Geocaching HQ Lackeys attend dozens of Mega and Giga-Events around the world, shaking hands, sharing stories of adventure, and of course, geocaching! Oceansazul is a Lead Senior Product Manager at Geocaching HQ. She recently traveled to Finland to attend the Piste Iin päällä Mega-Event (GCAA3ZX). Here’s her trip summary.

Welcome to Ii, the city of green values. I just got back from the Piste Iin päällä Mega-Event in Oulu, Finland. Held on July 13, 2024, at the Iisi-arena in Ii, this Mega-Event brought together geocaching enthusiasts from all over for a day of fun, friendship, and geocaching galore. Since the sun rose before 5 am and didn’t set until after midnight, I’m certain that many geocachers took full advantage of all the geocaching opportunities in the area.

Event Highlights: The event had creative and thoughtful activities for all ages and geocaching skill levels. From the Geocacher BINGO to the very creative Adventure Lab® Caches, each mini-adventure was super satisfying to solve.

Inside one Adventure Lab® gadget Cache, cute frogs enjoyed a sauna experience. I imagined a sauna visit would be the perfect way to finish a long day of geocaching. I was lucky that my hotel had one, and I got to try out the quintessentially Finnish sauna experience to end the fun day. Unfortunately, no frogs joined!

There were activities for families and kids of all ages. For example, at this fun Location, players had to roll balls down the ramp to try and reveal the answer. For every ball rolled, a piece of the answer was revealed. The challenge was getting the ball to roll to a new spot each time, to reveal the full answer. The ball really liked to roll to the center!

Green Values in Action: There was a table for a book exchange and a spot for people to recycle and trade potential geocache containers, reflecting Ii’s commitment to green values. The variety of vendors selling geocaching gear and local treats, including the delicious offerings from a local food truck, made the day even more delightful. I appreciate the organizers highlighting the green values the City of Ii is known for.

Celebrity sighting: It was also wonderful to finally meet ‘Braija’ in real life. After working on the Geocaching International Film Festival, GIFF, for several years, I always enjoy meeting some of the characters and filmmakers at Events. If you haven’t seen the original, “Geocaching Documentary: Wintercaching in Finland” from GIFF 2018, I highly recommend it. While the town of Ii was all sunshine during my visit, it was easy to imagine how different the geocaching experience would be here during months of snow and ice.

The Piste Iin päällä Mega-Event was a testament to the passion and dedication of the geocaching community. I want to share a huge thanks to the hosts for putting together such an unforgettable experience and welcoming me so warmly. Thank you!