Where has geocaching taken you? Down an unfamiliar road? To a place you never knew existed? How about face-to-face with a 10-foot-tall, fire-breathing dragon? This week’s Geocache of the Week, Rusty the Dragon (GC5GG6V), proves that you never quite know what might be waiting at a set of coordinates.

At first glance, the cache stats don’t suggest a fearsome adventure. Rusty the Dragon is a Difficulty 1, Terrain 1 Traditional Cache. But as geocachers approach the coordinates, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary cache location.

Standing more than 10 feet (3 m) tall and weighing over half a ton, the enormous metal dragon has wings, claws, thousands of individual scales—and a particularly fiery personality.

His body and wings are covered with more than 4,000 scales, while his frame is constructed from concrete rebar. Stretched from end to end, the dragon measures more than 19 feet (5.8 m). Although his scales are reddish-brown today, the dragon wasn’t always rusty. When he was first “born,” he was silver-colored.

But those impressive dimensions aren’t even his most memorable feature.

This dragon breathes fire.

The story behind the cache is another example of what makes geocaching special. The cache owner’s profile explains the reason for joining the geocaching community: to share a 10-foot-tall, fire-breathing dragon with geocachers.

And share him, they did.

Every dragon needs a treasure to guard, and Rusty is no exception!

Look around the mighty metal beast, and you’ll find the cache container nearby, safely under Rusty’s watch. Luckily, this dragon is happy to share his treasure with visiting geocachers.

Grab the cache, sign your name, and return it to its fiery guardian. No sword, shield, or dragon-slaying required!

Since the geocache was published, geocachers have visited the coordinates to meet the dragon and pose for photos. The cache has also collected 379 Favorite points from the community.

Whether you come for the find, the photos, or the chance to meet a fire-breathing dragon, Rusty is a reminder that following coordinates can lead to some wonderfully unexpected encounters.

Header image by walleyenerd.

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.