Author: Adela B

/ Adela B

Table Mountain Travel Bug® Hotel – GC31WXR – GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – September 17, 2012

A very organized TB Hotel

Trackable Week highlights a Travel Bug® haven where TBs check-in and check-out with ease. You can find an outstanding example of one of these locations in South Africa. The Travel Bug Hotel is sure to take your geocaching adventures to new heights. Table Mountain Travel Bug Hotel (GC31WXR) in Cape Town is the cache to log, drop off, and retrieve Travel Bugs from all over the world.

You might even see a local

Located on top of the city’s iconic mountain, the difficulty 1, terrain 1 traditional cache is quite the attraction. Geocachers can hike up the mountain or take a cable car to get to the hidden treasure. Not only is this a safe and secure cache that requires a code to be opened, it also comes with an incredible view.

Visited by millions of tourists each year, this ancient mountain has also attracted nearly 250 geocachers to summit for a chance to look for the cache. Treasure hunters from 33 different countries awarded this creative and well-organized treasure 55 Favorite Points in just one year.

Checking in

The cache page provides fun facts about the location, but the logs and pictures submitted by geocachers describe incredible experiences.

CapeDoc was inspired to create a cache on Table Mountain when he visited this area not too long ago. He says, “I noticed the amazing international blend of people on the top of the mountain. It struck me that it would be a great place for a Travel Bug hotel. The cache fits my philosophy: good listing + interesting hide + awesome location = great cache.”

Geocachers who logged this cache agree. One cacher writes, “A very nice TB hotel with lots of travelers waiting to be taken to their respective destinations. With this being such a popular tourist destination, I’m sure this one will become one of the most visited caches in SA. TFTC!”

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. 

View from the mountain
/ Adela B /

3 Tips for New Geocachers – Geocaching.com Weekly Newsletter

3 Quick Tips for Successful Geocaching

Perfecting your geocaching treasure-hunting technique takes practice. The best kind of practice is simply to geocache more. Here are 3 quick tips that can help add more joy to geocaching for new cachers and those who have a few finds under their belts.

1) Set Yourself up for Success — Start your first geocaching adventure looking for difficulty 1, terrain 1 geocaches. Check the logs to make sure the geocache has been found recently. This will let you know the geocache will be in place. Search for a “regular” or larger geocache that has at least a few Favorite Points.

2) Know Your Cache Containers — Geocaches are often cleverly hidden. They might be camouflaged to look like a rock or to blend into the environment. Check out this video to see 5 Geocaches in 30 Seconds. If you’re still stumped while looking for a geocache, check out the recent logs and the hint. As a last resort, you can email the cache owner for an additional hint.

3) Find a Geocaching Friend — Geocachers love to share the location-based adventure. Attend a local geocaching event to meet other geocachers. They’ll be glad to help with any questions and offer a wealth of knowledge into geocaching around your region.

Once you’ve found your first geocache, make sure to write a log thanking the cache owner and detailing your adventure. You might even spice up your log with some geocaching lingo like TFTC (Thanks for the Cache) or TNLN (Took Nothing Left Nothing). You’ll be a geocaching pro in no time. Check out the benefits of Premium Membership to really kick your geocaching adventure into high gear.

Trackable Week 2012

Join your fellow geocachers in celebrating all things Trackable on the official Geocaching.com blog from Sept 17th through the 23rd. How far has the furthest active Trackable traveled? Who’s the 14-year-old that has moved more than 25,000 Trackables (so far)? And who do you think will win the Great 2013 Geocaching Block Party Travel Bug Race? Watch the official Geocaching.com blog for the answers to these questions and more about trackable Geocoins, Travel Bugs® and Promotional Trackables. You’ll be able to share your favorite Trackable stories for a chance to win a rare and coveted Geocoin.

During Trackable Week 2012, special discounts on Trackables and limited time special offers will be available through Shop Geocaching and Shop Geocaching Participating Vendors around the world.

/ Adela B /

Announcing the August Featured Geocacher of the Month

We started honoring geocachers for their great hides, amazing spirit, and contribution to the geocaching community exactly one year ago. Nominations continue to come in from all corners of the world to recognize the young and the old, the cool and the geeky, and everyone in between who has made a mark on their community.

This month’s featured Geocacher of the Month is described by her community as caring, dedicated, and helpful.

August Featured Geocacher of the Month, whbaisden

Congratulations to Wendy, a.k.a. whbaisden for being named August’s Featured Geocacher of the Month!

Wendy is recognized for helping to organize the Hatfield and McCoy GeoTrail Kickoff Event scheduled to launch for September 1st. The GeoTrail cuts through Kentucky and West Virginia in the United States. Wendy has also been a strong advocate for her community since she launched on her first geocaching adventure in 2010, and she has no intention of slowing down.

A geocacher casting a vote says, “In the very short time she [Wendy] has been involved with geocaching, she has managed to instill in any number of people the joy of geocaching. She has managed to get multiple city governments and chambers of commerce aligned behind what has turned out to be a major event, possibly even a Mega-Event. Nothing in her previous geocaching experience has prepared her for this massive undertaking, but she has not wavered in her determination to succeed, nor has she been stopped by any obstacle. I think she had done a truly remarkable job and is worthy of recognition. It is for these reasons that I am throwing my support to Wendy.”

whbaisden 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 August 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: Please include your name, the name of your nominee, their username, at least one picture of the nominee and description (in 500 or fewer 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 September featured Geocacher of the Month must be received by the end of the day on Monday, September 10th.

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.

/ Adela B /

What the CLUCK? – GC3K9TV – GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – September 3, 2012

The cache hunt starts with the chicken statue

So, why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the Geocache of the Week, of course!

What the CLUCK? (GC3K9TV) is a difficulty 1.5, terrain 1.5 traditional cache located just outside of Newburg, Wisconsin.

Inspired by a 10-year-old geocacher who raises chickens for 4-H – a youth development organization, the cache quickly became a favorite among local cachers since it was created in May.

Cache owner Stewzoo1 explains, “When you first drive up, the statue of the chicken is on opposite side of the road. You go to it thinking that it is the cache but soon learn it isn’t. When you turn around, you get a clear shot of the cache box across the street.  This still is not the cache, but a container holding cups of chicken treats (there is a note inside the box saying that this is to keep the natives happy and they still must find the log container). The container is located around the corner at the front of the coop. They must walk around, feeding the chickens in order to get to the cache.”

The chickens now love it when geocachers visit, because they know that they’re going to get fed every time a car pulls up.

Chickens on a mission to get their treats

With 42 logged visits and 25 Favorite Points over a course of three months, this cache gives local geocachers something to talk about. In fact, What the CLUCK? made for quite the conversation at the West Bend $1000 Cache Ba$h 2012 Mega-Event.

One geocacher who logged this creative find says, “Instant favorite point! This cache made me smile. I was like, ‘OMG, they’re real!’ And then we had fun laughing at the crazy sounds some of them made, and feeding them, and then looking at all the different varieties. Thanks for introducing cachers to your chickens and chickens to the geocachers… I imagine they probably have similar conversations as us, like ‘Look at that silly cacher with the hat and sunglasses!’ haha TFTC!”

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

Keeping the natives happy
/ Adela B /

The Moeraki Boulders (North Otago) – GC124MY – GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – August 27, 2012

The Moeraki Boulders

The Geocache of the Week takes us to a striking location. The New Zealand beach looks like a scene from a science fiction movie.

The Moeraki Boulders (North Otago) (GC124MY) is a difficulty one, terrain two EarthCache located just south of Oamaru, New Zealand.

Local Maori legend has it that the boulders are the remains of eel baskets, kumara (sweet potato), and calabashes (a long, squash-like melon grown on a vine) that washed ashore from the wreck of a large sailing canoe hundreds of years ago.

Scientists explain that the boulders were formed over the course of millions of years by a layering process similar to the formation of oyster pearls. The seabed was lifted to form coastal cliffs that have eroded over time causing the boulders to tumble onto the beach.

boulder with septaria cracks
The boulders are impossible to miss. Some are up to four meters (13 feet) in circumference and egg shaped.

Since the creation of the cache by tomsqrd in 2007, nearly 200 geocachers have logged a visit to this magnificent attraction, awarded it 30 Favorite Points, and shared an incredible 436 images.

One geocacher logging a visit writes, “What a great location to come to and explore! Really enjoyed the walk on the beach. It is quite amazing how spherical the concretions are. Thanks for an added reason to stop on my drive south!”

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

From one boulder to another