June 25, 2014 / Alex /

First to Find 4,355 Days Later

Remember that time we wrote about an FTF after 12 years? Maybe we weren’t being specific enough. That was a FTF after 4,337 days.

Geocachers are born to break records, to test limits, to push boundaries. So when four guys set out in a boat on a journey to an obscure island to find a geocache with impossible odds, we were excited, enthralled, even impressed. But we were not surprised. No, never surprised. The need to seek adventure is in a geocacher’s very DNA.

Team BOSS in action. — First rule of geocaching as a team: find a good team name.

SK Extreme 01 is a virtual geocache on an uninhabited and unnamed island in Brabant Lake, in northern Saskatchewan. Note that Saskatchewan is just about twice the size of Germany—making the island a needle in a big Canadian haystack.

The geocache was published on Geocaching.com in 2002 by geocacher KenJamin, who was staying on the island during a guided canoeing trip. He found a topographical survey benchmark and, realizing that Canadian benchmarks weren’t published online like American benchmarks, thought it would make a good virtual cache.That’s the type of geocache for which one gathers information at a site, rather than finding a physical hidden container.

KenJamin says the virtual would be the start of a series of extreme geocaches. “The kind of caches that drew me to geocaching in the first place.”

Twelve years and zero finds later…

Team BOSS, a group of geocachers consisting of bennykidd, olemaz, scratch1, and sasktravelbugs, planned a trip. Snow and ice would force them to delay their adventure until spring. Their journey would begin with a drive from Saskatoon to Brabant Lake, a route so long and remote even Google Maps doesn’t dare plot it. And they knew the drive itself wouldn’t be a picnic. Says Olemaz, “We had heavy rains in Southern/Central Saskatchewan and if we had the same rain that far North, roads could have been treacherous. ”

Once at the lake, which is shaped more like a trailing globule of drool than a water feature, they’d cross the water in a rented boat to the island—the site of the cache. Rain, fog, and wind were of primary concern on this stretch of the journey.

Of course, these things don’t usually go as planned.

Team BOSS had, “perfect weather, perfect roads, and a perfect landing.” And the benchmark itself? It was “a fairly quick find.”

The real challenge came when the team was forced to wait to return to an area with cell service before making the phone call to KenJamin. The reward, however, was spectacular. “The phone call to the Cache Owner, KenJamin, for his required answers made our day as we knew we’d catch him off-guard and he would be stunned.”

And he was. “I vividly remember receiving the call from Team BOSS. I think olemaz said the digits from the benchmark followed by the key digit, and words to the effect of ‘does that mean anything to you?’ I admit I was stunned and didn’t make the connection at first. I paused and thought; then it suddenly stuck me and I blurted out ‘No Way!'”

Gold, guts, and glory?

Not quite. Despite this, olemaz says there was great deal of excitement and adventure for sure. “The best moment of the trip was seeing the beauty of nature in this world and the camaraderie among geocaching friends having fun.”

What’s next for Team BOSS?

Among other things on a long, long bucket list…

Olemaz wants to complete the Jasmer Challenge—to find one geocache hidden in each month since May 2000. He is only four finds away.
Scratch1 plans to find a geocache in every province and territory in Canada. When that’s done, he’ll find a geocache in every state in the U.S.
Bennykidd is just going to go out and find more geocaches, all over, from one coastline to the other!
Sasktravelbugs has the last “APE” geocache in Brazil in his sights. He also needs to find caches on only one more continent to complete the 7-continent challenge.

And KenJamin?

“As I reflect on this, the first cache in the series, I recall and appreciate all the great logs and pictures I have received as a result. The three caches and the cachers that have visited them have made the distance, hikes and effort to place them repaid ten fold. As far as my future geocaching adventures go I have ambitions for areas in and around Arches and Grand Canyon National Parks. Cache recommendations would be appreciated.”

Want to read more about this epic adventure? Check out the audio of an interview with Team BOSS on http://www.livingskies2014.ca/ or http://www.podcacher.com/2014/06/show-474-1-pmm-ftf-12-years-later/.

Now, a few more people in the geocaching world know what's behind the black box. — Now, a few more people in the geocaching world know what’s behind the black box.

June 24, 2014 / Paige Edmiston /

Time to Phone-a-Friend: Sometimes hiding a geocache takes two

FTFers in action — RandolphAgarn and I camped out to (sneakily) watch the FTF in action.

2 x 2 Makers and Hiders Unite

It takes all kinds to make geocaching the quirky, wonderful, interesting hobby/game/community that it is right now. Some like to solve puzzles, others like to trek across mountains; some are serial geocache finders, and others are serial geocache hiders. Altogether, these different types make for a healthy (and fun!) geocaching ecosystem.

Within this geocaching ecosystem, I’ve always considered myself your everyday, traditional finder—like moss (a little bit boring), but surely important for some unknown, ecological reason. That is, I used to think of myself like moss. Then, a few months ago, I attended a Maker Madness event hosted by Geocaching HQ. I walked out of the event knowing that I too wanted to create great geocaching experiences for others to enjoy… But I didn’t want to hide just any old geocache. I wanted to hide the Mona Lisa of geocaches.

There was, however, one small problem. When it comes to any and all geocache making skills…well, I don’t have any. I never took woodshop. I don’t know anything about Arduino computers. And (much to my puzzle-loving grandfather’s disappointment), I cannot solve the Monday crossword puzzle, let alone design a worthwhile puzzle of my own.

Hiding without Making

So how does one hide a masterpiece geocache without having any relevant Maker skills?

Luckily, I discovered that geocache hiding, like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, has a built-in Phone-a-Friend option. You see, like the broader geocaching community, geocache hiders come in all shapes and sizes. There are the Makers, who imagine (and implement) the future of geocaching containers; then you have the location hiders, who have a knack for finding breathtaking hiding spots; and finally, there are folks like me. I am nothing if not reliable, which as it turns out, is a key ingredient to a great geocache. (Ahem, you’ve heard of a little thing called geocache maintenance? No one likes a soggy log.)

So, I used my Phone-a-Friend card to call up my friend and Geocaching HQ mobile developer Arne Moen (Username: RandolphAgarn). He is everything that a Maker should be: creative and innovative with more than a few DIY tricks up his sleeve. And fortunately for me, he enjoys making geocaches more than maintaining them, so we formed a geocache hiding partnership. He built the container and I will be in charge of maintaining his creation going forward.

RandolphAgarn and I were so excited/nervous about putting our geocache out in the wild that we decided to sneakily camp out on a nearby bench to watch the FTF (first-to-find) in action. Given our geocache’s proximity to Geocaching HQ (home to 70 plus geocachers with instant notifications set up), we weren’t shocked to see the FTF go to a couple of HQ staffers within 20 minutes of publication. ScatterMyCaches and ReidSomething were pumped to earn their first FTF (but less excited to FTF the giant spider that had been quick to make the geocache its home). A big congrats also to MedicineManOfSeattle and TrailGourmet for the STF (second-to-find).

Okay, so our geocache may not be the Mona Lisa of geocaches, but it sure feels good to have played a part in creating a quality experience that many will be able to enjoy. And, unlike moss, it’s nice to know that we all have the ability to choose what role we’d like to play in our geocaching ecosystem.

3 reasons to hide a geocache with a friend

It’s more fun. ‘Nuff said.
You can share the workload. From building a container to maintaining it, hiding a geocache can be a lot of work! Splitting up or sharing responsibilities makes it a whole lot easier.
Collaboration inspires creativity. The brain is a wonderful thing. Two brains are even better.

FTFsandCOs — RandolphAgarn and I talked the FTF’ers into taking a celebratory selfie with us!

Earlyfinders — Early finders Jwlatona and COOP.

What’s the story behind your first geocache hide?

June 18, 2014 / Derek H /

World Cup Caching! — The Meeting of Waters (GC3XGGT) — Geocache of the Week

Floating right over the meeting of the waters. Photo by geocacher moppel2009

Geocache Name:

The Meeting of Waters (GC3XGGT)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

2/2

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

With much of the world in the grips of World Cup fever (Go USA!), we thought it would be a great time to show off some of the cool geocaches in Brazil. This week, we’re near the city of Manaus, where the soccer/football matches between England & Italy, Cameroon & Croatia, United States & Portugal, and Honduras & Switzerland will take place. For the fans visiting this area, finding this Earthcache is a must. At this location, the Amazon River and Rio Negro come together, creating an incredibly unique view of dark and light waters mixing together. If you’re lucky, you’ll even catch a glimpse of one of the pink dolphins that frequent the area.

What geocachers are saying:

“What a fun day! Took a tour with David Andrade’s Amazon Jungle Tours, filled small bottles with water from both rivers, swam with the pink dolphins, and more!” – molokaihuakai

“Very cool at this location! To me the darker water was colder today! Thanks for this earthcache!” – bubbag04

“Cast away on an Amazonas Beach!!! Next Year we will come back… FIFA Wold CUP 2014!!! Thanks for the cache” – Günni Ka-Li

Photos:

Making the find. Photo by geocacher msstrong

Take a dip! Photo by geocacher Lieveheersbeestje

It looks like coffee to me. Photo by geocacher TheBraendlis

2-part question: What country are you rooting for in the World Cup and what’s your favorite geocache in that country? Tell us in the comments.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, leave a comment below with the name of the geocache, the GC code, and why you think we should feature it.

June 17, 2014 / Paige Edmiston /

Last Call: GIFF Videos Due July 1st

When you log a geocache, do you secretly practice your movie star autograph? Well, here’s your chance to put all that practice to good use. At this year’s Geocaching Block Party, we’re going to showcase geocacher stardom with the second annual Geocaching International Film Festival.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Uc3cPZ7TU&feature=youtu.be]

General Rules

Films can be in any family-friendly genre: narrative, documentary, music video, animation, experimental, etc…
If you are “spoiling” a geocache in any way in your film, you must have geocache owner permission.
Film length must not exceed 4 minutes (including credits)
Only 2 submissions per person will be accepted. A separate submission form is required for each entry.
Non-English language films are encouraged, but must be subtitled in English
No submission fee
Finalists will be selected to screen at the second annual Geocaching International Film Festival from 8pm–10pm on August 15, 2014.
Awards will be announced directly following the screening. You do not need to be present to win an award. A single film can win more than one award.
Submission deadline: July 1, 2014

Think you have what it takes to be a geocaching star? Read these 5 tips for getting your film into GIFF. Then, submit your film.

June 14, 2014 / Eric Schudiske /

May the Geocacher of the Month Be With You: Comment Now

The earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin

Each month the global geocaching community meets three outstanding geocachers. Their task is to help decide which one will be known forevermore as a Geocacher of the Month. This month, we’re fittingly deciding the May Geocacher of the Month. So to the all the geocachers listed below… May the Geocacher of the Month be with you.

The geocachers showcased below lead by example—thousands and thousands of examples. While their find counts are superhuman, they’re more than personable to new geocachers, and more than amazing when it comes to geocache hides.

Each of the nominees below is an essential part of the global geocaching community and will receive a prize package from Geocaching HQ in Seattle, but only one will be the next Geocacher of the Month. A panel from Geocaching HQ will use your comments, community input and other data to decide the winner.

Now it’s your turn to help us select the next Geocacher of the Month: write a supportive comment for the nominated geocacher you feel should be awarded the title.

meandmydogs

: meandmydogs2 – Nominee for Geocacher of the Month

Bandyrooster writes, “Kim, “meandmydogs”, is such an enthusiastic New Hampshire geocacher! She has been geocaching since 2005 and has 14,493 finds in 29 states and 2 countries. She has promoted geocaching by putting out or sponsoring 561 caches, 64 of them having been event caches. She runs the largest event in NH every year with the goal of making it a mega event this year. Her daily find rate is 4.49 for the almost 9 yrs she has been caching. She has found caches on each day of the calendar and one or more of each difficulty and terrain type. Her longest caching streak is 499 days with her longest non-caching streak only 17 days. The list of other challenges she has completed is too long to mention.
Kim is friendly and welcoming to every new cacher and has worked very hard to promote geocaching in New England. She is the backbone of caching in our state and everyone loves going along with Kim on a caching adventure! If anyone has a question about geocaching Kim is the go to person. Kim is so deserving of being cacher of the month!”

sadexploration

: sadexploration – Nominee for Geocacher of the Month

Sludge Bucket writes, “I would like to nominate Steve primarily for has work in starting the Church Micro series within the UK. This series is probably the largest series of geocaches in the world! There are currently over 5000 throughout the UK, giving much pleasure to the UK caching community. Church Micros are caches near Churches throughout the UK, from St Paul’s Cathedral in London to village churches in the wilds of the countryside. Steve has found over 15,000 caches and owns nearly 230. The quality of his caches is exceptional. Steve has been caching since August 2004. His series at Devil’s Dyke, Sussex in the UK has many favorite points. All in all I believe Steve is a worthy recipient of Geocacher of the month. I hope you think so too!”

Mr. Gadget #2

: Mr Gadget 2 – Nominee for Geocacher of the Month

Barnabirdy(s) writes, “Mr. Gadget #2 has frequently been the inspiration and driving force behind Geocaching in his area. He has served as Chapter Representative several times and single handedly has drummed up the support and membership to keep our sometimes struggling Chapter alive.
His caching name fits him perfectly; he seems to possess every gadget applicable to Geocaching and is always ready to share his experience with other cachers, experienced as well as newbies.
From his first cache hide he quickly gained the reputation for creating original and challenging hides with a new slant on caching. Finding Mr. Gadget’s caches is not usually difficult, then the real trick is figuring out how to gain access to the contents.”

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