What’s made of cement, has six legs, and Shrek’s face?
You know you’re a geocacher if you answered, “Probably a trackable.” And you’d be right.
There’s something very special about a person who attaches Shrek ears and children’s shoes to a cinder block and tasks others with carrying that object from place to place. We like to think that special drive is what makes a geocacher a geocacher.
The willingness to be a little unusual, a little conspicuous, and sometimes downright weird seems to be common to geocachers. It’s an element that surfaces particularly with trackables. If you’re new to the game, a trackable is a game piece with a unique number. It commonly looks like a dog tag. These trackables are attached to hitchhikers (objects of various sorts), like the giant ones you’re about to see.
At some point, everyone—from the trackable obsessed to the fair-weather trackable logger—has gazed at a trackable and thought the following:
How am I going to move this [loose ball of yarn]?
Where can I get one of these [humongous metal Travel Bug tags]?
There is no chance we’re going to be taking this [instrument of extreme noise].
I’m taking a picture with a giant [teddy bear].
Where is the rest of [the vehicle to which this door was once attached]?
Why do trackables tend to be so weird? Because the world of trackables is so wide and hasfew limits to what can be made trackable, they are geocaching’s most widespread form of self-expression. Trackables tell stories about who we are and where we’re from. They travel the world when we can’t. They bring joy to people we’ll never meet.
But where to put the oversized, hilarious trackables you find? Check out these BIG caches and see if there’s one near you.
What’s the biggest, weirdest trackable you’ve ever moved?
Geocachers love showing off their locations—that’s why geocaching is one of the best ways to discover new places. The next time you’re on a trip, try using one of these 5 tips to explore a destination through geocaching:
– GeoTours – These are groups of geocaches that are curated by local organizations and Geocaching HQ. They’ll guide you through some of the best local spots, teach you about the area’s history and—of course—increase your find count! (Pro tip: With some GeoTours, you can even earn free prizes!)
– Pocket Queries – Headed somewhere that doesn’t have cell signal? Geocaching Premium members can create downloadable lists of geocaches for offline use.
– Multi-Caches – These multi-stage geocaches are often perfect methods for getting a short tour of a city.
– Sort by Favorite Points — Geocaching Premium members can find the best geocaches in an area by using the new search and sort tools. Just search for geocaches in an area, then click on the “Favorites” column.
– Meet the locals – Who better to show you local flavor than the geocachers who live there? Creating or attending an event in your destination is a perfect way to meet local geocachers. Use the geocache search to find events in your vacation destination.
What are your favorite tips for geocaching while on vacation? Leave us a comment below!
Geocoins—it’s hard to imagine Geocaching without them, Travel Bugs, or any other kind of trackable. But for an entire year and a half after geocaching was born (in May of the year 2000), that was how geocaching was done. Caching primarily involved using GPS technology to discover ammo cans hidden deep in the woods, then the seekers would write long entries into pre-placed log books.
The Father of the Geocoin: Mr. Jon Stanley, aka Moun10Bike
But geocaching’s path changed forever (and for the better) when Jon Stanley, aka Moun10Bike, created and placed the very first geocoin in a cache near Deception Pass in Washington State, USA.
Not only is Jon a legend of geocaching, he’s also a Charter Member and now works as a System Analyst/Lackey with Groundspeak. We caught up with Jon between bug fixes, forums posts, meetings to keep everyone in the loop, and geocaching on his lunch break, to find out more about how geocoins came to be.
What gave you the idea to place a geocoin?
Back in 2001, I was coming up on my 100th cache find. I wanted a signature item to launch in time for that milestone and had heard about military challenge coins from a fellow cacher. They sounded like the perfect geocaching item – compact, easy to carry, durable – so I designed and minted a set of personalized coins that I dubbed “geocoins.”
Here it is, folks: Moun10Bike Geocoin 001. Try not to hyperventilate.
When was the first Geocoin placed? The coin was placed September 30th of 2001. I placed it in a cache that still stands out today in my mind as one of the best (even though it has since been archived) – Light House Point. It involved a rickety aluminum ladder that you could only access during low tide. I climbed the ladder. I didn’t know if I’d be able to do it because I have a fear of heights. But knowing I wanted to place that coin in a special cache got me up the ladder.
So the first coin was placed in that cache?
I kept the first one for my personal collection. So it was number two… 002. That was the first one placed.
And then what happened?
I placed it in there and didn’t think that much about it. Well you know, it started off really slowly. It was about 6 months after I placed or minted my coins and placed them that anyone else started making coins that I know of. They became desired items. So rather than people seeing them and moving them on, the goal was to get to it first and keep it for their collection. It was almost like a Beanie Baby craze. There was the Geocoin craze.
How many Geocoins do you think you’ve placed out in the world at this point? I’ve sent out over 1200 of my Moun10Bike geocoins so far, and over 1500 coins if you count my coinaments (a Christmas tree ornament that is trackable and shaped like a coin)!
How many Geocoins do you own? I stopped counting in 2006. At that point, it was around 1000. I have at least five times that many now.
Jon, aka “Moun10Bike”, and his son Jameson, aka “Moun10Tyke”, on an adventure a few years ago.
What is something that most people would be surprised to learn about you? Hmmm, I’m pretty boring. Would it surprise people if I said that my wife and son can barely tolerate caching?
Getting abducted on the E.T. Highway
Any parting thoughts? From computers to the web, to gadgets, and then foremost the outdoors, I just couldn’t ask for a better hobby.
Sure is crazy to think that any experiences you’ve had with geocoins, Travel Bugs, or trackables lead back to Jon Stanley. Do you collect geocoins, or geocache with trackables? How have they changed the way you cache? Tell us your stories below!
Geocacher zeigen gern ihre Lieblingsorte – deshalb ist Geocaching einer der besten Wege zum Entdecken neuer Orte. Nutze diese 5 Tipps, um Dein Ziel mit Geocaching zu erkunden:
GeoTours – Das sind von örtlichen Organisationen und dem Geocaching-Hauptquartier betreute Geocaches. Sie führen Dich zu den interessantesten Orten, informieren Dich über deren Geschichte und erhöhen selbstverständlich auch Deine Fundzahl!
Pocket-Queries – Du bist irgendwo und hast keinen Mobilfunkempfang? Geocaching-Premium-Mitglieder können Geocache-Listen erstellen und für die Nutzung ohne Internetverbindung herunterladen.
Multi-Caches – Diese Geocaches mit mehreren Stationen bieten oft eine perfekte kleine Führung durch die Stadt.
Nach Favoritenpunkten sortieren – Geocaching-Premium-Mitglieder können die besten Geocaches in einer Region finden, indem sie in den Suchergebnissen auf die “Favoriten”-Spalte klicken.
Triff die Einheimischen – Wer kann Dir mehr zeigen als die hier lebenden Geocacher? Ein Event zu veranstalten oder zu besuchen ist eine perfekte Möglichkeit, die örtlichen Geocacher kennenzulernen.
Welches sind Deine Lieblings-Tipps für Geocaching im Urlaub? Teile sie auf der Geocaching-Facebook-Seite.
There are no shortage of amazing places in the world—but figuring out which ones to visit can be a daunting task. Luckily for geocachers, we can just look for nearby geocaches, take a look at photos, read logs and check out the favorite points. One look at this geocache’s photos and logs and it instantly went on my bucket list.
What geocachers have to say:
“Found during a vacation in the area. Wonderful views, hopefully I’ll climb to Matterhorn one day.” – pedron4
“What a day, like a post card! Sunshine no cloud and a cache at the feet of the Madonna, TFTC” – zigzagzug
“After I had something to eat and drink at the hut, I scrambled up to search for this cache. It wasn’t hard to find, though there were a couple of muggles who had to be avoided 🙂 What a great location!” – johannesvanderwerf
Photos:
The Matterhorn from GZ. Photo by geocacher raumangstDespite a DNF, this young geocacher is still all smiles. Photo by geocacher CikloBeautiful mountains. Photo by geocacher johannesvanderwerf
What geocache is on your bucket list to find? Tell your story and 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!
