The Golden Circle  — Geocache of the Week

Wherigo® Cache
GC6AZJF
by Impulssi
Difficulty:
4
Terrain:
1.5
Location:
Iceland
N 64° 15.331 W 021° 07.675

“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.” – Ray Bradbury

Have you ever witnessed a place so wondrous and magnificent, yet so harsh and raw that you dare not look away?

Journey with us as we explore Iceland’s Golden Circle with geysers, craters, and waterfalls galore!

Hands clasped around a cup of warm tea; you spot the sun slowly poke above the horizon. Despite it being early, the sky’s colors dazzle. The constellations that dominated the night sky become less and less visible as you stare more deeply into the transitions between each delicate color. The day has only just begun, and it’s already one to remember. Welcome to Iceland!

The site of a spectacular tourism boom since 2013, the secret is out about Iceland’s wondrous natural beauty. Could there be a better way to experience Iceland’s Golden Circle than through geocaching? 

One particular cache leaps right off the Search Map; it’s a Wherigo® Cache! To get started, download the cartridge and make the hour’s drive from Reykjavík to Þingvellir National Park to visit the posted coordinates for GC6AZJF.

Image by Just-Us-Two.

Locating the final location for GC6AZJF won’t be as straightforward as a Traditional Cache. To complete the Wherigo®, you’ll need to visit a series of zones along the Golden Circle, a popular natural tourism route; each new zone brings you closer to the cache! As you step out at Þingvellir, the posted coordinates, excitement courses through your body as you approach the first zone: the Öxarárfoss waterfall!

The scenic beauty of this location is far more than just a “zone” in another game. Geocaching brought you to a site you may never have pictured, even in the deepest recesses of your imagination. But there’s so much more to see! The Wherigo® app prompts you to the next zone, labeled “Geysir.” 

Another drive awaits you, but it won’t be without its sights. Each twist and turn along the route offers stark scenery, something unmistakably Icelandic. As the tires on your car slow to a halt, something erupts in the distance…it’s the Great Geysir–the second stop! 

Image by MIDOUL.

With impressive power, the geyser erupts yet again. You can’t believe your luck! Water flies hundreds of feet in the air, launched by geothermal energy that’s raw and untamed. Before you head back to your vehicle to visit the next zone, you look into the pool of water that once was a column in the sky. Its enchanting blue water could keep you here for an eternity, but there’s more to see and a geocache to find!

Image by Geo-Skelli. 

As you approach the next zone, something about this place feels different. Could this be the location of the long-awaited cache? Your boots touch the rocky soil, and you breathe in the humid air. A low rumble suggests something mysterious and powerful in the distance; you follow the Wherigo® app to the zone. The firm ground suddenly ends and terminates with an aggressive cliff edge: it’s the Gullfoss waterfall

Image by MIDOUL.

As the Wherigo® app provides you with the final coordinates of the cache, you realize there’s no rush to find the elusive treasure. The real riches were earned bit by bit and step by step with each discovery along the Golden Circle. A final look at the impressive waterfall gives you all the energy you’ll need to find the cache.

A short walk away, the final coordinates guide you to a series of stones only a few meters away from the cliff. With a careful step, you examine each crevice in pursuit of the cleverly placed cache. Positioned out of sight for the non-geocacher, you spot a petling resting underneath light grass and flowers next to a rock. Finally!

Image by Saarfuchs. 

With more ink on the log than moments ago, you seal the container and replace it in its delicate home. Congratulations! Although your find count is larger, you found much more on your outing today than a simple park-and-grab. 

Just like that, the sun, which at one time shone with bright intensity, has returned with delicate light. With a head full of memories and even more respect for nature, the path back to Reykjavík and even more geocaching beckons you for your next adventure.

Image by Lilla22x.

 Continue to explore some of the most amazing geocaches around the world. Check out all of the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog. If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, fill out this form.

Adam is the Adventure Lab® Support Manager at Geocaching HQ. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, you can find him laying out for a catch in ultimate frisbee, playing the baritone sax, or lacing up his boots to cache on a PNW hike.