Category: Cache In Trash Out

/ Eric Schudiske /

A Texas Sized Mega-Event (and Squirrel)… in Texas

Editor’s Note: Staff from Geocaching HQ in Seattle are visiting more than 30 Mega-Events around the globe this year to shake hands, share stories and hear what you think is next for geocaching.

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Geocacher “Dark Star” and Katie meet a new friend at the Mega-Event (okay, it’s a squirrel)

By: Katie Barker

It was my first time traveling to Texas and it definitely lived up to my expectations! Known as the “friendship state”, Texans showed me that geocaching friendship we all know and love the moment I arrived at the Friday Night Meet & Greet in the small town of Bastrop. Geocachers from near and far traveled many miles to attend the weekend’s festivities and I was feeling lucky to spend my time with such a great group of people. Here’s a little re-cap about my weekend in Texas. If you’ve never attended a Mega-Event, here’s what you can expect.

I was up bright and early on Saturday on a mission to complete the Lab Caches. Jana Fite, (cybercat) a long time geocacher and event organizer, created a series of 7 Lab Cache locations from the historic district of Bastrop to Smithville highlighting the most interesting businesses in the area. Each location had a unique experience like exploring the largest bronze foundry in the state of Texas or sampling bottled Texas rainwater at Texas Rain. I couldn’t help but giggle when we ended up at Berdoll Pecan Farms where we found a giant squirrel! A big special thanks to TxDiva and Dark Star for showing me around.  

Halfway through the Lab Caches I made a quick stop at the Bridge Spittin’ Ceremony! Who knew that spitting over a bridge was a long time tradition in Bastrop? I do now! The kayakers in the river below had to stay back a little ways as the 200+ geocachers leaned over to spit all at the same time. It was an experience I will never forget to say the least.

PPanther and grumpoldtexan at the CITO
PPanther and grumpoldtexan at the CITO

 

I headed back to the 12th Annual Texas Challenge after lunch to watch the challengers come racing in with their completed score cards. The competition was fierce and I must congratulate North Texas on taking home the win! I also got to meet Jenny Mills, the host of the Birthplace of Texas GeoTour. (Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try any Blue Bell ice-cream, next time!) I was overwhelmed with joy from all the compliments and positive feedback geocachers gave about the GeoTour. Keep up the good work in Washington County.

The weekend was packed with fun activities, but it wouldn’t be complete without a quick Texas Challenge CITO on Sunday along the Colorado River before heading to the airport (with a stop at Buc-ee’s, of course). Thanks to all the organizers for hosting a great fun-filled geocaching experience.

My favorite part of the weekend was hearing everyone’s stories, from PPanther’s prank (check out her profile page, it’s quite impressive) to the 254 county challenge. Thanks for making me feel at home Texas geocachers!

12th Annual Texas Challenge
12th Annual Texas Challenge

 

/ Eric Schudiske /

Geocacher Honored for Historic DNF Stats

DNF’s Earns Geocacher Coveted Award

 

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJRZnhq3v0Q]

If this DNF Pride video you’re about to watch was located at a set of exact coordinates, and disguised in a geocache container, it’s unlikely the man being honored would ever discover it. This April 1, we honor a geocacher who sets a proud example for other adventurers to follow. It’s a simple, easy-to-follow, statement: DNF Pride. Chosen as a Geocacher of the Month, Dean F, logged more Did Not Finds than anyone in history. He further logged exactly zero finds. His partner, Eftie F, and their geocaching friends created a special event to honor Dean F’s accomplishment. Watch this new video to find out what happened next.

Proudly celebrate your DNF Pride or a friend’s DNF accomplishments with DNF gear from Shop Geocaching.

/ Eric Schudiske /

You’re Part of the CITO Equation

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Cache In Trash Out (CITO) needs you. It’s simple: you geocache in an area and then take trash out. One weekend per year, geocachers around the world join together to help remove trash from geocaching-friendly locations. 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).

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.

And just because CITO weekend hasn’t arrived yet, doesn’t mean that CITO hasn’t started. 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.

/ Eric Schudiske /

Announcing the 2014 CITO Weekend and Souvenir

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Get ready for a classic win-win situation from the geocaching playbook: lend a hand to improve the geocaching game board (a local park, trail, or geocaching-friendly location) and earn the 2014 CITO souvenir. It’s easy and rewarding.

It all happens during the 2014 CITO Weekend on April 26 and 27. Everyone who logs an “Attended” at a Cache In Trash Out (CITO) Event earns this year’s CITO souvenir for their Geocaching profile. So start planning your event now!

During a CITO Event, geocachers search parks, trails and forests to earn a smiley—but they’re not looking for geocaches. They’re clearing litter and trash from geocaching-friendly areas around the world. On CITO weekend, thousands of geocachers will walk away from their events with bags of trash and a sense of pride. They’re preserving the natural beauty of our world. It’s often more than litter clean up. Some CITO events remove invasive species, plant trees or build trails.

Join the geocaching community movement. CITO events are held all year long, but you’ll have plenty of events to choose from on April 26 and 27.  Last year, over 13,000 geocachers from more than 30 countries combined in the annual worldwide environmental effort, which is tied closely with Earth Day.

Share this CITO video, create a CITO event near you and gear up with CITO trash bags, trackables and more at Shop Geocaching. See you in April for the 2014 CITO Weekend!