February 5, 2016 / Carly

Valentine’s Day Special: 11 Romantic Geocache Locations

Do you like candlelight dinners, soul-lifting conversations, and long walks on the beach with a little geocaching in between? If yes, then these romantic geocache locations were made just for you and your honey. Escape to the colorful beaches in Bali or explore the narrow streets of enchanting Casablanca, just in time for Valentine’s day.

1. TidesChallenge Cache — Bali, Indonesia
Geocache Type: Traditional

Bali is often associated with the word “love” and it’s evident when you visit why this word fits perfectly. The beaches are picturesque and the atmosphere is relaxing, all things that one would “love.” This geocache is placed in a sea cave — only accessible during low tide, adding a little adventure to your romance.

2. Juliet’s Balcony — Verona, Italy
Geocache Type: Traditional

O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Travelers (and geocachers) from around the world come to Verona, Italy to catch a glimpse of the balcony where Juliet might have called out for her Romeo. Visitors will stand by the statue of Juliet and proclaim their love by adding a lock (hint hint) to the nearby fence.

3. Twilight — Forks, Washington
Geocache Type: Multi-Cache

If you’re someone who swoons over the word “vampire,” this cache is calling your name. Indulge a bit and experience the ultimate Twilight fantasy by journeying to the place where Edward and Bella met. This Multi-Cache leads geocachers to all the famous book locations.

4. I ♥ Paris — Paris, France
Geocache Type: Wherigo

Nothing is more magical than a stroll through the streets of Paris, peacefully gazing up at the Eiffel Tower as you roam. Experience the entire city to its fullest through this fun Wherigo geocache.

5. N Seoul Tower : Tree of Love Locks — Seoul, South Korea
Geocache Type: Traditional

If you love someone, lock them down. There are many ‘love lock’ locations around the world. This one wins quirkiest. Couples from around the world sketch their names on padlocks and latch them to one of the trees near the N Seoul Tower. The geocache that’s hidden there blends in — almost too well.

6. Eternity in Casablanca — Casablanca, Morocco
Geocache Type: Mystery

Here’s looking at you, kid. Casablanca is known for its beautiful mosques, colorful buildings, covered markets, and historic sites. Enjoy getting lost in it all with your significant other.

7. Dirty Dancing — Asheville, North Carolina
Geocache Type: Traditional

We all remember Baby from Dirty Dancing. She spent her summer at a family camp, met a handsome boy, learned to dance, and then lived happily ever after. This geocache is placed at the film location, which is beautiful and remote. Feel free to recreate the famous dance scene with your partner if you feel up to it!

8. Mount Aorai (2066m) — Tahiti, French Polynesia
Geocache Type: Traditional

Get away from it all. This geocache is perfect for the adventurous honeymooners. It’s hidden at the very top of the one of Tahiti’s highest summits. Although the hike can be strenuous at times, the views are stunning at the end.

9. Brugge : Belle Lettere — Bruges, Belgium
Geocache Type: Multi-Cache

Fairytale Bruges enchants visitors from all over the world, and the delicious Belgium chocolate keeps them coming back for more. The city’s open squares, charming houses, and cobblestone streets creates a romantic atmosphere. Take a boat ride through the picturesque canals and then find this Multi-Cache to cap off the trip.

10. Milford Sound — South Island, New Zealand
Geocache Type: EarthCache

A cruise through the Milford Sound to nab this EarthCache should be on everyone’s bucket lists. Waterfalls, mountains, and wildlife make for the perfect lovey-dovey escape.

11. Love Lock — Buenos Aires, Argentina
Geocache Type: Traditional

It’s easy to get swept away by Buenos Aires’ vibrant nightlife and fun culture. Spend your nights drinking delicious wine at fun tango bars and spend your days exploring the city, finding geocaches like this heartfelt love lock cache.

What’s the most romantic place you’ve discovered through geocaching?

February 4, 2016 / Alex /

Bennies Blowout Battle — Geocache of the Week

EarthCache GC2V455

by The Bennies

Difficulty: 5
Terrain: 2

Location: Pripyat, Ukraine |: N 51° 24.480 E 030° 03.340

Why this is Geocache of the Week:

A forsaken city in Ukraine makes for a fascinating and solemn exploration. Pripyat was home to nearly 50,000 people prior to the 1986 explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. Soon after the disaster, an area of 30 kilometers around the reactor was evacuated, put under military control, and designated as the Chernobyl Zone of Exclusion. Pripyat, now virtually* abandoned, lies within that zone. This EarthCache lies at the center of Pripyat.

Brief paid visits to Pripyat have been possible for some years, and tourists who embark on these trips find themselves guided through derelict school buildings, an echoing swimming hall, and a visually striking, not so amusing, amusement park.

You’ll need a Geiger counter to measure the radioactivity level at 1.5 meters above ground in order to claim the EarthCache find. And while geocaching is all about fun, a pinch of solemnity and respect are required for this cache hunt—the Chernobyl disaster is considered one of the most catastrophic events in human history, and its impacts have lingered in a very real way for the last thirty years.

*Some inhabitants refused to leave the city and surrounding areas, and there is still a small permanent population living within the exclusion zone. The tourism industry has also brought a number of businesses to the area.

What Geocachers have to say:

“For an eastern-european Pripyat was not so touching, we have plenty of abandoned buildings back home, in similar scale maybe, but realizing that radioactivity is silent killer you cannot run, you cannot really hide (unless you have your own shelter)… was really something I will remember forever. Until this visit I just didn’t take it, but walking around, seeing radio-hazard signs, with geiger going off the scale here and there…Thanks and Greetings from Slovakia.” –SureThing_II

“Crazy that we can visit and very eye opening experience having a tour. I am conflicted between enjoying the experience and also remembering the huge sacrifice and suffering that happened here. Thank you for the earthcache though, it gives time to reflect back at home and realised where I have been and what I have seen. TFTC.” –UberJason

“Should have logged this much earlier but finally. I was here with my girlfriend L!N@ as a part of our trip through Europe. I must say that this place will always stay in my memories as one of the most horrifying and thought provoking visits. But at the same time one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to. I work as a teacher in natural science. When teaching about atoms and nuclear fission my pictures and stories will definitely catch my students interest.” –YOY0

Interview with the Cache Owner:

HQ: When did you first visit Pripyat, and what was your impression of it?
The Bennies: “In April 2011 we visited the Pripyat area. This was exactly 25 years after the big and sad disaster with the Chernobyl power plant, reactor 5. Around Europe we’ve heard the stories from, for example, parents of friends about their memories of this disaster. Even in Norway or Holland the radioactive ‘cloud’ came down and, for example, people had to renew the sand in the playgrounds for safety measures. Visiting this area made it scary, but very interesting at the same time. Unfortunately this relatively ‘clean’ way of getting energy (nuclear) has big risks. As seen in the more recent Japan Tsunami Fukushima. With all disaster effects.”

HQ: What do you think is the most interesting aspect of the site?
The Bennies: “We were into ‘Urbex’ [urban exploration] for a longer time, but how can you imagine visiting a totally abandoned city of 50,000 inhabitants and all its facilities, like hotels, schools, and swimming pools. All grown over by nature for 25 years and the [amusement park] still standing there like everybody just left… A very sad, but unbelievable scene. Of course the [amusement park] expresses this in the most unique way. Maybe someone can show all these decay pictures in some kind of time lapse. That would be unreal…”

HQ: Do you hear a lot of stories from geocachers who visit Pripyat and fulfill the requirements of the EarthCache?
The Bennies: “Of course getting there takes quiet some effort going by tour and by mu.tiple police and exclusion zones. But 99.99% of the cachers respect this area so much, having a once-in-a-lifetime moment here and answers the required questions very well. We are also proud to have about 5 times more gallery pictures than find logs. We always encourage cachers to log their non-spoilering (HDR) pictures with their logs to show and store the decay progress of this place in the years of the past and the years to come. Also the progress of the new sarcophagus being built around the reactor number 5 is interesting to see on the post.”

HQ: Do you have anything you’d like to share with the geocaching community?
The Bennies: “We notice that the Urban Exploring (HDR) Photography and Geocaching are getting more and more popular and becoming closer to each other as professional hobbies for people around the world. For us as team this is the perfect combination, even on holidays or day trips. Explore the unique and lost parts in this world!”

Photos:

SONY DSC — Pripyat Cultural Centre – then and now

16866f35-618b-49f4-b03c-9536a0a12dde — Amusement park in the distance

d2087e64-ec37-4325-ba6f-7d27e3b2548a — Ferris wheel looking almost as if it could be operational

Geiger Counter, with spoiler information removed

February 2, 2016 / Alex /

5 Tips for An Incredible Leap Day Event

Since Leap Day only comes about once every four years, people planning Leap Day geocaching events often find themselves scratching their heads. What to do on a holiday that has no widely-recognized established traditions?

That’s the beauty of Leap Day—you can make your own traditions! You have free reign over how your Leap Day event goes. But with all that power comes responsibility, so check out these five tips for making your Leap Day event spectacular.

1. Pick a color theme

Geocaching HQ picked blue and yellow. Why? We’re not sure. Perhaps it was because these colors spoke to us louder than the other colors were speaking to us. Leap Day is a time for whimsy, a day to do all the things you wouldn’t do on a normal day. Like talking to colors. That’s not normal.

2. Make sure there’s food

In traditional Leap Day style, the yellow cupcakes were smooshed.

We’re not saying the event host should provide all the food for the event. But food does make a lot of events more fun. As the event host, you can use your event page to coordinate the guests who offer to bring food to share. Geocaching HQ decided to have a taco bar—in traditional Leap Day fashion!

3. Games that everyone will enjoy

A "leaping" puzzle for Leap Day — A “leaping” puzzle for Leap Day.

Having a time and space for people to simply chat with each other around a table of food is great—that should definitely happen at a geocaching event. But sometimes that environment can be intimidating for newbie geocachers. Consider setting up some games or activities that provide a bit of structure for interactions between strangers. Not everyone is a social butterfly. Some of us are shy stick insects and reclusive rice weevils.

4. Make up a Leap Day tradition

These Leap Day hats were made out of recycled plastic dinnerware. (In traditional Leap Day fashion.) — These Leap Day hats were made out of recycled plastic dinnerware (in traditional Leap Day fashion).

We turned a bunch of leftover plastic bowls into “traditional” Leap Day hats, and invited people to decorate them. People were surprisingly willing to walk around with plastic dinnerware on their heads, and it made for great conversation.

5. Photo opportunities

Geocacher Ponystream poses with the traditional Leap Day garb.

Set aside a spot at your event to make a “photo wall”, where people can pose with geocaching or Leap Day-themed props. Better yet, if one person is a dedicated photographer, the photos can be shared in the cache gallery later.

January 28, 2016 / Alex

Brick By Brick — Geocache of the Week

Traditional: GC5JB1H; by Troopbiz

Difficulty:: 3
Terrain:: 1.5

Location:: West Virginia, United States; N 39° 28.282 W 080° 07.115

Why this is Geocache of the Week:

600 billion. That’s the number of Lego parts that have been released into the world since 1949, when the Lego Group began manufacturing the colorful interlocking bricks. Now, at least 100 of those parts have been re-imagined into this Geocache of the Week.

Despite its playful construction, this cache is serious business. If you reach GZ, finding the colorful birdhouse will be easy…but you’re only half-way there. The cache itself is behind a small door, which can only be opened by solving a field puzzle from the cache page.

Surprisingly, cache owner Troobpiz says the cache doesn’t need a lot of maintenance—a testament to the solid construction and to the Legos themselves. We especially like how the cache was attached to its tree: with easily adjustable chains.

So if you’re traveling near West Virginia sometime soon, check it out. If you feel like digging out your old Lego set afterwards, we’d understand.

What Geocachers have to say about it:

“TFTC This one is very special. A unique idea that makes you smile. Lots of swag in this adorable BRICK house. TN SL left a pink bangle for tiny wrists.” –Capone6

“I am always impressed by the truly clever containers that take time and effort to assemble. This is a beaut! Thanks for our fun after arriving here today en route home to Louisville.” –Ecce!

“I was in the Fairmont area this morning and new I had to stop by this new cache to see what all the buzz was about. This is an interesting twist on a container that we have all seen many times. Well done. I enjoyed the quick on-site puzzle. I had it solve correctly on the first try… the second calculation came out the same… and the third… and (you see the pattern. Finally, in a pinch, the lock popped open and I was able to sign the log. Well done. I have never seen one like it before. TFTC.” –arealwhit

What the Cache Owner, Troopbiz, has to say about it:

What inspired you to use Legos for the cache construction?
Ever since I can remember I have loved playing with Legos and building unique and creative things with them. I first had the concept of using these stackable toy bricks for a geocache when I saw a similar concept online. In that concept cachers had to count different colors to obtain the 4 digit lock combination. I took it a step further by making the cache out of Legos. I even designed a custom Lego door complete with a latch to allow cachers to access the geocache!

What’s been your reaction to all the nice logs and favorite points from geocachers?
I strive to put out unique and creative geocaches for geocachers to find. When I first hid the geocache I knew it would be a highly trafficked cache due to the location, but I didn’t expect 26 favorite points in the first year! It’s been fun reading all the nice logs and experiences that other geocachers have written, and that inspires me to hide more unique caches.

What’s your favorite geocache to find?
I enjoy finding creative caches that the cache owner has put some serious thought, time, and effort into. For this reason I enjoy multi and puzzle caches the best! More specifically I enjoy gadget caches. Gadget caches are easy to find, but you have to do something special to access the log. I am fortunate to have local cachers such as Killlerbee, Arealwhit, WVcachers3, and Dukemartin (Just to name a few) that strive to hide cachers to give the community a unique experience.

Do you have anything you want to say to the geocaching community?
If you don’t think you have the ability or creativity to hide a unique cache, think again. The internet has an abundance of great and unique cache ideas to get inspiration from. You can can the concept from one cache, change the theme, and make it a completely new caching experience! Some of the best caches I have done have been based on a common theme such as “The Gold Bug” (GC62631) or “Cap’n Morgan’s Booty” (GC5Y8AB). I have another cache entitled “Mission Impossible” (GC4NDPR) that is a 5 stage multi cache, and in each stage is a different puzzle cachers have to solve before they can advance to the next. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and create a unique caching experience. The community will thank you, and who knows… you may even be featured on the Geocaching Blog!

Photos:

0f736db0-8449-4d86-98bd-6f9a7b9a95dd47 — Geocacher KristenTurner and friend make the find.

fdsfdf — Brick By Brick in all its glory.

CO Troopbiz & his creation. Note: The cache was screwed into a tree for this photo, but this was not a permanent placement.

Continue to explore some of the most amazing geocaches around the world.
Check out all of the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog. If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, fill out this form.

January 27, 2016 / Guest Writer

The World Wide Web of Spiders

Guest blog written by avid geocacher (and dedicated nurse) Kelley Piekarek*.

A Floridian geocacher was reaching for a cache when she felt something bite her arm. Thinking nothing of it, she signed the log, replaced the cache, and moved on. Shortly thereafter her arm became red, swollen, and felt hot to the touch. The area surrounding the bite began to form what appeared to be an infection; her arm became very painful and she was running a high fever.

She went to the emergency room where it was confirmed that she had been bitten by a brown recluse spider. The area was surgically cleaned, she was put on antibiotics, and is now on the road to a full recovery.

Most spiders are absolutely harmless to humans. Of the 4,000+ species of spiders found in North America, only two are dangerous to humans—the brown recluse and the black widow.

Geocachers are fortunate to enjoy the wonders of nature. But as we all know, nature can be a bit scary sometimes. If you are informed and aware of your environment, you can avoid spiders bites and know what action to take if you’re bitten.

Brown Recluse

The brown recluse is ¼ to ½ inch long, and can be identified by the violin-shaped spot behind its eyes. They are native to North America and live predominantly in the Midwestern United States.

Black Widow

The black widow can be identified by a red, yellow, or white hourglass shape on their lower abdomen. There are many species of widow spiders found worldwide, but the North American variety is about ½ inch long.

Where do spiders like to hide?

Spiders like to hide in wood piles

Both spiders are found in similar locations. Inside, they prefer to hide in small, dark locations such as closets, cellars, garages, vents, stored boxes, and within the cracks and corners of walls. Outside they prefer to live like a geocache—underneath rocks, in wood piles, and inside hollow tree trunks.

What do spider bites look and feel like?

The bites from brown recluse (left) and black widow spiders (right)

The bite of the brown recluse is usually painless and goes unnoticed, but it may feel like a bee sting or there may be a burning sensation. Symptoms usually develop in 2-8 hours starting with a small white blister at the site of the bite.

Many bites will cause a small red mark that will heal without problems or scarring. However redness, blistering, an open sore, and a black area may develop and take months to fully heal. Other symptoms include severe pain at the site of the bite, severe itching, nausea, vomiting, fever, and/or muscle pain.

The bite of the black widow is similar to the brown recluse, and initially may look like two tiny Dracula fang marks. It feels like a pinprick, but also may not be felt at all. There may be slight swelling, redness and a spot that forms a target shape. Fifteen to sixty minutes later a dull muscle pain will spread from the bite area to the entire body. If the bite is on the upper body, the pain will be in the chest. If the bite is in the lower body, the pain will be in the abdomen.

What to do if you’ve been bit

Seek medical help if you think you've been bit by a brown recluse or black widow spider — Seek medical help if you think you’ve been bit by a brown recluse or black widow spider

Most spiders bites are non-venomous and require no specific treatment, but if you suspect you have been bitten by a brown recluse or black widow:

Seek medical attention right away
Remain calm to keep your circulation relaxed
Apply a cold pack to the area to relieve swelling and discomfort
Do not apply a tourniquet
If possible, bring the spider with you to the doctor’s office or ER for identification

How to avoid spiders

You’ve probably heard that spiders are more afraid of you than you are of them and that’s true. They’d prefer to avoid contact with humans all together, but they will defend their space. If you live in an area where co-existing with brown recluse and black widow spiders are part of the landscape, take some precautions:

Outdoors

Watch for spider webs, which are the most obvious signs a spider is nearby
Wear gloves and long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and sturdy shoes
Move rocks and debris with a stick when looking for your cache to protect your hands

At Home:

Keep your home clean and clutter free
Bits of food can attract bugs which will in turn attract spiders, so vacuum and wipe down surfaces often
Store your things in sealed plastic storage boxes or plastic bags with the edges taped shut
When unpacking stored items, shake items out thoroughly before use
Keep the sides of your home free of plants and debris

Keep your house clean and clutter free to avoid spiders

Stay safe out there, my friends. Be prepared and know what to do should a spider bite you, and keep on cachin’!

How do you stay safe while enjoying your favorite hobby?

*If the name Kelley Piekarek sounds familiar, it may be from this story that made national geocaching news in February 2015.

Official Blog

Category: Community

Valentine’s Day Special: 11 Romantic Geocache Locations

What’s the most romantic place you’ve discovered through geocaching?

Bennies Blowout Battle — Geocache of the Week

Why this is Geocache of the Week:

What Geocachers have to say:

Interview with the Cache Owner:

Photos:

5 Tips for An Incredible Leap Day Event

1. Pick a color theme

2. Make sure there’s food

3. Games that everyone will enjoy

4. Make up a Leap Day tradition

5. Photo opportunities

Brick By Brick — Geocache of the Week

Why this is Geocache of the Week:

What Geocachers have to say about it:

What the Cache Owner, Troopbiz, has to say about it:

Photos:

The World Wide Web of Spiders

Brown Recluse

Black Widow

Where do spiders like to hide?

What do spider bites look and feel like?

What to do if you’ve been bit

How to avoid spiders

Outdoors

At Home:

How do you stay safe while enjoying your favorite hobby?

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