Editor’s note: Geocaching HQ staff are planning to attend dozens of Mega-Events around the world, shaking hands, sharing stories of adventure, and of course geocaching. Each person at Geocaching HQ brings their own unique talent to advancing the adventure. Some write code for the website, others design images for the apps, and some shoot videos explaining it all. Reid Kuennen is the Geocaching HQ staff member behind the lens. She recently traveled to Belgium to join hundreds in celebrating geocaching and the geocaching community. Here’s her story (which includes a nifty video explaining it all).
Bryan and Reid, “We may or may not have known how to play Kubb”
By Reid:
Last month I was honored to attend the Brugse Beer IV Mega-Event in Bruges, Belgium. My friend Bryan, who also happens to be one of the founders of Geocaching, was there with me and we had an unforgettable time. We played Kubb with skill and precision, we climbed the climbing wall with… a lot of help from the organizers, and we even ate fries with mayonnaise. Best of all, we had countless conversations with fun and inspiring geocachers from near and far.
As a thank you to all who attended and organized this awesome event, I have compiled a short video to capture some of the memories. Enjoy:
Finally you’ll be able to post “Welcome Back to Earth” on our Facebook page!
After orbiting the Earth nearly 3,000 times over six months (and about 75,000,000 miles), astronaut Rick Mastracchio (Geocacher: AstroRM) and a very popular Travel Bug® will return home from the International Space Station. Thousands of people, at more than 700 Geocaching in Space events around the world, watched as Mastracchio and a Travel Bug rocketed into space.
Mastracchio has been living aboard the International Space Station since November of last year. He even geocached in space. He logged a First to Find on the International Space Station geocache placed by fellow geocacher Richard Garriott. He used the Travel Bug to teach students back on Earth about science and geography, interacting with them on the Travel Bug page about everything and anything to do with space.
May 13, Mastracchio and the Travel Bug will climb into a capsule and return to Earth. The event will be aired live on NASA TV. Celebrate and remember the epic adventure with the Geocaching in Space patch. And do us a favor, say a very special thanks to geocacher Cizzors for leading the charge for Rick Mastracchio to take the Travel Bug into space.
The earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin
A geocaching couple who can literally say they’ve cached their way through an entire country—and mean it—claim the latest Geocacher of the Month award. Comments and shared stories of two people who have not just found more than 10,000 geocaches, but inspired countless geocachers. Their well-maintained hides deliver instant memories. Oh, they also found a vast majority of the geocaches in South Africa. While there is only one Geocacher of the Month, each of the nominees is already a winner, with a prize package headed their way.
All of the nominees add an important contribution to their local communities and inspire the global geocaching community. Each will receive special recognition for their contribution to the adventure of geocaching. Before naming the Geocacher of the Month, Geocaching HQ reviews community input and blog comments. Each comment is read and posts in native languages are encouraged.
iPajero has been part of the geocaching world since 2011. After cementing hundreds of new relationships and fostering the joy of geocaching, he’s being named Geocacher of the Month for March 2014.
One comment reads, “They have been a huge encouragement to us and have added to our caching experience by posting many challenging caches in our home-town. We’d sum them up as a mix of irrepressible energy, indefatigable commitment to finding caches and a clever impish sense of humour when creating their own caches. We once posted a new cache with the wrong co-ords which took folk about 500m from the cache position. Nonetheless they claimed a FTF by using a canny geocaching sense and pointed out to us our mistake. Now it takes a special geocacher to do that!”
If you know an outstanding geocacher who should be considered for the honor, simply fill out this webform.
Geocachers of the Month
Every nomination must include the following items and abide by the following guidelines:
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 Geocacher of the Month
Please inform your nominee that you have submitted them for the award. Nominations for Geocacher of the Month are accepted at any time.
Congratulations again to iPajero for being recognized as the Geocacher of the Month for March.
The world of smileys as seen from geocachers like iPajero
While out geocaching, you can meet some pretty interesting folks. Sometimes it’s another geocacher who joins the hunt. Other times it’s a curious muggle who discovers their new favorite hobby. And then there are the times when you meet a horde of gnomes in Australia. What? That hasn’t happened to you? Well head out to find this geocache and it will. Aside from making new friends, one of the best parts of geocaching is that it takes us to incredible (and sometimes strange) locations throughout the world. Gnomesville is a perfect example of an interesting location filled with interesting (albeit small) people.
# of Finds:
261
# of Favorite Points:
8
What geocachers are saying:
“Heard about this place earlier in the year then noticed some caches here too so couldn’t resist coming to take a look. Kids loved wandering around look at all the gnomes. Had no idea there would be sooo many!!” – SpatialRiq
“Heading down south with my husband who told me about gnomesville. So we made a detour to come and see this amazing place. We parked the car almost right beside the cache. I was so excited. I got to the cute little cache,signed the log book. Took lots of photos then added my little hiker gnome to the geocaching colony. TFTC it was a highlight of my day.” – Ladyjet86
“Great day out gnoming around. What a collection. The geokids dropped some angry little men off to join the clan. Great place!” – polony_5
Photos:
Well, that’s a lot of gnomes. (See what I did there?) Photo by geocacher WandaleyWe’ve heard of TB hotels, but this is a Gnome hotel. Photo by geocacher Luna MayaGnomes EVERYWHERE! Photo by geocacher CassidyFamily
Have you met any interesting people 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.
Make your geocache smile… 4 things to avoid when hiding a geocache
(Cough Cough) Hello class, and welcome to a quick installment of the 4 most Common Geocache Hiding Mistakes. Why read on? It’s like knowing the four common routes where there’s a bridge out, or heavy road construction, or a locust migration. These are all mistakes a new hider doesn’t have to make. Let’s learn together and if at any point you’d like to know more, check out the Hiding Overview for all you need to know.
Here are the four guidelines that potential cache owners most commonly overlook:
1) Choose an Appropriate Location
Think like a non-geocacher and ask yourself, “Self, am I placing this geocache somewhere where it could be mistaken for something dangerous?” Also ask yourself if geocache hunting behavior (i.e. looking through bushes) might draw attention in sensitive areas, like schools. And make sure you know whether or not geocaches are allowed in that location. Some areas require a permit, are private property, or don’t allow geocaching altogether. Ask a land manager or owner for permission when needed.
2) Consider Proximity to Other Geocaches
Geocaches must be at least 1/10 mile or 528 feet (161 meters) apart. Check the area for other geocaches before settling on a spot. There’s a great new planning map tool to help you, with red circles showing places that are already blocked by another geocache. It won’t tell you about secret locations, but it will catch a lot of the locations that have already been taken.
3) Avoid Commercialization/Agendas
Geocaches cannot be commercial or used to publicize an agenda. Sometimes people get tripped up by the commercial guideline unintentionally. There are lots of platforms that you can use to get the word out about your important cause or a business that you really (really) like, but geocaches are not an appropriate platform for that.
4) Don’t Damage Property
Telephone poles and stop signs seem like they are public property because they are so familiar, but they are the property of the city or utility company. Don’t damage things in the environment. Screwing or drilling into a live tree creates an pathway for insects and disease. Never bury a geocache, even partway. If you have to make a hole in the ground, it’s not OK.
Follow these four tips and you’ll avoid many of the common hurdles geocache hiders face. And while this is the end of this blog post, it’s not the end of what you need to know. Check out the Hiding Overview before placing a geocache and avoid these pitfalls and create smiles like the one below!
