Author: Eric Schudiske

/ Eric Schudiske /

The Fastest 15 Minutes in Geocaching: WWFM

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World Wide Flash Mob – The Spice of Geocaching Life

It’s your time to bask in the geocaching limelight, with fellow geocachers from around the world, for 15 fast minutes. Join one of hundreds of Geocaching World Wide Flash Mob events on June 7, 2014. The WWFM events are Geocaching Event Caches on fast-forward. They’re 15 minutes of fun and excitement, packed with “typical” geocaching event activities like group photos, event meals, prize giveaways and trading trackables.

Hurry up, time is running out to host a WWFM of your own. Events must be published two weeks prior to the event date and your local geocaching community volunteer reviewer will need time to review and publish your event. All those logging an “Attended” for a WWFM event receive a commemorative digital souvenir for their geocaching profile.

Last year, more than 25,000 geocachers attended one of more than 550 geocaching flash mob events in 42 countries spanning the globe. Discover information on attending the eleventh WWFM event this year on the official WWFM website.

From a small beginning in 2007, the WWFM has grown astronomically, spreading around the world to include more geocachers and more events every year. The WWFM events are 15 minutes of fun and excitement, packed with “typical” geocaching event activities like group photos, event meals (usually Hershey’s kisses), prize giveaways and trackable trading.

Check out the pictures below for a look at what you could experience at a WWFM near you! 

WWFM X San Diego
A WWFM X in the United States
A WWFM X in the Czech Republic
A WWFM X in Germany
A WWFM X in France
A WWFM X in Denmark

/ Eric Schudiske /

Help This Blog Post Help You Geocache

 

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There’s No Place Like Home (Coordinates)

 

If you’re seeing new nearby geocaches and nearby Event Caches listed in your weekly installment of the Geocaching Newsletter, you’re already a geocaching mastermind. You know that by pinpointing your location in your profile, the weekly newsletter becomes your personal geocaching assistant. If you’re not seeing new nearby geocaches or Event Caches, simply go to the Manage Location page and move the arrow to a nearby location or type in your home address. This will enter your “Home Coordinates.”

Each week Geocaching HQ will serve up the newest geocaches around your location. We’ll also tell you about nearby events, where you can put geocaching names to faces and meet the geocachers you’ve only seen on log sheets.

To receive the Weekly Newsletter simply go to the Email Preference Center.

/ Eric Schudiske /

Announcing Your Newest Geocache Type

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Giga-Event is the Newest Geocache Type

 

Attended by 5,000 or more geocachers, it’s like a Mega-Event of mega proportions. The geocache type shows a new level of appreciation to events that engage, entertain and inform geocachers on a massive scale.

While we know that the metric system prefix giga stands for 1,000,000,000, the name arose from inside the geocaching community and it stuck. So we co-opted the term to stay in line with our current system of events and Mega-Events. And of course, the name Five-Thousand-Event didn’t have the same ring to it.

The first Giga-Event will be held here.
The first Giga-Event will be held here

When is the first ever Giga-Event? Pack your bags, we’ll see you (and more than 5,000 others) at Project MUNICH2014 in August. There will be others, as Mega-Events continue to grow into Giga-Events. We’ve got your attention, huh? Want to know more about this new geocache type? Check out the Giga-Event FAQ.

/ Eric Schudiske /

Get Your CITO On this Weekend!

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You’re part of a worldwide geocaching clean-machine this weekend.

One weekend a year, geocachers around the world join together to help remove trash from geocaching-friendly locations. Cache In Trash Out is simple: you geocache in an area and then take trash out. There are hundreds of events to choose from around the globe, from Bahrain to Brazil, you have choices.

Each person who logs an “Attended” for a CITO event on April 26 or April 27 this year earns a 2014 CITO souvenir for their Geocaching profile. They also earn a sense of accomplishment and probably a few finds along the way. Find or host a CITO event near you and help make this year even more successful.

Last year, geocachers around the globe created the most successful CITO year ever. Over 640 CITO events helped clear more than 50 tons of trash from parks and wild places around the world. That’s a staggering 100,000 pounds (45359.2 kg). This year we hope to cleanup 50% more! Here’s the math.

Worldwide CITO Events: 776

Expected Attendance: ~ 15,000

Individual Geocacher Goal: 1 pound (.5 kilogram) of litter cleanup

Total Cleanup Goal: 75 tons (68,000 kilograms)

 

But CITO isn’t just removing trash. CITO is also about working together to clear invasive species from parks or plant native trees. And CITO is 365 days a year. Even after CITO weekend is over, it doesn’t mean that CITO has stopped. We encourage every geocacher to practice Cache In Trash Out every time they go geocaching. There are also plenty of CITO events that happen throughout the year. You can look for CITO events in your area or host your own.

 [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eIwxTAaxKw]
/ Eric Schudiske /

Lab Cache Evolution: STEMLandia Adventure!

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Panoramic of the Arboretum
STEMLandia Geocoin
STEMLandia Geocoin

STEMLandia in the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University in Boston taps into the power of the Lab Cache Geocaching Adventure experience to reveal a world of nature and education. Thanks to HQ’s partnership with EdGE at TERC, this is the next evolution of Lab Caches. Premium Members around the world tested Lab Caches during I <3 Geocaching in February.

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STEMLandia challenges geocachers to find 10 creatively hidden lab caches. It’s not your typical adventure. Geocachers must explore the Arboretum grounds using Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills to unlock the finds. Those who participate may be eligible to receive a fancy, limited edition Geocoin. The First to Find geocacher wrote, “Great series! Well thought out with some  tricky hides.”

The STEMLandia adventure runs through the end of May 2014. It is open to all geocachers and is most appropriate for youth ages 12 and up, as well as adults. Other adventures are on the horizon and you can help. Submit ideas for a future Lab Cache series.

Geo-Knot and Brumble! the First to Find for most of the geocaches
Geo-Knot and Bumble! the First to Find for most of the geocaches