Looking down, there is nothing for 30 feet and then the leafy floor of the Potsdam forest in Germany. My head is red from exhaustion. When I look at my hands, they are shaking. I try to write my geocaching username in the small logbook, but the letters are scrawly. “At least I did not forget the pen down there,” I think to myself.
1.5/1.5
For some, it’s a game. For other, it’s a hobby. And for a few, it’s a way of life. However you describe geocaching, we can all agree on one thing: it’s fun. Geocaches like this one add an extra level of fun before you even leave the house. In order to find this Mystery Cache, you’ll have to play a few rounds of a geocaching-themed version of the ever-popular game Flappy Bird. From there, you’ll get the coordinates to find a unique container. The combination of a fun and innovative description and puzzle, plus a cool container makes this geocache prime for plenty of Favorite Points.
32 (it’s only been live for a couple of weeks)
11
“Flappy bird came to my mind my kids love it, the game even made the news and almost everybody knows it. It’s an annoyingly great game in it’s simplicity, so I searched the web for ideas and I came across a opensource flappy bird clone in HTML5…I got to work on the game and replaced the bird with a traditional and the tubes with Travel Bugs. When it was finished I let my kids play the game they loved it. I was very pleased with the result of the game…I didn’t want to put it away in an ordinary Tupperware box because I love it when we find creative caches that suits the cache itself.”
[all logs translated from Dutch]
“Another fun and innovative way to put a puzzle together. Although I’m not a fan of Flappy myself, I find the use of the new HTML5 techniques used very nice with a nice mental twist. Insane family, keep it up! Another fav point from this team.” – Pdreijnders
“Flappy was fast, but luckily we had the coordinates even faster…Nicely done, and the place where the cache was hidden, is new to us! A favorite point is coming.” – haglibber
“Beautifully crafted puzzle. Although this game is hard for us, we still knew pretty quickly to get the coordinates. The cache was also beautifully made and was good to find. TFTC!” – Rik&Mir
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.
Let’s paint a mental picture: on cold, dark, rainy, frost-bitten, locust-infested nights—and all other nights—your geocache waits, hoping for intrepid explorers to sign the logbook. But if your geocache is lonelier than you expected, it might ultimately be waiting for a very special someone: you. Geocaches don’t just require maintenance; some may need some more tender loving care. If your geocache isn’t getting the “Found it!” after “Found it!” logs you think it deserves, there are options to help up the find count.
What advice would you offer to new geocache hiders? Share your maker advice in comments below or on the Geocaching Facebook page.
The Tin Pan Alley Band (GC2C1NN)
2.5/1.5
Musicians and geocachers share quite a few traits. Namely, when they get together, amazing things can happen. One geocache maker has set out to prove this idea by creating one giant geocacher-powered band. And where better to recruit musicians than London’s Denmark street? This famous place is also known as the British Tin Pan Alley. Artists like Elton John, Jimi Hendrix and the Sex Pistols all have ties to this area. Whether or not the band will be headlining any tours or festivals this year has yet to be decided, but one thing is for sure: between the electric triangle players, backup singers, guitarists, cellists and percussionists, this band is going to top the charts for sure.
2025
776
“I read every single log (which is almost daily!) and it gives me a great uplifting feeling to read them knowing that I have made so many geocachers happy and given them a geocache of a difference in such an urban location. As for the Favorite Points – totally amazed with the shear numbers – go to show, the most simplest geocache, can create the greatest awards!
The best geocaches are those which surprises us geocachers, either by it’s location, history, scenery, challenges or the geocache originality – get them all and they’ll clock up the geocache Favorite Points!”
“What an amazing cache. A must if passing this location. gets a favourite.” – Pebbles&Co
“This is a wonderful cache and a definite favourite. Never seen one like this before and it’s excellent TFTC” – Tangled two
“Brilliant idea for a cache, first time I’ve seen one like this but worked out straight away what I needed to spot… and after a couple of minutes there it was! Thanks for the cache, this one gets the favourite point for the evening. Add another bass player to the band!” – BandMandAandA
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.
It’s a month to celebrate the quiet geocacher, the geocacher whose kindness reaches people one-by-one. They’re the reason bonds form across town and across political barriers – because they let us follow them along when we’re new to geocaching, or offer us that gentle nudge closer to finding the geocache.
Each geocacher mentioned here is already a winner. They’ll receive a prize package from Geocaching HQ for their contributions to the global community.
Now, this is your opportunity to help decide who will take home the earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin (at left). Each featured Geocacher of the Month will receive the exclusive special edition Geocoin, a hat and a profile icon. They’ll also receive a certificate acknowledging their contributions, signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com.
In January, Mike Ott was named the Geocacher of the Month.
A geocacher who commented wrote, “He is not the reason I joined Geocaching but he is certainly one of the reasons I am still involved. He has taken a huge role in our state with organizing events and special caches. He has a unique way of finding the “right spot” for a cache. Always an educational experience in one way or another. Thanks. Mike for all you do for new cachers as well as veteran cachers!!.”
Now it’s your turn to help us select the next Geocacher of the Month. Write a supportive comment at the bottom of this blog for the nominated geocacher that you feel should be awarded the title. A panel from Geocaching HQ will then use your comments to help guide the decision of which geocacher is awarded the Geocacher of the Month honor.
Here are your nominees for the February 2014 Geocacher of the Month. Some testimonials have been edited for length.
I have nominated witch24 because she is my geocaching inspiration. She has placed many caches in my area and have enjoyed finding many of them. On the few of the caches that i have needed help on, nothing has been to much for her. She has also gave me many new cache ideas and introduced me to this amazing game, i am now getting a geocaching membership this Christmas.
Thank you for reading my nominee letter and I think that Witch24 is well worth of the prize.
Yours Sincerly, Alex Age 13
I would like to nominate Brady, aka bjmccacher, as the Geocacher of the Month.
I first made Brady’s acquaintance in late 2013. I was driving from my home in Kansas to South Dakota, and stopped off along the way to find a few caches in Nebraska City, Neb. I found a few and DNF’d a few. Shortly after posting my DNFs, I received an email from bjmccacher. He very kindly inquired about my experience to both make sure the caches I had DNF’d were there, and also to provide a helpful nudge in the right direction. That was the first of many great experiences with Brady.
Several weeks after our email encounter, I visited Lincoln, Neb. (Brady’s hometown) to attend a lunch geo-event and do some caching. He ended up spending several hours… showing me some wonderful examples of great geocaches. I was blown away. But I later learned that my experience was similar to what many others have had with Brady. Just last month, he again spent a few hours taking me around Lincoln!
Since our first meeting, Brady has continued to be amazingly helpful and a great influence on my enjoyment of the hobby. He is kind and incredibly giving of his skills and knowledge. All in all, Brady Holmes is an example of the geocacher we should all aspire to be. To me, he’s a slam dunk as the Geocacher of the Month!
Sincerely,
Chris Ronan
Running Jayhawks
Comment below to tell us who you think should be the January Geocacher of the Month. We will be accepting comments through March 28.
Please inform your nominee that you have submitted them for the award. Nominations for the next Geocacher of the Month should be received by April 3. Once Geocaching HQ has received the nominations, we will choose the top candidates and post them on the blog. You will then get a chance to champion your favorite. Our goal is to involve the entire geocaching community in this process so that we might learn from each other.
