August 8, 2014 / Paige Edmiston /

1st Day, 1st Achievers: Geocaching HQ Staff Give #7SofA a Go on Day 1

By Heather Feather

Cool shades — Heather Feather puts her 7SofA game face on.

Editor’s Note: Heather Murdoch (Username: Heather Feather) is a member of the Community Volunteer Support team at Geocaching HQ and (perhaps more importantly for the month of August) a member of The Explorer team for an internal HQ competition. Heather and her teammates, Founder Jeremy Irish (Username: Jeremy), Community Manager Sara Baarda (Username: Sara B), Community Volunteer Support Team Manager Cindy Potter (Username: Frau Potter), and Engineering Intern Virangi Shah (Username: virangishah) attempted to earn Achiever status on August 1st. This is their (obviously, epic) story.

Friday, August 1st was a whirlwind of a day! The 7 Souvenirs of August had finally been unleashed, sending geocachers out into the world with one mission: GET SOUVENIRS!!!

It was no different for Geocaching HQ. Geocaching HQ staff had been divided into 6 teams: The Puzzlers, The Sightseers, The Nature Lovers, The Socializers, The Collectors, and last but not least (my team) The Explorers. Together, we were faced with a challenge: the team (and all its members) to earn all 7 souvenirs first, wins. Wins what? Well we don’t know yet, but the competitive creature in me only heard WIN.

Thus, the race was on! Several Explorers wasted no time, piled in a van, and jetted out on the ferry (yes, the ferry!) from Seattle, WA to Bremerton (across Puget Sound from Seattle). Founder Jeremy Irish taught us how to play a deceptively “easy” and hilarious card game involving a princess, love letters, and her royal court. This was critically helpful for our team building, but no souvenirs were earned yet.

But that was about to change.

Stop #1: The Puzzler

Ferry ride! — The ferry ride over! Sweet shades!

Silverdale, to see about a Mystery Cache. Ground zero was located in a cute, little library. Quick calculations earned us The Puzzler in no time.

Stop #2: The Explorer

Across the street to “the dark side.” But really, it was a Darth Vader-themed geocache. Along with a few fellow geocachers also on the 7SofA hunt, we oohed, we ahhed, we used the force and earned The Explorer!

Stop #3: The Nature Lover

Next, we delved into the wondrous and dusty epochs of glacial erratics. A refreshing trail jaunt and gettin’ schooled on a few geo-educational nuggets earned us The Nature Lover.

Stop #4: The Collector

Our fourth stop took us right by a beautiful lily pad-filled lake. Rather appropriate, no? We were tempted to go for a quick swim, but stayed the course and earned The Collector with a Letterbox Cache instead.

Stop #5: The Sightseer

With over half of the souvenirs under our belts, the end was in sight! Where else to go next than a cemetery? At a nearby quaint and quiet neighborhood plot, we upgraded the decaying cache with some new digs and earned The Sightseer. At this point we were getting a little delirious, and thought it was a good idea to put on lots of sunglasses for a photoshoot. Maybe it was all the over-ripe blackberries we ate…either way it was a real good time!

Jeremy finds the cache — Geocaching.com Founder Jeremy and Engineering InternVirangi investigate the geocache.

Stop #6: The Socializer

Earning The Socializer was a treat. We attended a nearby Event Cache to swap stories from the day with fellow geocachers, crossed our fingers for the raffle prizes, and had a bite to eat. It was great to put some faces to names that we had seen in the logbooks that day.

7SofA Mission Accomplished!

With all six souvenirs logged, the Achiever was unlocked – for the win! Mission accomplished! Of course, we couldn’t help being over-achievers and logging a few more geocaches on our route back home. Over nine hours of fun and adventure – what a way to kick off August!

Editor’s Note: Shortly following this excursion, the remaining members of The Explorer team also unlocked all 7 Souvenirs of August, making them the first Geocaching HQ team to claim Achiever status. Heather Feather is *trying* not to gloat, but it’s true – they are the winners!

August 6, 2014 / Derek H /

Is this still Earth? — Rainbow’s End: Grand Prismatic Spring (GC1JY47) — Geocache of the Week

Is this really Earth? Photo: "Grand prismatic spring" by Jim Peaco, National Park Service — Is this really Earth? Photo: “Grand prismatic spring” by Jim Peaco, National Park Service

Geocache Name:

Rainbow’s End: Grand Prismatic Spring (GC1JY47)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

2/1

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

If you’re still searching for an EarthCache to find in order to earn your Nature Lover souvenir for the Seven Souvenirs of August, consider visiting a place that doesn’t even look like it belongs on Earth. EarthCaches bring geocachers to geologic formations and require them to answer questions about that formation in order to make the find. The Grand Prismatic Spring (or as the CO of this EarthCache points out: “GPS” for short) is the largest hot spring in the United States and third-largest in the world. However, what really draws the crowds are the amazing colors throughout the formation, caused by bacteria and mineral-rich water.

What the geocache owner, Frumious Jane, has to say:

“The Grand Prismatic Spring is my favorite place on the planet. The longer I sit there on the boardwalk, the further away my troubles seem. We get so used to seeing streets, houses, power lines, and cars in our daily lives that these things become our Normal. Geocaching offers us caching options in pretty much every environment on the planet, and I’m a big sucker for the strange and glorious spots. I love being reminded that I live on a planet filled with rare and beautiful geologic features. The Grand Prismatic Spring offers a fascinating variant on the deadly beauty of volcanoes: the magma is underground, but we can see its effects on the steaming groundwater in the beautiful pools that dot Yellowstone National Park. Walking right up to something as resplendent as the Grand Prismatic Spring, knowing I’m standing atop a subterranean volcano all the while, gave me such a thrill that all I wanted to do was share it. We civilized folks just don’t get to experience surreal moments very often, and I wanted to let others know there was something worth pulling off the road for, something amazing to experience and think about.

Every time I read a new log telling me how awestruck the cachers were when they looked out over the spring for the first time, or how they’d never have pulled into the parking lot except for the EarthCache symbol on the map, I get all warm and fuzzy. Our lives are collections of experiences great and small. I’m both thrilled and humbled that so many people who share my hobby have also shared my enjoyment of this place I adore so much, taking home from their travels a little piece of joy and fun, and maybe a little snippet of knowledge, too.

I’ve been a geocacher for over nine years, and I’ve made tons of fun and exciting memories with friends and strangers who hunt for Tupperware in the woods with me. Geocaching can bring out the best and most generous in us, and my life has been changed for the better by all those I’ve met and cached with over the years. I’ve raised my kids to enjoy the hunt and to follow the arrow toward adventure. I’ve had so much fun geocaching that I was inspired to write novels in a second genre: mystery. Under my pen name Morgan C. Talbot, I’ve written the world’s only geocaching mystery series, combining my love of stories with my favorite hobby. The Caching Out series was picked up for publication two years ago, and I’ve gotten the same exceptional, positive feedback for my books as I have for my EarthCaches. My writing career has continued to grow and gain its own souvenirs, and I have the inspiration of the geocaching community to thank for their early encouragement. No matter how far I roam in this world, geocaching will always be close to my heart, and loaded into my Garmin.”

What geocachers are saying:

“What an amazing view from the road with all the colored mist rising! Spent a good two hours here. Such vivid color!” – Mommabre

“The Grand Prismatic Spring is truly one of the most amazing things in the natural world. When we planned our trip to Yellowstone this was one of the things I knew we definitely had to show the kids, and it was an absolutely perfect day to see it.” – bergmannfamily

“Grand Prismatic has always been one of my favorite stops in Yellowstone — the colors are always fantastic. Thanks for giving us a reason to come out to visit again.” – NepoKama

Photos:

An overhead view of this amazing place. Photo by geocacher AUBURN SONRAY

Geocacher Bangers&Mash enthusiastically makes the find.

The end of the rainbow. Photo by geocacher Eispiraten DD.

What incredible natural formations have you seen while EarthCaching? Tell us or post photos 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, just fill out this form. Thanks!

August 5, 2014 / Alex /

Geocaching #goals: Fizzy Grid, Jasmer, and 365-Day Challenge

The Fizzy Grid, Jasmer, and 365-Day Challenge. No, these aren’t a bubbly drink, a southern gentleman, and the answer to a 1st-grade math problem. They’re statistic goals for the seasoned geocacher! But what exactly are they? Read more to find out.

Continue reading →

August 5, 2014 / Carly /

Discover EarthCaching and 11 Stunning Locations

There’s something truly spectacular about our planet earth. This month, the 7 Souvenirs of August (and the Nature Lover Souvenir) encourages you to get in touch with the extraordinary world around you through EarthCaching.

EarthCaching is the magical combination of geocaching and geological discovery. The purpose of an EarthCache is to share information about a particular (and typically jaw-dropping) geological feature. EarthCaches do not contain physical containers like most geocaches. They do, however, carry a piece of geological history that can date back millions and millions of years.

A little bit about this geocache type…

There are over 17,000 EarthCaches worldwide.
EarthCaches are the most popular geocache type. They are found more often and receive more favorite points than the average geocache.
EarthCaching is currently celebrating its 10th Anniversary. The first EarthCache was published in Australia on January 10th, 2004.
In partnership with Geocaching HQ, The Geological Society of America facilitates the listing of EarthCache locations around the world and offers a ‘Masters Program’ where you can receive a title (and pin) based on your level of EarthCache expertise.

Now go out into the world and learn something new…

Using “Advanced Search” on geocaching.com, you can customize your geocache search. Under the “Search for” option, select “EarthCache”. Type in your postal code or home coordinates and voilà, nearby EarthCaches!
Bring a camera (most EarthCaches encourage selfies).
Be prepared to investigate. You will have to search out the answers for the educational portion of the geocache.

For inspiration, here are 11 stunning EarthCaches around the world: