Meet Sahan, a teen geocacher making a name for himself, one Event at a time. In honor of geocaching’s 25th anniversary, we want to recognize Sahan’s contribution to his local geocaching community!

Geocaching HQ: How and when did you hear about geocaching?

I first heard about geocaching while reading a book in March 2022. The author of this book was an avid geocacher at the time the book was written, and although the book was on a completely unrelated topic, there were many footnotes about the joys of geocaching. I didn’t really have too many hobbies at the time, so I decided to download the app that very night and try it out. I made my first find a few days later, and slowly got more and more into caching from there.

Geocaching HQ: What inspires you to go geocaching?

This is a very tough question for me, since the answer always changes. I usually use geocaching as a tour guide to explore new areas, but always love the thrill of the hunt, especially for high D/T caches or caches with lots of Favorite points. If I had to pick one aspect of the game that keeps me inspired, it would have to be the cache hiders, who put their time and effort into hiding quality caches in great locations. Without hiders, this game simply wouldn’t exist.

Geocaching HQ: Do you have a favorite geocaching memory?

One memory that definitely sticks out is my trip to find Washington’s oldest cache, GCD. There was an event at the trailhead, so ten or so other cachers joined me on the very steep hike up to the cache. The hike was challenging, but the views were amazing, and I achieved one of my many caching goals.

Geocaching HQ: What geo-accomplishment are you most proud of?

Last December, I was brainstorming ways I could celebrate the 25th anniversary of Geocaching when I thought of making a geo-art based on the history of the game. I started researching notable Events from each year since 2000, put together some simple puzzles, shaped my geo-art in the shape of a 25, and had all 26 cache pages ready by December 20. I had locations in mind, so I quickly gathered a variety of containers and started hiding the physical caches. I was doubtful that I would be able to have the series published on January 1st, but thanks to my local Reviewers, it ended up working perfectly. On the morning of January 1st, the geo-art was published, and everyone in the local community was shocked. I have been told that my geo-art ended up inspiring cachers across the world to create similar puzzles and geo-arts.

Geocaching HQ: You’ve attended quite a few geocaching Events. How have Events impacted your geocaching experience?

Events have completely changed the way I see the game. I attended my first Event, which happened to be a CITO, less than two months after creating my account, and realized how passionate and friendly the other community members are right away. Events provide the opportunity to spend time with many other people who share a similar interest in the game, and I instantly felt accepted as a part of the community. It is really nice to be able to meet the people whose caches you are finding, as well as those who are finding your caches, and share knowledge and tips. CITOs showcase how dedicated the community is, since people take time out of their lives to pick up trash, plant trees, and do many other things to help the planet, just because they have the opportunity to.

Geocaching HQ: In just three years, you have hosted 79 Events! What are your “secrets to success” for hosting a good Event? Do you have any coming up that you’re looking forward to?

I didn’t realize I had hosted that many, but it makes sense given my personality. I always want to give back, and hosting Events is a great way to do that for the geocaching community. For the Events I host, I take inspiration from other Events I have attended and put a unique spin on it. My main tip for anyone interested in hosting an Event is to host something you would be excited to attend, whether that’s a calm morning at a coffee shop, energetic puzzle-solving, geocaching trivia, or anything in between. At the beginning of the year, I set a goal for myself to host at least one CITO per month, and that has worked out really well for me. Not only do I feel like I am making a difference by helping clean up neighborhoods and helping with forest restoration efforts, but it has strengthened my relationship with the rest of the geocaching community and inspired others to host CITOs in their own neighborhoods.

Geocaching HQ: You’re hosting a Community Celebration Event (CCE) and Geocaching International Film Festival (GIFF) Event in November. Tell us more about that.

From the very moment 2025 CCEs were announced, I have been planning to make mine a super fun and memorable Event. When I first learned about GIFF a few months after I started caching, I immediately loved the idea. Filmmaking and geocaching are two of my favorite hobbies, and combining them brings out the best in each. I have watched every GIFF reel, and none of them have failed to amaze me. Geocachers are definitely some of the most talented, creative, and passionate people, and it’s really fun to watch what different cachers have come up with. GIFF Events are also commonly hosted in November, which is my birthday month, so why not use my CCE as a four-hour-long combination GIFF and birthday Event? The first two hours will include the normal socializing as well as activities normally seen at Mega-Events (think geocaching bingo, trivia, and different stations with smaller activities), and during the last two hours, we will watch the 2025 GIFF reel, and the Event will end with a huge raffle. This will be my best Event yet, so I strongly recommend you attend if you are in or near the Seattle area.

Geocaching HQ: Do you have any advice for other young geocachers on how to get started or level up their geocaching?

There aren’t too many youth in the game currently, but I would love to see more and more interest. At some point, the current youth cachers will be the ones leading the game, so we need many more than we currently have. If you are a youth and interested in the game, I recommend you try to immerse yourself in every part of the game (e.g. finding caches, solving puzzles, attending Events, and bonding with your local community, etc.) and decide which parts of the game you want to continue playing. I have introduced several other youth to the game, and we all have the same takeaway that it is super beneficial to get to know your local caching community, since they will be the ones encouraging and helping you out throughout your caching career. Now is the best time to start playing the game. You may feel nervous about going to Events, but from the moment you attend your first Event, you will see how friendly and helpful the community is. Unlike many other hobbies, there are unlimited ways to go geocaching, and it’s not a problem if you don’t like a particular part of the game.

Do you know an inspiring cache owner? Share them with us in the comments below and tell us what makes their cache hides memorable!