Author: Paige Edmiston

Paige (ThePaigeTurner) is a Marketing Specialist at Geocaching HQ. She likes books.
/ Paige Edmiston /

Geocacher vs. Zombie – Who wins?

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Brains! Brains!

Editor’s Note: No geocachers were hurt in the making of this story. Based upon true geocaching events that occurred on the Washington-Canadian border on October 26, 2013.

Guest Blog Post By Jayme Hewitt (Username: benandjayme)

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Permits are important – even when hunting zombies!

I awoke with an uneasy feeling in my stomach on the morning of October 26th. The fog sat heavy in the fields and echoed the thoughts  running through my head. Is this the end? Does the zombie apocalypse start today? Rumors spread far and wide about zombies invading the west coast, even as far north as the Canadian border.

With no time left to ponder humanity, we threw some supplies in the car and headed out the door. There was a job to be done and we heard that some geocachers were gathering nearby to make a plan. We met up with some friends in Lynden, WA at the Zombie Safe Zone and received our Zombie Hunting Permits.

We began our hunt at the Zombie Paintball Shooting Gallery, honing our skills.

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Take that, practice zombie target!

We then carried brains with us through the forest to disguise ourselves with the smell of the dead. The zombies had set up tricky obstacles to slow us down, but we all made it through.

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“I not only use all the brains I have, but also all those I can borrow.” -Zombie

After a long day of finding survival clues and dodging the un-dead along scenic logging roads, beautiful harbor spits, and many, MANY places in between (more than 124 miles driven!), we decided that it was going to be incredibly cost prohibitive to continue the hunt. We put our heads together and came up with a new strategy…one that had never been tried before. We decided to make some new friends.

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Zombies like s’mores too!

Hindsight is truly 20/20, but  in the end we were so glad that we decided to give the un-dead the benefit of the doubt. Those s’mores were delicious.

How to survive a Zombie Apocalypse, er, I mean geocaching event:

  • BYOP (Bring your own pen). With zombies on your heels, you can’t afford to waste time frantically searching for a pen. A stamp works too!
  • Don’t be afraid to say hi.  A geocaching event is a great place to make new friends. Bonus: That new friend may even save your brains from a zombie.
  • Find a carpool buddy. Zombies (and geocaches) can cover great distances. Team up, save gas, and increase your odds of survival.

The GeoZombie Run 2013 (GC497DT ) was a blast! Thanks for all the hard work in organizing this event, Half-Canadian and Scooter the Wonder Dog!

 

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You never know when you might run into a Zombie (especially if you visit Geocaching HQ). It’s time to gear up with the Special Edition Zombie Hunter Geocoin. 

 

 

 

/ Paige Edmiston /

Geocaching Quiz: What Type of Geocacher are You?

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Do you love the woods or are you more of a city geocacher? Do you live for meeting new people at geocaching events or do you prefer a quiet evening deciphering a puzzle? Take this quiz to determine your geocacher type, then get personalized tips and tricks for your ultimate geocaching experience. Caution: This quiz involves some math.

1. What is your favorite geocaching snack?

A. Energy bars    B. Sampling the local cuisine    C. [Root] Beer    D. Wheaties – the breakfast of champions    E. Brain food

2. What inspires your geocaching happy dance?

A.  A day out in the wilderness    B. Visiting new and exotic locales    C. Meeting other geocachers    D. FTF!    E. Solving a D5 puzzle geocache

3. Which photo is most likely to be found in your gallery?

A. Scenic views from a mountain peak    B. The Pyramids of Giza     C. You, surrounded by all your geocaching friends    D. You grabbing the FTF    E. A particularly tricky geocaching container

4. What geocaching tools can you not live without?

A. Pocket Queries and Offline Lists    B.  Caches Along a Route    C. The Geocaching Event Calendar    D. Your Statistics    E. GeoChecker

5. If you were a fictional character, who would you be?

A. The Lorax     B. Captain Kirk     C. Iron Man    D.  Hermione Granger    E. Miss Marple

Now add up your answers for points: A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4, E=5

To learn what type of geocacher you are, click your point total below:

Finished? Tell us what type of geocacher you are in the comments below. There are more than five types of geocachers out there. Feel free to let us know what category we missed!

 

 

/ Paige Edmiston /

Quiz Results: The Puzzler

GeocacherTypeQuiz_Badges_vFINAL2_PuzzlerYou are…The Puzzler!

Using your brain is the name of the game. You enjoy creative geocache hides that put your mind to the test…and so you laugh in the face of D5 geocaches.

You’ll love this geocache: QuadLockLog (GC330KJ)

Your ultimate geocaching tools:

  • Don’t head out on the trail until you know you are on the right path. Use GeoChecker to double check that the coordinates you have puzzled out are correct.
  • Try creating a Pocket Query for Difficulty 5 geocaches. These geocaches are sure to make you furrow your brow.

Quick Tip for the Brainy Geocaches: Absolutely stumped? Try viewing the page source on the geocache details page, or look for white text. You may just find the clues you need…

Do you have additional tips and tricks for your fellow Puzzlers? Tell us about them in the comments below. Don’t think this geocacher type fits you? Try taking the quiz again!

/ Paige Edmiston /

Quiz Results: The Nature Lover

GeocacherTypeQuiz_Badges_vFINAL2_NatureLoverYou are…The Nature Lover!

You were voted “most likely to see Bigfoot” in your high school yearbook. You live for the days you can get out on the trail and leave civilization behind. Trail mix and energy bars are your go-to snacks.  You are happier spending all day hiking for just one (preferably T5) geocache than you would be finding 100.

You’ll love this geocache: Apollos Pool with the Million Dollar View (GC13VNK)

Your ultimate geocaching tools:

  • Heading out for a day of hiking? Be prepared! Create a Pocket Query to find all the geocaches on the trail in advance. You can then download up to 1000 geocaches to your GPS, or they will automatically appear in the Geocaching App when they are ready for download.
  • Using the Geocaching App? Make sure to save your geocaches in advance so that you can access them when you are out of cell range. To do so, create an Offline List in the Geocaching App for Android or iPhone.

Quick Tips for the Great Outdoors:

Do you have additional tips and tricks for your fellow Nature Lovers? Tell us about them in the comments below. Don’t think this geocacher type fits you? Try taking the quiz again!

/ Paige Edmiston /

Quiz Results: The Traveler

GeocacherTypeQuiz_Badges_vFINAL2_TravelerYou are…The Traveler!

You are your own Travel Bug. Your Profile page is plastered with photos of you exploring the 7 Wonders of the World. Who needs a guidebook when you have geocaching to show you all the locals’ favorite spots?

You’ll love this geocache: Thingvellir Kastalar (GC3168K)

Your ultimate geocaching tools:

  • Caches Along a Route is your geocaching trip planner! Tell us your destination and your route and Geocaching.com will tell you which geocaches are along the way.
  • Be inspired to explore new places with Geocaching Souvenirs – gotta collect ‘em all! See the full list of your collected Souvenirs in your Profile.
  • GeoTours take you to faraway (or sometimes not so faraway) places, and then guide you on custom tours of these destinations.

Quick Tip for Traveling and Geocaching: Many GeoTours have passports that you can complete by finding all of the geocaches in that tour. Super secret hint: Completed passports can often be redeemed for awesome prizes. Make sure to print out the passport before you hit the trail. (You can usually find downloadable versions on the individual GeoTour’s website.)

Do you have additional tips and tricks for your fellow Travelers? Tell us about them in the comments below. Don’t think this geocacher type fits you? Try taking the quiz again!