’s not marked, it’s what some people call a #fail.

D2W isn’t a droid from some sci-fi movie. It’s a quick test for geocache owners. To avoid the #fail, check to make sure your geocache is D2W compliant. It should be:

 

  • Durable
  • Water-tight
  • Well-marked

Are you interested in a seeing a geocache that fits all three criteria? Check this out. Every once in a while at Geocaching HQ we hear the success stories of D2W geocaches. Look at the Geocaching Blog post about a geocache that was lost in a flood and then found, still intact, 30 miles away and three years later. Share your advice for passing the D2W test in comments after this article.