Author: Eric Schudiske

/ Eric Schudiske /

7 Souvenirs of August Achieved

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We always knew you were an Achiever. Thanks for proving us right.

This August, we challenged you to explore more of the geocaching universe by unlocking the 7 Souvenirs of August. The results are now in and it’s official: geocachers are not just Achievers—they are Over-Achievers.

Want proof? Check out 7 Souvenirs of August in numbers:

  • 555,000 geocachers earned the Explorer souvenir. That means 100,000 more geocachers logged a Traditional geocache in August 2014 than in August 2013.

  • 160,000 geocachers found a Multi-Cache to earn the Sightseer souvenir.

  • Nearly 150,000 geocachers earned the Puzzler souvenir by logging a Mystery Cache.

  • Over 85,000 geocachers earned the Socializer souvenir. The number of geocachers who attended an Event Cache more than doubled from August 2013.

  • Over 100,000 geocachers unlocked the Nature Lover souvenir. This doubled the number of geocachers who found an Earth Cache and quadrupled the number who attended a CITO event.

  • More than 100,000 geocachers found a Letterbox Hybrid, Virtual, Webcam or Whereigo to earn the Collector souvenir.

That’s not all. A whopping 69,550 geocachers around the world earned all six souvenirs to become Geocaching Achievers. Not too shabby.

With each new Found It log, geocachers unlocked more than a souvenir. They unlocked a new adventure, a new discovery and a new memory to share with friends and family.

Want to relive the 7 Souvenirs of August? Watch 15 seconds of #7SofA geocaching through the lens of geocachers like you:

Did you find your first Earth Cache? Mystery Cache? Make a new friend? Tell us about your favorite adventure from 7 Souvenirs of August in the comments below.

 7SofA POP6
/ Eric Schudiske /

1,000,000 Reasons to Get Outside Now Hidden Throughout the U.S.

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Each square represents a cluster of geocaches

A milestone 14-years in the making reached yesterday at 7:45 am as the millionth geocache was published in the U.S.

1,000,000 reasons for Americans to get off the couch and explore their neighborhoods are waiting to be discovered and some are likely within walking distance. Geocaching.com launched in 2000, listing just 75 hidden geocaches. As of 7:45 am EST on Sunday, September 14, the 1,000,000th active geocache in the U.S. was published on Geocaching.com. The 1,000,000th active geocache is called Daddy’s Fishing Hole, located near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

As of 9:00 am PCT on Monday, September 15, the 1,000,000th geocache has only been found only three times. To celebrate the 1,000,000th active geocache in the United States, the staff at Geocaching.com named the top 8 most amazing geocaches for beginners in the U.S.

The 8 Most Amazing Geocaches for Beginners in the U.S.

  • Just outside Milwaukee, WI, adventure-seekers will have a little extra help from some geocaching chickens.

  • Geocachers in Hershey, PA will be able to channel their inner Indiana Jones with this adventure.

  • Visitors to Fremont, CA, will learn the best way to catch a geocacher (and it might just involve a giant mouse trap).

  • Follow the yellow brick road to this geocache in Saratoga, Springs, NY.

  • Unlock a 1890’s history lesson involving Moon Towers in Austin, TX.

  • Visitors to Blackshear, GA can discover a newspaper box that’s out of the ordinary.

  • Stop by Denver, CO to find a geocache that’s a puzzle and a fashion statement.

  • One AA battery is all new geocachers in Seattle, WA need to unlock this geocache.

Geocaching events will be held near each of the sites the weekend of the September 20 to cheer on the 1,000,000th geocache and welcome new geocachers to the adventure. Expert geocachers will attend each of the geocaching events to guide new people through the free adventure. They’ll also give insider tips and tricks, and help find the geocache. New geocachers should register for the events and anyone can find a geocache near them now.

There are more than 6,000 hidden geocaches in Alaska alone
There are more than 6,000 hidden geocaches in Alaska alone
More than 2,000 hidden geocaches are waiting to be found across Hawaii
More than 2,000 hidden geocaches are waiting to be found across Hawaii

 

Geocaches can be found in all 50 US states

 

  • California holds the record for the state with the most active geocaches, boasting more than 130,000 hidden geocaches.

  • The oldest active geocache in the U.S.. published in May of 2000, is located in Mingo, Kansas.

  • Texas A&M just published an independent, CDC-funded study on the health benefits of geocaching.

  • Geocachers occasionally arrange their geocache hides in the form of county-sized art.

  • Nearly 11 million people have registered for accounts on Geocaching.com since 2000.

  • Germany is second to the U.S. in active geocaches with 325,000.

  • There are currently 2,487,221 active geocaches hidden around the world – in 2013 alone geocachers were found 75,453,001 times.

finding a geocache 2
Geocaching is increasingly popular with families

 

Geocache containers can look like almost anything... they should never be buried and should always be clearly labeled.
Geocache containers can look like almost anything… they should never be buried and should always be clearly labeled.
Most people in the U.S. walk or drive by dozens of hidden geocaches nearly every day
Most people in the U.S. walk or drive by dozens of hidden geocaches nearly every day

 

 Congratulate the 1,000,000th geocache owners in comments below!

 

 

 

 

 

/ Eric Schudiske /

Your Next Souvenir Reveals Mysteries of the Earth

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Earn a Souvenir on International EarthCache Day

Is your calendar handy? Circle October 12, put a smiley on it, and write, “We’re finding an EarthCache.” It’s International EarthCache Day, the first Sunday of Earth Science Week and it’s your chance to join the global geocaching community in discovering a unique geocaching experience. Each person who logs a “Found it” for an EarthCache on Sunday, October 12, receives a new digital souvenir for their Geocaching profile. The souvenir will only be available on October 12, so start planning now.

EarthCaches take geocachers to a special geological location. You might discover a giant boulder left by a glacier thousands of years ago or stumble upon seams in the earth carved by the Earth’s tectonic plates. There’s no physical container to find with an EarthCache. Questions about the geological site are posed on the EarthCache’s page. You discover the answers, email the owner of the geocache with those answers, log a Found it, write a fun log of your experience and and you’re off to your next EarthCache!

Share your International EarthCache Day experiences on the Geocaching Facebook page, and if you’re in the neighborhood, explore the 3rd Annual International EarthCache Event on Vancouver Island, Canada.

“The Giant’s Causeway Earthcache” GCPCPX 

“The Pinnacles” EarthCache in Malaysia (GC19A54)
Earn this souvenir by logging an EarthCache on October 12
Earn this souvenir by logging an EarthCache on October 12

 

/ Eric Schudiske /

Join Michelin’s Quest for Adventure

 

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You Could Win a Set of MICHELIN® Tires and a Grand Prize Trip!

Michelin—the world’s top tire manufacturer— is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a nationwide adventure quest to find the tire maker’s beloved mascot– the Michelin Man.

Here’s how it works:

1. Request & Hide a Trackable
Request a free Michelin Man tire pressure trackable (while supplies last) and hit the open road to stash your Michelin Man inside a geocache in the U.S.  Activate the trackable and share a photo on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the campaign #MichelinQuest tag.

UPDATE:  The Michelin trackables sold out quickly and are all spoken for — but you can still participate, see the next step!

MIchelin Man
Michelin Man

2. Find a Michelin Man Trackable
Didn’t receive a free Michelin Man Geocaching trackable?  You can still participate! Check out the latest whereabouts of the Michelin Man, fire up your Geocaching app and set out!

Find a Michelin Man trackable and record your discovery with a picture that really stands out. Next, log your geocache and share your photo on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the #MichelinQuest tag!

Be sure your social media account is unprotected or your photo is shared publically, or we won’t be able to see your photo.

3. New Tires and a Grand Prize Vacation

The 10 best photos will win a set of MICHELIN® tires.  Those photos will be shared on @MichelinUSA official Facebook page where the photo that earns the most likes will win a grand prize vacation!

The grand prize winner will choose between two incredible experiences. The first is a fine dining experience at an exclusive gala to celebrate the release of the 2015 MICHELIN Red Guide in New York City, San Francisco or Chicago. The MICHELIN Red Guide has been the gold standard in fine dining since 1900. The second option is to attend one of the inaugural Formula E races in Miami or Los Angeles. The Formula E series is the world’s first fully-electric racing series.

Contest Dates

Contest will run from Sept. 8, 2014, until Dec. 31, 2014, 11:59:59pm (ET).

The “Michelin Quest for Adventure” anniversary geocaching contest is solely sponsored by Michelin North America, Inc., NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States who are 18 years and older at time of entry. Contest runs from Sept. 8 to Dec. 31, 2014. Void where prohibited. For details and restrictions, see the Official Contest Rules on the website: http://michelin.geocaching.com.

/ Eric Schudiske

Go from 0 to Geocaching Hero

 

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What’s Your Geocaching Friend-o-meter Read?

Check out your fancy Geocaching Refer-a-Friend page.  It’s your tool to introduce friends to the adventure of geocaching. The custom link is yours, and yours alone to share however you’d like: paste it, post it, email it, whatever. When friends click on the link, you’ll deliver them to this friendly welcome page. They’ll see a nearby map, a “What is Geocaching?” video, and a link to a create a free Geocaching account. You’ll see that string of zeros on your Refer-a-Friend page start to climb.Each tick up from zero is another person you’ve brought into a world of adventure, a friend to join your geocaching outings, and someone who finally understands you when you say you “Got an FTF* on a D5** and filled out your Fizzy Grid”. Invite your friends now and go geocaching.

*First to Find
** Difficulty 5