December 28, 2015 / Guest Writer

Geocaching with Love in Alaska

Written by Annie Love, a Geocaching HQ Employee

This article was originally published in the Portuguese “GeoMagazine.”

Not many people would choose to visit Alaska in December. But that didn’t stop a group of nine Geocaching HQ Lackeys and friends from spending 24 hours visiting the capital city of Juneau. I feel fortunate to work with such amazing people who don’t think twice about spending their own money and giving up their weekend for a fun geocaching adventure.

With a cheap flight and our sense of adventure, we took off early on a Saturday morning for a 24-hour geocaching journey. The only way to reach Juneau is by plane or boat, as there are no roads that lead to this isolated part of Southern Alaska. Our plane descended into Juneau at sunrise treating us to a spectacular view of seemingly endless white capped mountains.

Upon arrival we picked up our two SUVs and took off on our adventure. Within minutes we were stopping at our first geocache. The setting: a lifting fog on a beautiful wildlife refuge surrounded by mountains. We couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to Alaska. After a tasty breakfast, we set off for one of Juneau’s top tourist attractions: Mendenhall Glacier (a 13 mile long river of ice). This place is unreal. If you ever get a chance to travel to Alaska it’s well worth the visit. It’s also a great place to log several EarthCaches and learn about the interesting geology and history of the area.

Local geocacher Avroair (Mark Clemens) was hosting an event at the Visitor’s Center to celebrate his accomplishment of finding caches in all 50 states. Our group of nine met up with a handful of local geocachers and enjoyed talking about our hobby while taking in the amazing view of the glacier.

We then took off on the one-mile nature walk to Nugget Falls – an impressive nearly 400-foot tall waterfall. We posed for some silly pictures in front of the glacier.

Lucky for us, one of the local geocachers is a long time employee at Alaskan Brewing Co. We got our own behind-the-scenes tour of the brewery while sampling the local beer. Naturally, there was a geocache in front of the brewery that we had to find before starting our tour.

Our very long day ended with a dinner event with even more local geocachers. Since it was a nice small group, we were able to have some great conversations and really learn a lot about the area and the local geocaches. We barely scratched the surface of the great geocaching Juneau has to offer and I was inspired to return someday – hopefully next time in the warmer summer months!

See Annie Love’s Geocaching journey atop Mt. Fuji. Where do you want to take a Geocaching journey?

December 17, 2015 / Alex /

ENIGMA (GC427TF) — Geocache of the Week

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Geocache Name:

ENIGMA (GC427TF) — by The Seeker League

Location:

North Canton, Ohio, USA
N 40° 52.645 W 081° 24.875

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

D4.5/T1.5

Why this is Geocache of the Week:

Enigma is pure geocaching entertainment. It’s the kind of cache that you’ll walk away from smiling, even if you DNF. If you do manage to locate the famed yellow logbook, you’ll walk away shouting with laughter.

See for yourself. Here’s a video provided by the cache owner, The Seeker League.

What geocachers have to say about it:

“Woo hoo!!! Been wanting to get this but kept putting it off cause of the stigma with it!!! But decided we should give it a try since it may be disabled soon. Otter9 joined us and we spent almost an hour but we FOUND IT!!!! So happy! Thanks for all the time you took to put this together! It lives up to its reputation!” –MR DR

“Wow what a cache! A dozen of us teamed up to work this puzzle. Took over an hour before we finally had the yellow golden ticket log in hand!” –Heidi & Zeke Jones

“Awesome! Messed around with the whole contraption and all the areas. Dropped a trackable that needs to get moving in a race! After looking everywhere ( and making a few trips back to the car for hats, gloves, and warmer coats), we started to think our way through the device. Mommy Scout started dancing around and singing when her hand retrieved the yellow log! Very exciting moment for me. (Yes, I need to get a life, huh?) Thanks for the fun cache. Took us about 20 minutes. Gets a favorite for sure! TFTC!” –ThorScouts

What the Cache Owner, The Seeker League, has to say about it:

Where did the idea for this sort of large, mechanical multi-part field puzzle cache?
“After 3 years of looking for a place to put it, I asked my husband Iron Horse to build a kinetic art sculpture to use as camouflage for this container. Over the next year and hundreds of hours, all the loose pieces of metal and machinery within our garage found its way into his hands and onto ENIGMA.”

The cache itself looks fairly complicated — did you have a pretty clear idea of what it would look like before you started construction, or was it sort of a “flying by the seat of your pants” kind of thing?
“There was no plan, no idea what it would look like at the end. ENIGMA evolved into 500 cubic feet of contraptions, containers and fun!”

What’s been your reaction to all the wonderful logs by people who’ve found your cache?
“Reading the logs about our creation are very enjoyable. Watching the videos from the area have given us even more hours of entertainment, as we never know what is going to be said or what reaction cachers are going to have while doing ENIGMA. Never a dull moment that’s for sure! Cachers are warned that at ENIGMA you might just be on camera!”

What’s your favorite creative geocache hide?
“We had the honor of doing some spectacular caches while attending our 4th GeoWoodstock at XIII in Boonsboro, Maryland 2015. One of our favorite caches is GC4W6QX ‘GBC 3 – Mechanical Drawing 101’ by WVTim in Martinsburg, WV. His caches are all so creative it was difficult to choose just one favorite.”

Is there anything else you would like to say to the Geocaching community?
“Remember Geocachers, getting lost is more than half the fun. We have lived some of our greatest moments while being lost. Turn off interstates on your GPS unit, take the long back roads and enjoy life. See you on the trail.”

Photos:

ENIGMA, in all of its colorful glory.

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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.

December 9, 2015 / Janelle

Geocaching bucket list: dreamy beaches edition

“Ocean, n. A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man — who has no gills.”
― Ambrose Bierce, The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary

Any serious geocacher has a treasured list of geocaches they wish to find before they “kick the bucket”, so to speak. We feature an intermittent series dedicated to bucket list geocaches, and today’s theme is beaches.

Time to grab your swimsuit, some flip-flops, and go geocaching! Don’t forget your pen and some sunscreen. 😉

Continue reading →

December 7, 2015 / Janelle /

Our Newest Geocaching Country Souvenir: Türkiye

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The Republic of Turkey is transcontinental—spread across Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is surrounded by three seas: The Mediterranean, Black Sea, and the Aegean Sea. The unique geographic location and varied landscape give Turkey a diverse cultural richness that is evident in every region of the country. You’d be hard pressed to find a more passionate, fun, and cosmopolitan group of geocachers anywhere in the world.

And here’s the big news: Turkey is the newest Geocaching country souvenir to be released this year! Souvenirs are virtual pieces of art that are displayed on your Geocaching profile page when you find a geocache in certain locations.

5 Wonderful geocache you can find in Turkey — Just five of the many wonderful geocache you can find in Turkey

To celebrate, we are also highlighting five must-see geocaches from this marvelous land. Come with us, won’t you?

First stop: Istanbul. A gorgeous city that straddles two continents, ranks as the world’s 5th-largest city proper, and is the largest European city.

Istanbul is an enormous city that connects Europe and Asia, East and West

GC43K3Y – TOP 10 POI Istanbul

This Mystery Cache acts as a tour guide for the Sultanahmet district—a must see for any visitor. Framed as a mystery, this geocache leads you through the center of the Old City of Istanbul and many of the city’s points of interest (POI). You’ll need at least two days to solve this Mystery, but you’ll experience Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia/Ayasofia Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, and Basilica Cistern so it is definitely worth it.

GCG3W3 – Pure Pearl

This Virtual Cache is found at the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge, which crosses the Bosphorus strait and connects Europe with Asia. You’ll need to visit by automobile (on top) or boat (underneath). No pedestrians and certainly no stopping on the bridge allowed!

GC42RCW – TAG you are it !! – OMActivities

Enjoy the 24-hour hustle and bustle of Istiklal Street, bursting with shops, cafes, bars, and nightlife. No cars are allowed in this area, and the streets are full of locals and tourists alike looking for some fun. Find this beloved Traditional cache full of great Trackables and SWAG, then write a heartfelt log from a lovely street cafe over wine or coffee.

Next stop: Bodrum. Previously a simple fishing village, Bodrum has become a tourist mecca with idyllic beaches, boutique hotels, and a shining marina over the last few decades.

Bodrum is located in the southwest Aegean Region of Turkey

GC1HN97 – Gokart15 [Bodrum Castle]

Site of a long ago Turkish invasion, construction began in the 14th century with the Knights Hospitaller and has continued into the 20th century. Bodrum Castle is a stunning array of English, French, Spanish, and German-influenced Medieval architecture. The cache is a small tin box that you’ll find between a rock and a hard place.

Final stop: Antalya. Antalya is full of beaches, mosques, churches, Turkish baths, and museums.

Antalya is the largest Turkish city on the Mediterranean coast

GC1FG1A – Duden Waterfalls

This EarthCache is a series of several waterfalls created from two large karstic sources that merge, go underground, and then resurface to form the falls. This geocache is best experienced from a boat for a truly spectacular view. But if you decide to take a boat, make sure you’re alright with the possibility of getting soaked.

Inspired yet? Turkey has so much to offer in terms of scenery, culture, and geocaching.

We’ll unveil one new souvenir every week until all FIVE are officially released and awarded by mid December. Souvenirs that are currently available can be found here. A list of of currently available Geocaching souvenirs and even the ones you’ve already earned can be found on Geocaching.com. And, if you’ve already found a geocache in Turkey, we will retroactively add this souvenir to your profile after all five country souvenirs are announced.

Do you live in Turkey, have you ever been, or will you travel there in the future? Tell us your experience in the comments below!

November 30, 2015 / Guest Writer /

Join the hunt to discover lost treasures from The Revenant

Does travel to extreme locations, facing the unknown, and surviving harsh winter wilderness sound like you? Join the hunt to discover lost treasures from The Revenant.

This winter, in association with Geocaching HQ, Twentieth Century Fox Filmed Entertainment has hidden a series of twenty limited edition movie props — as Trackables! Launching in select cities across the United States, Mexico, Europe, and Australia, the movie props will travel from location to location as geocachers log their finds and place them in a new geocache to continue the artifact’s journey. Share your find via social media by posting a photo using #TheRevenant. Check out more details on the Fox Movies page (scroll to the middle).

The authentic movie props range from leather bags to ceramic pots to ropes.

About the movie: Inspired by true events, The Revenant is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption. The Revenant is directed and co-written by renowned filmmaker, Academy Award winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, Babel).

There are even several geocaches out there (predating this movie) about Hugh Glass, including “Legendary Hunters – Hugh Glass” in Pennsylvania and “Old West #9 Hugh Glass” in Utah.

The full Trackable list:

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TB6ZAFA
TB6ZAE4

We can’t wait to see the adventures unfold as these Trackables travel to incredible places and continue to be discovered! Do you see your favorite movie prop trackable in this trailer?

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