Meet Jay, also known as LANMonkey. Co-host of the Caching in the Northwest podcast, Jay’s passion for geocaching is notable. His love for photography and filmmaking, combined with his experience in geocaching social media, has shaped his unique perspective on the game.

Join us as we learn about Jay’s journey into geocaching, his love for all things EarthCache, and his dream of traveling the world one geocache at a time.

Geocaching HQ: Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you discovered geocaching!

I’m Jay, and along with Laura, we are LANMonkey. I grew up taking amazing outdoor adventures with my family throughout British Columbia, and Laura and I have always been active hikers, backpackers, and travelers. I am passionate about the outdoors, geology, creating content, and being a lifelong learner. I also don’t take myself too seriously, which is good because I’d be really disappointed if I did. When we bought our first GPSr in 2012, a friend who had heard of the game told us about it, and we tried it out together. Despite a bumpy start on our first few cache searches, our love of travel and exploring the outdoors made geocaching a natural fit for us.

Geocaching HQ: What inspired you to start sharing your adventures on social media, and where can people find your geocaching content?

I’ve always had a passion for photography and filmmaking, and it seemed there was an opportunity to contribute quality content that promotes how geocaching can be your tour guide to exploring the world, as well as content that helps newer players understand all the various nuances there can be to the game. 300 YouTube videos later, and I’ve found that I love the challenge of continually improving my technical and storytelling skills, and more recently, have become much more focused on learning how to share my vision and art through photography. We share our geocaching travel adventures and pro-tips on YouTube at youtube.com/LANMonkey, and our photos on Instagram @LANMonkeyGC.

Geocaching HQ: Caching in the Northwest recently celebrated 15 years—congrats! How did you get involved in the podcast, and what is your role?

Thank you, it’s amazing that we’ve been getting together weekly to talk with each other, our guests, and our amazing live audience for 15 years! I got involved because I search out podcasts on topics that intrigue me, and when we became active geocachers, I started searching for podcasts on the game. At that time, there were only a small number available, and I noticed one that focused on geocaching in the PNW (Pacific Northwest)! I reached out to the hosts (Chris of the NorthWest and Witzend) to see if they wanted a guest from British Columbia to join them. Unfortunately for them, I didn’t seem to want to stop coming back, so eventually they relented and said, “fine, you can co-host, but you’ll need to behave yourself.”

I’ve held up part of that agreement. As well as being a regular co-host, I help with show production by scheduling guests and preparing show notes to keep everyone on track. I’ve found that writing interview questions and then having that conversation with the guest and my cohosts is something I truly enjoy doing.

Geocaching HQ: We heard you will be publishing a book on EarthCaches soon. We are so excited! What inspired you to write about EarthCaches?

Who told you that secret? 😉 It will be my second book, following up on the “Geocachers Guide Book.” This book is designed to help anyone pick it up and find their first EarthCache. Well, I guess they’d have to read some of the book after they pick it up for that to work. I’ve been working on this project for years, and have been fortunate to learn from experts at Geocaching HQ, the Geological Society of America, geologists, and many experienced EarthCachers while doing the research.

The inspiration came from hearing people (including Laura) say that EarthCaches are just too hard, but they enjoy the locations. It made me wonder how many people go to the coordinates, but just don’t log the EarthCache there. I looked to see if there was an existing book that would provide someone with everything they need to make EarthCaches more accessible, but I couldn’t find one. So I decided I would make that my mission. Every time I promise a release date, something happens, so what I’ll say is to subscribe to us on Instagram and YouTube, and you’ll know more!

Geocaching HQ: What advice would you give to players who think EarthCaches are too hard?

Well, the real secret here is that many EarthCaches are too hard! But plenty are not; it’s just difficult to understand what is expected of you. The best advice I have is to read the description carefully before you arrive at GZ, and have a sense of what it is you are expected to observe when you get there. That will help make the experience less overwhelming in the moment, but the other key is to keep trying. Just like any other type of cache, there are a vast variety of EarthCaches out there, and if you keep trying, you’ll start to see the ones that interest you most. Once something is interesting to you, it won’t seem as hard any longer.

Geocaching HQ: What has been your most memorable geocaching moment so far?

The adventure that stands out the most (so far) was our trip to Antarctica and the Falklands, and the ability to not only geocache there, but also participate in citizen science with the amazing crew and our awesome shipmates. This same trip brought us to South America to see the breathtaking Iguazu Falls and find the legendary Brazil APE cache (GCC67). Some of the highlights of that trip are captured in this YouTube playlist.

Geocaching HQ: What’s your favorite part of connecting with the geocaching community, both online and in person?

The geocaching community is fascinating, as it really is a collection of people who otherwise might never cross paths. I’m fortunate as a creator and podcaster, that I get a unique opportunity to connect with hundreds of geocachers. By sharing through podcasts, videos, and photos, we create a space for people to hear from us, and I really appreciate the people who take the time to share their encouraging comments on our content.

I enjoy when we travel and meet other geocachers because I can learn what they love about geocaching in their home region, often resulting in great tips for places we might not otherwise have visited. I enjoy listening to what others share with us, and learning about the infinite spectrum of stories and experiences that makes up the geocaching community.

Geocaching HQ: Anything else you’d like to share with us?

First of all, I want to share how honoured I am to be asked to share about my creative work, and that none of it is possible without Laura as my adventure buddy, and the amazing support and encouragement we receive from the geocaching community. As a part-time creator, it’s really difficult to keep up with a regular schedule, but I’d encourage anyone to give it a try – whether it’s photography, writing, podcasting, videos, or any other way to share your own insights or experiences—find your voice, and share it with the world.

Do you have a favorite geocaching content creator? Share them with us in the comments below and tell us why you enjoy following along on their geocaching adventures!