March 19, 2014 / Eric Schudiske /

Write a Comment – Nominees for the February Geocacher of the Month

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

It’s a month to celebrate the quiet geocacher, the geocacher whose kindness reaches people one-by-one. They’re the reason bonds form across town and across political barriers – because they let us follow them along when we’re new to geocaching, or offer us that gentle nudge closer to finding the geocache.

Each geocacher mentioned here is already a winner. They’ll receive a prize package from Geocaching HQ for their contributions to the global community.

Now, this is your opportunity to help decide who will take home the earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin (at left). Each featured Geocacher of the Month will receive the exclusive special edition Geocoin, a hat and a profile icon. They’ll also receive a certificate acknowledging their contributions, signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com.

MikeOtt – January Geocacher of the Month

In January, Mike Ott was named the Geocacher of the Month.

A geocacher who commented wrote, “He is not the reason I joined Geocaching but he is certainly one of the reasons I am still involved. He has taken a huge role in our state with organizing events and special caches. He has a unique way of finding the “right spot” for a cache. Always an educational experience in one way or another. Thanks. Mike for all you do for new cachers as well as veteran cachers!!.”

Now it’s your turn to help us select the next Geocacher of the Month. Write a supportive comment at the bottom of this blog for the nominated geocacher that you feel should be awarded the title. A panel from Geocaching HQ will then use your comments to help guide the decision of which geocacher is awarded the Geocacher of the Month honor.

Here are your nominees for the February 2014 Geocacher of the Month. Some testimonials have been edited for length.

witch24

I have nominated witch24 because she is my geocaching inspiration. She has placed many caches in my area and have enjoyed finding many of them. On the few of the caches that i have needed help on, nothing has been to much for her. She has also gave me many new cache ideas and introduced me to this amazing game, i am now getting a geocaching membership this Christmas.
Thank you for reading my nominee letter and I think that Witch24 is well worth of the prize.

Yours Sincerly, Alex Age 13

bjmccacher

I would like to nominate Brady, aka bjmccacher, as the Geocacher of the Month.

I first made Brady’s acquaintance in late 2013. I was driving from my home in Kansas to South Dakota, and stopped off along the way to find a few caches in Nebraska City, Neb. I found a few and DNF’d a few. Shortly after posting my DNFs, I received an email from bjmccacher. He very kindly inquired about my experience to both make sure the caches I had DNF’d were there, and also to provide a helpful nudge in the right direction. That was the first of many great experiences with Brady.

Several weeks after our email encounter, I visited Lincoln, Neb. (Brady’s hometown) to attend a lunch geo-event and do some caching. He ended up spending several hours… showing me some wonderful examples of great geocaches. I was blown away. But I later learned that my experience was similar to what many others have had with Brady. Just last month, he again spent a few hours taking me around Lincoln!

Since our first meeting, Brady has continued to be amazingly helpful and a great influence on my enjoyment of the hobby. He is kind and incredibly giving of his skills and knowledge. All in all, Brady Holmes is an example of the geocacher we should all aspire to be. To me, he’s a slam dunk as the Geocacher of the Month!

Sincerely,

Chris Ronan
Running Jayhawks

Wee Willy

Wee Willy is a beloved geocacher, known all around north Texas for his love of hiking and finding places to hide geocaches, large and small but not nanos. Although he is one of the most prolific cache-hiders in our area (current number of active geocaches 594), it is his heart for people that make him so special to geocachers.

Most who share a story about finding a Wee Willy cache describes a memorable geoadventure of a long walk in a park and the joy of discovering a cache large enough to put trackballs or fun swag. Yes, we all grumble that Wee Willy takes us on trails that end up in some really uncomfortable place (itchy Cedar trees), but that doesn’t slow us down as we find his geocaches. His reputation for responding quickly to a DNF or Needs Maintenance is legendary and sets a high standard for all to follow. If every cache owner followed Wee Willy’s example, there would be no grumblers on Groundspeaks’ [Geocaching HQ’s] forums. Finally, we appreciate Willy’s endless attention to new geocachers, inviting all to come and meet local cachers at events and welcoming all to SWAG. Wee Willy is the best of geocaching!!

Leslie

aka Winstonsmom

Comment below to tell us who you think should be the January Geocacher of the Month. We will be accepting comments through March 28.

If your nominee wasn’t recognized here, please submit your nominations again next month. We’re always looking for the next Geocacher of the Month. To nominate a geocacher, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@geocaching.com and include the following information:

Your name, the name of your nominee, their username
A picture of the nominee
Description (200 or more words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Geocacher of the Month

Please inform your nominee that you have submitted them for the award. Nominations for the next Geocacher of the Month should be received by April 3. Once Geocaching HQ has received the nominations, we will choose the top candidates and post them on the blog. You will then get a chance to champion your favorite. Our goal is to involve the entire geocaching community in this process so that we might learn from each other.

March 12, 2014 / Derek H /

Klaatu Barada Nikto! — Aliens Among Us (GC1N0B9) — Geocache of the Week

They've arrived! Photo by geocacher Moun10Bike — They’ve arrived! Photo by geocacher Moun10Bike

Geocache Name:

Aliens Among Us (GC1N0B9)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

1.5/2

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

Geocaching does more than just give us something to do. It gives us a way to explore and to meet new people. In fact, one of my favorite quotes is “the best things you’ll find while geocaching aren’t the geocaches, it’s the geocachers.” With about 7 million geocachers worldwide, there are plenty of adventurous folks just waiting to be your friend. However, it’s not always people you meet. When you seek out a geocache like Aliens Among Us, you’ll have the chance to make the acquaintance of a weary galactic traveler. He/she/it doesn’t say much, but if you search around the spaceship, you might just find a familiar sight: a trusty ammo can.

# of Finds:

196

# of Favorite Points:

What the geocache owner, followingamelia, has to say:

“I had whizzed past this location many times when heading west on I-90 and always noticed the alien waving to me from in front of his space ship. Every time I passed I would think to myself, ‘That would be a great place for a cache.’ …I found the owner of the property and explained what geocaching was and asked if he would like to have a cache placed there. He was all-in! Thus, the alien became the guardian of my cache. I am very happy that this cache has garnered so many “favorites” and I love the positive comments people leave. This spot inspires many people to post pictures and I love seeing which amazing objects here draw cachers’ attention. This whimsical place always makes people smile.

My message to the geocaching community is: If you are going to place a cache, take the time to make it a quality cache. Choose a unique container (with a clever name), or an interesting location. Make the cache large enough to be worth the effort to find it. Create a cache YOU would enjoy finding. I want everyone who finds one of my caches to walk away thinking ‘That was fun!'”

What geocachers are saying:

“Absolutely loved checking everything out, there are some really cool things to be seen in here. Much more than appears from the freeway, that’s for sure! Alone with our thoughts, laughter and wandering feet, we ventured here and there inspecting as many sights as possible. After having a conversation with the Alien in the ship of course. TFTH!” – WrongWayMommy

“What can I say about this cache? We absolutely loved it!! I really wish we had more time to explore the area, but in the bit of time we did have, we had a lot of fun. Great cache, great area and lots of fun…. a favorite for sure!” – 2sunbeams

“Took a big group up for this cool geocache. The owners of the place came out to chat with us and were super nice. So much cool stuff to look at out there. The adults were a little stumped looking for his cache cause we were looking in the spaceship itself. The kids are the ones who actually found it. Had a great time all around.” – Superbob77

Photos:

Greetings Earthling. Photo by geocacher 2sunbeams

He seems friendly enough. Photo by geocacher followingamelia

Meet the alien, but watch out for nearby dinosaurs. Photo by geocacher followingamelia

See More Photos

Who are the most interesting people (or aliens) you’ve met while geocaching? Post your stories and photos 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.

March 11, 2014 / Christy

A SWA*G Filled Mega-Event

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.

In February, the Southwest Arizona Geocachers hosted their signature event, S*W*A*G’s Yuma Mega #11, in sunny Yuma. Above is what it looked like at home in Seattle, where Geocaching HQ is located, that same weekend.

After arriving in Yuma and thanking the Southwest Sunshine Gods (they must exist), I found my first-ever Arizona geocaches and got started on the Mega Event’s Lab Caches.

Jeff Nicholson, you+me_makes3, with S*W*A*G created an elaborate series of 10 Lab Cache locations to show visitors a diverse range of attractions all around Yuma. Fortunately, he had suggested that I get a rental car for the trip. The Lab Caches were an excellent way to see the city’s well-known and hidden gems, ranging from the historical Sanguinetti House Museum to the Yuma Territorial Prison Cemetery. I even got to see some cute animals at the Wild World Zoo and Camel Farm, thanks to the Lab Caches.

The Yuma Warm-Up Mega Event #11 at a local restaurant was a great opportunity to meet the friendly Geocaching community and to get to thank our amazing volunteers in person. There was a nice handful of Geocachers who also had ties to the Seattle-area, and it was fun to catch-up with them. The event also featured a special screening of the Geocaching International Film Festival (GIFF), as shown at the 2013 HQ Geocaching Block Party.

Making friends at the Yuma Warm-Up Mega-Event #11

The next morning, the Mega Event was set up and ready for crowds. The West Wetlands Park was an incredible location, not too cramped and very pretty. There was a large array of fun activities to choose from; check out the impressive Activities Schedule on the cache page! I met with even more geocachers, vendors, Signal the Frog, and checked out the cool vehicles on display before completing the Lab Cache series later that afternoon.

Before heading back to the airport, I hosted a very-early-morning event cache of my own: I choo-choo-choose you! at the historic steam train near Gateway Park. I arrived early and there was already a welcoming crowd of friendly faces waiting for me as the sun came up. What an incredible group of geocachers! A great way to end an outstanding weekend of geocaching. Thanks, S*W*A*G!

yuma 20 — A Show of Support Local Sheriff’s Department

yuma 30 — I choo-choo-choose you Logbook

March 10, 2014 / Eric Schudiske /

Dear (Aspiring) Geocache Hider: Earn a Souvenir

MailerImage_03102014_MakerMadness_vFINAL_blog (1) You’ve found geocaches that leave you in awe, now unlock the secrets of making those creative geocache hides. Celebrate Maker Madness. Hundreds of Maker Madness events around the world aim to inspire geocachers. Learn the magical formula that weaves innovative containers, inspiring locations and powerful storytelling into creative geocache hides. While amazing geocaches live on and on, Maker Madness is for a limited time only. It runs from March 28 through April 7. Everyone logging an “Attended” for a Maker Madness event earns a digital “Maker” souvenir for their geocaching profile.

Visit the Maker Madness Event Center to find an event near you, or find out how to create your own Maker Madness event. Now “Go Forth and Create”!

March 7, 2014 / Eric Schudiske

Announcing the January Geocacher of the Month

he earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin (sun flare optional) — The earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month Geocoin

Geocachers from around the globe commented on their favorite geocachers, even if they only know them through their glowing reputation. It’s a small geocaching world out there and through nominees, the worldwide community learned about three amazing geocachers this month.

Each of the nominees is already a winner, with a prize package headed their way. But only one geocacher can be named Geocacher of the Month.

All the nominees add an important contribution to their local communities and inspire the global geocaching community. Each will receive special recognition for their contribution to the adventure of geocaching. Before naming the Geocacher of the Month, Geocaching HQ reviews community input and blog comments. Each comment is read and posts in native languages are encouraged.

A geocaching pioneer from a progressive geocaching state in the U.S. claimed the title of January’s Geocacher of the Month: MikeOtt.

One comment reads, “He is not the reason I joined Geocaching but he is certainly one of the reasons I am still involved. He has taken a huge role in our state with organizing events and special caches. He has a unique way of finding the “right spot” for a cache. Always an educational experience in one way or another. Thanks. Mike for all you do for new cachers as well as veteran cachers!!”

MikeOtt is one of geocaching’s top geocache makers. Celebrate makers, learn the craft of creating clever geocaches and earn a new digital souvenir for your geocaching profile at a Maker Madness event near you.

If you know an outstanding geocacher who should be considered for the honor, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@geocaching.com.

Every nomination must include the following items and abide by the following guidelines:

Your name, the name of your nominee, their username
A picture of the nominee
Description (200 or more words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Geocacher of the Month

Please inform your nominee that you have submitted them for the award. Nominations for Geocacher of the Month are accepted at any time.

Congratulations again to Mike for being recognized as the Geocacher of the Month for January.

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