February 14, 2017 / Andrew Baldwin /

Guest blog from The Geocaching Junkie: Four reasons to make a muggle your valentine

We are featuring The Geocaching Junkie on our guest blog for Valentine’s Day.

Falling in love with a fellow geocacher might just be the epitome of finding the perfect partner for many cachers, and we have all heard stories of eyes meeting across a crowd at an event, and diamond rings hidden in ammo cans – the ultimate swag! Take German cachers reality666 and annimiles for example: they met at a geocaching event in 2012 and got engaged at Europe’s First geocache (GC43) in April 2016.

Unfortunately, since muggles (non geocachers—based on “muggle” from the Harry Potter series, which are non-magical people) outnumber geocachers by quite a margin, it’s unlikely that everyone can be lucky enough to be half of a geocaching pair. So what are the benefits of dating a muggle? I happen to be an expert on this subject, so here’s four reasons why having a muggle partner who supports your geocaching addiction has its own advantages!

1. They make excellent lookouts

Sure, they may not love poking their hands into places or generally getting their hands dirty, but their presence as lookout means that you can get stuck right in with your search without having to look over your shoulder every five seconds.

2. They’re good for security

As a singleton I rarely had any qualms about going geocaching alone, but FTF runs at night in the woods on my own? Not so much. A supportive muggle will understand why you want to go look for a lunch box in a tree hollow in the dark, and will accompany you for safety. It’s also good to have someone who knows where you’re going and will be concerned if you’re not home when you say you’ll be (it’s good common sense to have such a person aware of your movements, regardless of your relationship status.)

3. They can hold stuff for you

This could be the geocaching equivalent of holding your wife’s purse while she is shopping! I won’t even comment on how many times I’ve dropped the lid of a nano while caching alone (I’ve always found it, honest!). When my muggle is with me, he now holds out his hands to me out of habit and holds the container while I sign the log.

4. If all else fails, they will probably help you search for the cache

Even if it’s just so they can finally go home and have dinner, they are likely to help you search if you’re having trouble, and often will find it straight away—it’s amazing what a fresh pair of eyes can see, even in the same spot you’ve been searching for ten minutes!

While finding another geocacher to be your partner-in-crime might seem like the perfect scenario for a dedicated cacher, having a ‘snuggle muggle’ as your significant other is really not such a bad thing. Are you coupled up with a muggle or a geocacher, or are you still looking for the first to find your heart?

You can read more witty and adventurous articles from The Geocaching Junkie on her personal blog page: thegeocachingjunkie.com

February 1, 2017 / Andrew Baldwin

Piz Palü 3901 m.ü.M. — Geocache of the Week

Traditional: GC5B9WM; by the Schnuppels

Difficulty:: 3
Terrain:: 5

Location:: In Graubuenden (GR), Switzerland; N 46° 22.715′ E 009° 58.152′

“Thousands of tired, nerve shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home.” –John Muir

If you love extreme, you’ll love this GOTW. In Switzerland, a mountain cache sits at 3,901 m (12,800 ft). Home to 30,239 active geocaches, and more than 250 summits above 3,600 m, Switzerland is a haven for mountain caching. According to the cache owner, Piz Palü is one of the great treasures of the Alps. “You will experience here breathtaking views that you will never forget, because you have to earn it with endurance and skill. The entrance over the Pers glacier is only possible with crampons, pick axes, and ropes.” –the Schnuppels

The journey can be split up into 3 days per Cosley & Houston’s Alpine Guide.

Day 1

Start by riding the Diavolezza lift to almost 3,000 m. From here you descend to the Pers Glacier, cross this and ascend the Fortezza to the Bellavista Terraces. These are followed to the Marco e Rosa hut, 3,597 m, where you spend the night.

Day 2

From the hut you climb up first glacier, then steeper snow, and finally rock to gain the east ridge of the Spedela, a 4020 meter sub-peak of the Bernina. From here a narrow ridge crest sometimes rock, sometimes snow, leads to the airy summit. Follow the same route back to the hut to spend a second night.

Day 3

On our last day, traverse back across the Bellavista Terraces to the pass at the west end of the three summits of Piz Palü. The first summit is mostly rock. the second and third are snow, with some steep and narrow snow ridges to add spice to the adventure. After descending the large Vedret Pers glacier, climb back to the Diavolezza lift and take it back to the valley.

The descent is steep and can be dangerous. Temperatures in the region can hit -22 degrees celsius at night (uh brrr?) and the cache page says the initial ascent of the mountain is 5-6 hours — the descent about 4 hours. Geocachers are drawn to parts of the Earth like this to fight nerves and be in an environment where they feel at home. Spending three days to earn a geocache through blistering freezing temperatures, putting your faith into your pickaxe on the side of a cliff hundreds of meters in the air, and getting swept in all directions by the Apline wind is home to some. Call it crazy, call it geocaching, call it what you will, it’s all in the spirit of adventure and finding your happy place in the world.

“At 4:40 we started from the Diavolezza. Apart from the ascent on the previous day, the first day on the route was exhausting, even without the acclimation. But in the end, we had a good time on the saddle and could fill up the summit with a short break. We were able to get here without a rope, so it was no problem to quickly go to the memorial plaque. I was surprised at how wide the saddle is.

Thanks so much for the cache at this special place! This was, of course, the icing on the cake! Now I’m curious when I’ll find an even higher cache. For a while, this cache will probably remain on place 1 of my high altitude list.” –SteinbamOne 6th log entry.

The Schnuppels was the pioneer who placed this extreme cache, and only 8 others have braved the journey since 2014.

January 4, 2017 / Andrew Baldwin

The Ouzoud Waterfalls — Geocache of the Week

EarthCache: GC21VQ7; by Silvana

Difficulty:: 2
Terrain:: 2

Location:: Morocco; N 32° 00.900′ W 006° 43.181′

Waterfalls draw people in with their effulgent mist, power, and calming radiance from the sound of flowing water. The Ouzoud Waterfalls are located in the epitome of an oasis, surrounded by trees and vibrant desert life. Can you imagine the excitement of crossing the Sahara desert and stumbling upon this multi-tiered waterfall?

This EarthCache here is designed to educate you on waterfalls and their formation. The geocache page does an excellent job in explaining the different types of waterfalls and will equip you with the right information so you can enjoy a fulfilling geological adventure.

But to bring you up to speed: You’ll learn the difference between a cascade and a cataract waterfall, and how waterfalls are created. The peak of the falls reach 323 ft (98 m), and from there the water flows down several tiers of varying size. You can view the falls from both the top or from the plunge pool below. The name “Ouzoud” translates to “olive” in the ancient language of Berber, and was named that because of the plenitude of olive trees that surround the falls.

There are also a ton of monkeys!

gotw-morocco8

Take a break to take this all in.

gotw-morocco4

Here’s what geocachers had to say:

On the day before we went home, we visited the Ouzoud- waterfalls. First, we looked at this beautiful natural phenomenon from above. The the stairs down seemed endless. Both views were breathtaking! Thank you for this great Earthcache! – Trittauer translated from German

We have found this cache during our motorized one week long geotrip around Morocco. We have visited cascades d’Ouzoud, some caves and lakes and interesting and beautiful places in cities like Fes, Casablanca or Marrakech. We enjoyed our journey a lot and we definitely will come back to Morocco in the future. These waterfalls are really beautiful, it is probably the greatest place we have seen in Morocco. We liked also the meeting with monkeys and our trip through valley down the river. Thank you very much for our 6000. cache!!! Greetings from the Czech Republic. – R+D

Every EarthCache has delightful engaging facts about the geological site that you can observe first hand. Thank you Silvana for recognizing a great EarthCache and writing a very educational cache page. Go chase this waterfall if you’re in search for an amazing adventure!

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.

December 19, 2016 / Andrew Baldwin /

A new country souvenir: Romania!

Be prepared to hike mountains, take field notes on a volcanic crater, check out Europe’s largest parliament building, ward off vampires at Dracula’s famous castle, and travel back in time to the 17th century on our virtual visit to Eastern Europe.

Because our final new souvenir of the year takes you to Romania!

Aside from having Europe’s most abundant resources of gold, there is a rich and vibrant geocaching community in Romania. If you find yourself in the area, be sure to check out the local geocaching events. The community is warm and welcoming to people who travel to the country for geocaching, and are eager to share stories. You may be invited to join in on the adventure and broaden your visit by tagging along to learn more about the country and culture.

Balea Lake

GC2DYPD | by delcho | D3/T3.5 | Traditional Cache |

Visitors will fall in love with Romania’s picturesque countryside filled with landscapes of the Carpathian Mountains, steep valleys, and glacier lakes. Our first stop is in the heart of Romania at a place that even impressed hollywood superstar Jean-Claude Van Damme: GC2DYPD – Balea Lake.

The drive to the Balea Lake will bring you up winding roads that climb to 2,034 m of elevation through the Carpathian Mountains. Be prepared for the cold air that sweeps through the valleys during winter time. Though if the cold doesn’t bother you too much and you only want to escape the wind, you can always seek refuge in the nearby Ice Hotel in case of a snow storm. The cache is south west of the lake and is located at the best vantage point. While you’re in the area be sure to also check out nearby caches “A walk in the clouds” (GC1VM88) and “Dragon’s Window”(GC5CF4R ).

Nobody Home

GC1BFHH | by silentmouse | D2.5/T1.5 | Traditional Cache |

Stop by this old 17th century village in the capital city of Bucharest, but don’t bother to knock because there’s Nobody Home (after you make it through the museum entrance). The village museum is open to the public and you are welcome to poke around and imagine you are back in time — with a GPS or smart-phone of course. If you find yourself overwhelmed with joy here, know that it’s probably not by coincidence, because the city of Bucharest literally translates to “City of Joy.”

[MR] Casa Poporului

GC5FPEX | by miss_shady | D2/T1.5 | Traditional Cache |

Not too far away from GC1BFHH and the open-air village museum is Casa Poporului the second largest parliament building in the world. If you plan on doing some sight seeing through Bucharest this is a must-grab geocache. It is a small cache on the street facing the palace strategically placed for some great photo opps. However this is a major tourist attraction in the city, so be wary of muggles in the area.

Volcanic Crater in Racos

GC1QAVH | by Mioritics | D2/T2.5 | EarthCache |

Of the 51 EarthCaches in Romania the Volcanic Crater in Racos tops the list when it comes to that “wow” factor and provides a glimpse at the country’s eclectic geomorphological features. As far as geology enthusiasts go, the volcanic crater is a perfect place to study all types of slag, ash, pumice, volcanic bombs, and hardened lava.

Dracula’s Castle

GC5D8 | by Orangefizzy & Buntoro | D3/T3.5 | Traditional Cache

The Bran castle is better known as Dracula’s castle in Transylvania, and has the most favorite points of any geocache in Romania. The former abode of Vlad the Impaler attracts over countless visitors each year. If you take the tour, you will see the vampire theme played out in the castle: coffins, red colored drapes, and melted wax candles. Bran castle is open to the public year-round and you can stay in the castle overnight on Halloween.

This legendary castle also has a legendary geocache. On April 1, 2001, Team Romania placed the country’s first official geocache at this location. The castle is an international icon and surrounded by mountains, giving it the perfect conditions for a geocache. The contents of the cache consists of mainly of toys and games, but also includes a few essential vampire deterrents, including a mirror, a Croatian pre-paid phone card with a photo of the Pope on it, and a large pencil that could be used as a wooden stake in an emergency. The cache container is a rectangular plastic tupperware container with a green lid. According to the cache page there are three different ways to grab this cache depending on how you would like to get there.

Romania is home to 3,221 geocaches and a strong community. Whether you are visiting the capital city of Bucharest or sight-seeing in the rural regions of the Romania, you will have a geocaching adventure you won’t forget!

La revedere!
(Good-Bye)

December 7, 2016 / Andrew Baldwin /

Via des Echelles de la Mort (GC32NMB):—Geocache of the Week

Traditional: GC32NMB; by Sansecousse

Difficulty:: 2
Terrain:: 5

Location:: Franche-Comté, France; N 47° 11.165′ E 006° 52.276

gotw-france8

What is Geocaching without adventure, risk-taking, thrill, and a challenge to overcome? GC32NMB encompasses every one of those elements, and has its own movie trailer. Be prepared to cross narrow monkey bridges that sway over 100 meters of open air, scale rugged rock faces, and climb what the locals refer to as des Echelles de la Mort: the ladders of death. After signing the log-book, zip line your way through the Doub Gorges in the Franch-Comté region of France to cap off this epic journey.

gotw-france

The howling winds that sweep through the gorges have led the locals to refer to the area as “Death Valley.” Contrary to the name, the region is robust with flowers, colorful meadows, sparkling lakes, and the foothills of the Jura Mountains. The beauty of the Franch-Comté draws a lot of attention and becomes an oasis in the summer time, when other parts of France become dry.

gotw-france20

gotw-france16

gotw-france1

The T5 thrill seekers come to this area to feel alive and experience the adrenaline. The first stage of obstacles include ladders, originally made of wood and used by smugglers in the 18th century to pass over the Swiss border. Today, in place are safer ladders that are reinforced, and hooks in the side of the rock face to help you traverse en cours to the geocache.

gotw-france5

Just when you thought you were on solid ground, the wobbly monkey bridge and shaky nerves approach. Harness your inner grit to pass the daunting bridge and grab the cache that lies just ahead. The real challenge is simply getting to ground zero and overcoming that ‘stomach in your throat’ feeling along the route.

gotw-france12

“After a good vertical climb and adrenaline to the max . . . I agree our first T5 was a hand trembling experience, and a lot of effort,” say CEPITIFLI, creators of the video linked above.

gotw-france14 — Can you imagine crossing this in the winter time? There are a few brave souls who went after this T5 in the snow!

gotw-france2

From here you can choose between hiking back, head over another bridge, or going a bit further and taking a zip line across the valley. Don’t forget to BYOP (bring your own pulley), or rent a pulley nearby to add to the adventure. The area is regularly maintained by the land offices of la via ferrata des échelles de la mort.

gotw-france15 gotw-france17

Thank you for all the great pictures for those who have visited, and thank you Sansecousse et Gountard for recognizing this brilliant area and maintaining the geocache.