There are many types of geocachers: casual, hardcore, stealthy, adventurous—the list goes on and on. The real question becomes, with so many different types of geocachers, how do you capture their attention and draw them to your geocache? We’ve given tips and ideas for creating great geocaches in past blog posts. In fact, Geocache of the Week is written to inspire quality geocaches. The creators of How To Build a Better…(GC29F60) solved the problem head-on: if you want to capture a geocacher’s attention, why not just go for the whole geocacher?

In the geocache description, the geocache creators FarmBoy&theTeacher recalled their tale of inspiration, “Awhile back we saw a picture of a unique type of cache hide and it got us thinking about the age old question: ‘How to build a better one’. Well, the ideas came and went and after much pondering we put together a plan. Then it was time to start building so we headed for the shop. Sawdust soon filled the air as the wood was cut. The steel was bent and twisted with the utmost precision. A shiny new coat of paint finished the project.”

This difficuly 1, terrain 2 geocache has not only captured many geocachers, but also their favorite points. You can see from all of the positive logs that the geocachers don’t seem to mind being “caught.” Geocacher ArBec said, “Very proud to name this one as our 100th find!!!! After only a few months of doing this, we’re on a role!! LOVED this geocache. Had heard so much about it that we had to check it out for ourselves. Probably the coolest geocache we’ve come across yet!!”

So far, this geocache has been found over 300 times and has earned over 115 favorite points. Another geocacher who has earned their smiley is yeahYOu, who said, “Very cool. I can see why this is a favorite cache. The kids loved this one. Took pictures. Its caches like these that inspire great ideas.”

This geocache was inspired by other geocaches. What inspires your geocache hides? Tell us in the comments.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching 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@geocaching.com.

Mallorca (or if you prefer, Majorca), Spain is a popular vacation spot for people around the world—especially geocachers. This island in the Mediterranean has many top-notch geocaches with tons of favorite points. It’s also home to amazing beaches, warm weather, and the Geocache of the Week, Es Pontàs (GC20APF).

If your summer vacation includes a trip to the island, a stop at this difficulty 1, terrain 1.5 Earthcache is a must. Es Pontàs (the Earthcache) was placed by geocacher Thoto, who says, “To be honest I discovered the arch by accident some years ago…I love earthcaches and therefore I am always at least a little bit looking for possibilities to create new earthcaches. So seeing this beautiful arch creating an EarthCache was a must.” The actual arch was formed by natural processes over many years by water erosion.

Some of you may already recognize Es Pontàs. Aside from the Earthcache and a traditional geocache located on top, this natural arch is home to the most difficult deep-water solo (psicobloc) climb in the world. It can be seen being climbed by world-renowned rock climber Chris Sharma in the video below. For those of us who aren’t super-human climbers, there are easier routes to the top.

The geocachers who have earned their smiley at this spot have had great things to say and have left many favorite points. Geocacher meranCache said, “Majorca is an amazing Island with a lot of fantastic places to discover and 90% of the caches are worth paying a visit. I found beautiful hides on interesting places, in fantastic caves and on amazing beaches and bays with crystalline water.” Another geocacher, SaarFuchs, said “I really like geocaching when I spend my holidays in a foreign country, because geocaching is a quite cool tourist guide…Thanks for showing us this place – a really amazing arch! Thanks a lot for creating this cache and we send greetings to the owner.” Thoto, the geocache creator says, “I am happy about every positive log and favorite point I “earn”. I highly appreciate the feedback I get from the community for my contribution to the game. This makes me proud.”

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-5IWojf3Cno”]
With summer in full-swing (for the northern hemisphere), trips to tropical locations are on the horizon for many geocachers. What’s your ultimate summer vacation destination for geocaching? Tell us in the comments.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching 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@geocaching.com.

Throughout the world, many people have heard the tale of Robin Hood. In case you haven’t, here’s a quick recap: an expert archer and his gang of merry men live in the forest, steal from the rich and give to the poor. There have been many movies made and even more books written about him. However, for this week’s Geocache of the Week, we’re going to get to know a man who is sometimes known as the “German Robin Hood”, Schinderhannes. In fact, you’ll even come face-to-face with this German literary hero when you earn your smiley for (the aptly named) Schinderhannes (GC23VXF).

To find this difficulty 1, terrain 2.5 geocache, you’ll have to travel deep into the Hunsrück mountains in the Rhineland. This is the area that Schinderhannes and his gang were known to hide out. While he is now known as a literary hero, this wasn’t always the case. Before his death, he was merely known as a criminal. It wasn’t until afterwards that incredible tales of his life emerged and he became known as a gentleman thief and helper of the poor. These tales became more widely known with the 1927 premier of Carl Zuckermayer’s play Schinderhannes.

While the story is interesting, the actual craftsmanship that went into the container is where this geocache shines. One look at one of the more than 2,200 logs and you’ll see why this geocache have over 1,200 Favorite Points. Geocacher BenTien says, “what a cache !!! Really amazing – never seen something like this. It must have been a lot of work to create this one, and get it here to this beautiful location. Definitely one of my top favorite caches, so another well deserved FP.” “Extremely good cache. I will gladly share a FP on this one. One of the best caches on the whole week,” said geocacher camdan.

You can tell from the photos of the installation, this geocache is the product of several geocachers coming together to create something amazing. If you’re looking to collaborate with other geocachers—on hides or finds—be sure to check out the Geocaching event calendar and our new “Events and Groups” tab on the Geocaching Facebook page. Have you ever worked together with your local geocaching community to create a geocache, solve a tough puzzle ‘cache or host an event? Tell us about it in the comments.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching 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@geocaching.com.