Author: Adela B

/ Adela B /

October Featured Geocacher of the Month Nominees – Add Your Comments

If you’ve logged a fun, creative or challenging geocache, and said ‘thank you’ to the cache owner – you may already know some of our October Geocacher of the Month nominees.

Grounspeak Lackeys selected these three nominees because of their creativity, effort, and dedication to provide fellow geocachers with cache hides that are sure to get the entire community raving. All three nominees this month deliver powerful geocaching experiences through creative hides.

September Geocacher of the Month, SpongeBob CachePants

Now it’s your turn to help select one of them as the Featured Geocacher of the Month for October.

Write a comment at the bottom of this blog about which of these geocachers you feel should be crowned The Featured Geocacher of the Month.Last month, Stuart, a.k.a. SpongeBob CachePants took the title of September Featured Geocacher of the Month. SpongeBob CachePants was recognized for for his ability to influence and encourage geocachers around him, and for his commitment to providing quality geocaches for his community. SpongeBob CachePants is also praised for his work on the Hatfield McCoy GeoTrail Kickoff Event – a small community event that quickly became a Mega-Event.

Here are your nominees for the October Featured Geocacher of the Month. Some testimonials have been edited for length.

firedog09us

firedog09us

Sherry Adams writes, “Mike, a.k.a. firedog09us has spent 27 years as a career firefighter. In his spare time, which he doesn’t have much of, he enjoys geocaching. He has introduced quite a few of his friends to this also. But what is really special about Mike’s geocaching is his hides. He has some of the coolest and most creative caches in Northeast Alabama. He puts a lot of time, effort and creativity into these hides and it shows. Almost everyone that visits one will comment on how fun, unique and clever they are.”

 

 

 

TeamAstro

TeamAstro

Nominated by duncast, John, a.k.a. TeamAstro “is a prolific finder and hider of caches, and an iconic cacher from South Australia. Very approachable and friendly, his eagerness to help out the new, and frankly give a piece of his mind on other’s caches is greatly respected in the South Australian community. Astro’s Solar System series of caches is an outstanding achievement. It is a series of caches being progressively released across Australia from Adelaide that create the worlds largest scale model of the Solar System. Astro is also the proud owner of the most popular cache in SA based on Favorite Points. Astro La Vista, Baby!”

 

 

 

Yowza-PA

Yowza-PA

Brandon.helm11 explains, “Whether it’s a Christmas tree, using eleven empty micro cache containers as ornaments and the twelfth as the log, or by honoring a small town by preserving local history by sharing his locations with other cachers and writing up a wonderful and informative description about each hide, Gene, a.k.a. Yowza-PA has inspired me to be creative in my own hides. Yowza-PA has also been a great advocate for this wonderful game offering tips, tricks, and techniques to others and making the experience more memorable for all of us who know his unforgettable hides.”

 

 

 

 

Comment below to tell us who you think should be the featured October Geocacher of the Month. A panel of Lackeys will use your comments to help decide which geocacher is awarded the honor. Each featured Geocacher of the Month will receive an exclusive special edition featured Geocacher of the Month Geocoin, along with a Geocacher of the Month hat, a Geocacher of the Month profile icon, and a certificate acknowledging their contributions signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com. We will be accepting comments for October’s award through Sunday, October 21st.

Those whose nominees were not recognized here are encouraged to submit their nominations again next month. If you know an outstanding geocacher you would like to nominate to be a featured Geocacher of the Month, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@groundspeak.com and include the following information: 

  • Your name, the name of your nominee, their username
  • A picture of the nominee
  • Description (200 or more words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Geocacher of the Month.
  • Please inform your nominee that you’ve submitted them for the award.

Nominations for the November Geocacher of the Month must be received by Monday, November 5th.

Once we have received all of the nominations, we will choose the top candidates and post them on the blog. You will then get a chance to champion your favorite. Our goal is to involve the entire geocaching community in this process so we might learn from each other.

/ Adela B /

The Aare Gorge | Aareschlucht | Gorges de l’Aar – GC1YH51 – GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – October 11, 2012

Crossing the board walk

Each Geocache of the Week takes us around the globe and sneaks us a peek at a geocaching adventure that we may otherwise never explore. The Aare Gorge | Aareschlucht | Gorges de l’Aar (GC1YH51) EarthCache in Switzerland delivers on adventure – big time.

Located between the villages of Meiringen and Innertkirchen, the river Aare is also home to an EarthCache that’s been around since September 2009. Geocachers can explore the beauty of a 1,400 meter (4,593 feet)  long and 180 meter (590 feet) deep gorge.

The gorge has been accessible for more than 100 years by safe paths and tunnels. Walking through the gorge is a unique way to experience raw nature. Gigantic rocks, consisting mainly of ancient hard limestone and the river’s light green colors mesmerize nature lovers and geocachers alike.

Exploring the path over the river

Since ernies set up this EarthCache three years ago, nearly 300 geocachers have logged a smiley, shared an incredible 1,149 images, and awarded it 48 Favorite Points.

One geocacher who logged this EarthCache writes, “It’s unbelievable what mother nature has created. We saw the quieter side of the gorge. The water was almost still, the rocks so tall and intimidating. What an incredible experience. We would have never visited this place if it weren’t for this cache. Thank you ernies for bringing us to this amazing place.”

International EarthCache Day logo

There are nearly 15,000 active EarthCaches. At least one can be found on every continent. Since 2004, EarthCaches have taken us on educational adventures that you may otherwise never have learned. Sunday, October 14, 2012 marks the 6th annual International EarthCache Day. We invite you to go out and explore the world by visiting an EarthCache site. For more information about EarthCaches, check out the Geocaching.com Presents – EarthCaches video or visit the Geological Society of America (GSA).

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.

Cloud over Aare river
/ Adela B /

And the winner of the Trackable Week Story contest is…

Geocachers shared Trackable tales of adventures, challenges, and friendships. After careful consideration and deliberation, we are pleased to announce Log Dawgs as the Trackable Week Trackable story winner!

Log Dawgs shared a story about his encounter(s) with “one of the greatest pieces of geocaching local lore”: LostGuys’ FTF Trophy (TBHYTP). The FTF Trophy is a Trackable with the special mission “to be found by the champion first to finders in the Houston Area and be displayed proudly for a short time on their mantle.”

As a token of appreciation for sharing this great story, Log Dawgs will receive the newest Moun10bike Geocoin. LostGuys will also receive a Lackey Geocoin for creating such an inspiring Trackable!

Congratulations also to our two Honorable Mentions: Northwing65 and HoustonControl. Their stories show us how Trackables can intertwine with family, baseball, and the armed forces!

Visit the Trackable Week 2012 Trackable story contest page to read all the entries.

LostGuys’ FTF Trophy (TBHYTP) in all its glory.
/ Adela B /

Liebesbrücke – GC2EJCE – GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – OCTOBER 4, 2012

Love bridge lock

Love locks are a romantic symbol of true love: Walk across a bridge with your sweetheart, affix a lock scrawled with your names to the structure, and then toss the key into the river below.

This tradition is said to have originated in Italy many years ago, but few bridges are as popular or as decorated with love locks as the Hohenzollern bridge in Cologne (Köln), Germany. Situated on the Liebesbrücke (GC2EJCE), or “love bridge,” geocachers have fallen in love with this difficulty 3, terrain 1.5 micro Geocache of the Week.

Fascinated by the thousands of love locks that are legally placed to add a little glitter to a bridge that is otherwise gritty and dull, Huelva decided to add a love lock for all Premium Member geocachers who love the hobby.

One geocacher writes, “I find that many premium-only caches tend to be especially creative and very unique. This one falls nothing short of that. It was almost freaky how many locks there are to be found. This was a clever hide and it blends in quite nicely with the rest of the love locks. Lots of locks, lots of love. What a wonderful idea!”

Love bridge logbook

More than 3,200 geocachers have logged a “Found it” and awarded it nearly 730 Favorite Points. With Geocaching.com’s request, Huelva has agreed to temporarily grant access to basic members for an opportunity to view and find this popular geocache.

For more information on Geocaching Premium features, such as Premium Caches, please visit Geocaching.com/Premium.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com

The search is on
/ Adela B /

Announcing the September Featured Geocacher of the Month

You voted and we counted. And counted. And counted. Congratulations to Stuart, a.k.a. SpongeBob CachePants for pulling in a strong 106 votes to be named September’s Featured Geocacher of the Month.

September Featured Geocacher of the Month, SpongeBob CachePants

SpongeBob CachePants is recognized for his ability to influence and encourage geocachers around him, and for his commitment to providing quality geocaches for his community. SpongeBob CachePants is also praised for his work on the Hatfield McCoy GeoTrail Kickoff Event – a small community event that quickly became a Mega-Event.

One geocacher casting a vote put it, “SpongeBob CachePants gets my vote. He has done a lot for the geocaching community and his local community. His efforts in the Hatfield McCoy GeoTrail was a stellar. He brought his caching experience to help create a combination of history and locations to bring cachers together from all over the country. Not only did he recognize cachers when they attended the events, but he also sent personal e-mails to most attendees acknowledging their will attends. Now that is attention to detail.”

SpongeBob CachePants will receive a collector’s edition Featured Geocacher of the Month Geocoin, along with a Geocacher of the Month hat and certificate acknowledging his contributions signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com.

Featured Geocacher of the Month Icon

Thank you to the fellow September nominees and all those who supported them. The nominees not chosen as Featured Geocacher of the Month will receive a gift of appreciation from Groundspeak. See a list of all the featured Geocachers of the Month here.

The geocaching community is encouraged to re-nominate those who have yet to be honored as featured Geocacher of the Month. If you know an outstanding geocacher who should be considered for the honor, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@groundspeak.com. Every nomination must meet the following requirements:

  • Your name, the name of your nominee, their username
  • A picture of the nominee
  • Description (200 or more words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Geocacher of the Month.
  • Please inform your nominee that you’ve submitted them for the award.

Nominations for the October Featured Geocacher of the Month must be received by the end of the day on Sunday, October 7th.

Once we have received all of the nominations, we will choose the top three candidates and post them on the Latitude 47 blog. You will then get a chance to champion your favorite. Our goal is to involve the entire geocaching community in this process so we might learn from each other.