Geocaching is delightful because of the people who play it — adventure-seekers, makers, parents, astronauts and (sometimes) celebrities. Read their stories.
Binocular's used in finding "Who's Watching You!!!"
Binoculars and a half gallon of water. Those are the unusual tools you might need to successfully unravel a famous New Jersey, USA Multi-Cache.
Who’s Watching You!!! (GC15KNG) has racked up more than 40Favorite Points. TheSurfcastercreated three stage Multi-Cache in 2007. The difficulty 2, terrain 1.5 geocache takes adventurers through the woodlands of “The Garden State.”
The cache tells geocachers what they should bring along on their journey, “You will need to use BINOCULARS for the first stage if the lighting conditions are not right” and “If you are doing this cache in the middle of winter when everything is frozen solid you need to bring a half gallon of water.”
"Who's Watching You!!!"
Adventurers travel only a short distance to find this cache, but each stage of the geocache leaves a lasting impression. One cacher who earned a smiley on “Who’s Watching You!!!” writes, “Stage 1 – amazed at it’s location. Stage 2 – like the craftsmanship. Stage 3 – was like a science project.”
Another geocacher saved the geocache to celebrate a milestone. They write, “WOW! Wanted to make this cache my 2000th find because of its popularity with favorite points and am glad I did. A lot of work was put into this multi, and I appreciate the creativity and ingenuity used to create these caches.”
Near the cache location of "Who's Watching You!!!"
Sorry – there are no spoilers about the specifics of this geocache in this blog post. What unique tools have you used to help complete a geocache?
Continue to explore of some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Explore all theGeocaches of the Weekon the Latitude 47 blog or view theBookmark List on Geocaching.com. If you’ d like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.
January’s featured nominees are fabulous examples of uniquely talented geocachers. Though many other qualified candidates were nominated, Groundspeak Lackeys selected these three helpful, innovative, and creative nominees. Now it’s your turn to help select one of them as January’s featured “Geocacher of the Month.”
AbbeyAckbar, December Featured Geocacher of the Month
Write a comment on this blog post about which of these three geocachers you feel should be the featured “Geocacher of the Month.” Those whose nominees were not recognized here are encouraged to submit their nominations again next month.
Last month, AbbeyAckbar was chosen as the December Featured Geocacher of the Month. AbbeyAckbar, a geocaching couple, was recognized for organizing some of the most creative and popular events in Dublin, Ireland. They were also acknowledged for their consistent willingness to assist geocachers in need. Congratulations again to AbbeyAckbar and all other December nominees.
Here are your nominees for the January Featured Geocacher of the Month. Some testimonials have been edited for length.
Nominated by BigAI437, “Kevin has not only started the geocaching blog, Cachecrazy.com, that reaches international geocachers, but he is constantly getting involved with the local community. Recently he set up a geocaching day for a group of local Girl Scouts. He took them out to find some caches after teaching them all about geocaching. Kevin made sure that these young girls had lots of fun and learned about a new sport that is not only fun, but takes you to places that you might have never visited. I am totally inspired by his commitment to geocaching, the geocaching community, and to his local community.”
Nominated by TeamDotOne, “SerenityNow is responsible for the largest annual events in Ohio known affectionately as the Grand Caching Events (GCE). An example of one of these events is CSI: Cleveland. Not only do to they go way out of their way to host the best events ever but they always seem to come up with something new each and every year to make people want to keep coming back. We have spent countless hours enjoying their company, enjoying their events, enjoying their caches and most importantly, enjoying their friendship.”
Nominated by Horseshoechamp, “Memomls has put on many 101 events and always embraces new cachers with her friendly charm. She is the back bone of North Florida and is known far and wide for her giving- not only her knowledge but her wisdom of caching to all she comes in contact with. Memomls is part owner in a starting Geo-Business here in North Florida called The Cache Station which supplies all sorts of items for both new and old cachers alike. She looks out for many geocachers and willingly hosts events for different people’s accomplishments, even when they are new to geocaching.”
Comment below to tell us who you think should be the featured January “Geocacher of the Month.” A panel of Lackeys will use your comments to help decide which geocacher is awarded the honor. Each featured “Geocacher of the Month” will receive an exclusive special edition featured ”Geocacher of the Month” Geocoin along with a Geocacher of the Month hat and a certificate acknowledging their contributions signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com. We will be accepting comments for January’s award through Monday February 6th.
Geocacher of the Month Geocoin
If you know an outstanding geocacher you would like to nominate to be a Featured Geocacher of the Month, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@groundspeak.com.
Every nomination must meet the following requirements:
Please include your name, the name of your nominee, their username, at least one picture of the nominee and a description (500 or fewer words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Geocacher of the Month. Please inform your nominee that you’ve submitted them for the award. Nominations for the February Geocacher of the Month must be received by February 17th.
Once we have received all of 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 we might learn from each other.
TNT : Donjons & Mountains (GCJPN4) earns its difficulty 5, terrain 5 rating. It also earns a “wow” from the geocaching community. The Multi-Cache has tallied more than 90 Favorite Points so far.
Geocachers spend a day tracking down clues throughout rural Belgium and France. The clues help crack the codes on the cache page.
Once geocachers find the answers they discover coordinates for the final cache. Through it all gecoachers follow their GPS to encounter donjons (fortified towers) seemingly sprouting in the deep forest. They finally finish on a “mountain.”
Cachemier created the cache in 2004. He crafted a comprehensive cache page that’s worth eyeballing. It lays out all the information a geocachers needs in a clear and playful way.
On the cache huntDonjon
The cache page is also clear with a warning. It reads, “If you are afraid or unsure of: heights,depths, darkness, small spaces, various wildlife like spiders, snakes, birds, bats, getting dirty, wet, cold, scratched by briers, bruised, tired, hungry and thirsty — then you should seriously reconsider going on this geocache hunt. One or more of the above elements WILL happen to you on this hunt. However, if you like adventurous hikes and you thrive for the challenge and don’t mind a bit of discomfort then this is the Belgian Geocache hunt for you! If you do decide to take on this challenge, your experience will be one you will remember!”
Car packed to attempt "Donjons & Mountains"
The cache page also lists the items you’ll need to complete the cache which includes dozens of items like a climbing harness, safety rope and carabiners.
News of Donjons & Mountains is spreading from geocacher to geocacher. It’s already on 37 Bookmark Lists.
One geocacher who logged a smiley on Donjons writes, “A while ago, I had a long interesting conversation with a geocacher from Belgium. He highly recommended this cache. Reading the listing, the logs – I decided, yes this cache has to go on my To-Do-List. We really enjoyed our TNT: Donjons & Mountains Trip. Thanks for this adventure and greetings from Germany.”
Continue to explore of some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Explore all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com. If you’ d like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.
Reveal the hidden world around you with Waymarking.com. Unlock unique locations in more than 1000 categories like Scenic Railroads, Last of its Kind or even Ginormous Every Objects. Anyone with a Geocaching.com profile automatically has a free Waymarking.com profile. Simply use your Geocaching.com username and password on Waymarking.com. Often times players combine both activities when they’re exploring another country or just down the block.
Waymarking, like geocaching, offers a sense of discovery that’s waiting just outside your front door. Waymarking.com provides tools for players to catalog, mark, and visit interesting landmarks and locations. Adventures around the world use waymarking to explore hundreds of thousands of exciting, whimsical and useful sites. Read about the eye-opening experience from those who see the world through waymarking lens.
N!tr0 writes, “[Waymarking]… makes me look far deeper than I ever would normally, check around corners, look for dates, read signs, whereas I just used to stroll on by. And I have taken more pictures every month than I ever did before.”
Ginormous Everyday Object waymark
Dragontree says, “The most satisfying elements of waymarking are that it combines all of my talents and interests. I can use my writing skills, photography skills, art and design interest to create a waymark online and we can visit the places in person where we have always wanted to go. It gives a sense of purpose to our life and creates an ongoing memory of the world where our footsteps have fallen.”
Last of its Kind waymark
Fi67 writes, “Waymarking combines so many different things: Going outside, taking pictures, search the web or books and finally digest all that and create your own waymark. Another way to play the game is visiting. You can go to the location of existing waymarks, take a picture and upload it with a comment about your visit. The exact visiting requirements are also defined by the category managers and can vary.”
Waymarking.com now offers more adventures than ever before. Explore the site. Add your own waymarking stories below and click the “Post Comment” button.
View of The Dead Sea from new the geocache location
The sunbaked rocks near the shore of The Dead Sea hide a geocaching adventure. Treasure-hunters trek to a location unlike any other on earth. Geocachers descend 111 meters (364 feet) below sea level to search for what’s billed as the “Lowest Cache on Earth” (GC1EHNZ).
The journey, as geocachers’ GPS devices track closer to the cache coordinates, reveals a scorching desert of shepherd tending flocks, palm trees and wiry brush.
The cache is hidden on the Jordan side of The Dead Sea. The cache owner Limbo placed the small tradition cache in 2008 at an ideal vantage point. Limbo writes on the cache page, “After you find it, find a place to sit and enjoy the great view of the Dead Sea.”
Geocachers from around the world have logged smileys on the cache. One writes, “Given the altitude of this one, I really wanted to pick it up. My driver was pretty interested in the idea and accompanied me across from the parking spot to GZ, and was suitably impressed when I walked straight to the cache and voila! I signed the log while he sorted through the stash, and then it was back to the car to escape the ridiculous heat. They both reckon it was about 50 degrees Celsius [122 F] out here today.”
Geocachers log smileys on the cache
If you’re in the neighborhood in March, and can stand the heat, you could also log an Event Cache. “Meet & Greet @ the Lowest Point on Earth” (GC3AC47) is scheduled for March 3, 2012. It’s within a few kilometers of the “Lowest Cache on Earth.”
Cache container for "Lowest Cache on Earth"
Continue to explore of some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Explore all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com. If you’ d like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.
