Geocacher Abby Wolfe (pictured on the left) wears many proverbial “hats.”  The avid hiker is the President of the Washington State Geocaching Association (WSGA) and chairs its Park Advocacy Committee. Her Geocaching.com username is hydnsek.

Abby is also one of the few to make physical geocaches in national parks in the United States a reality.

Here’s her story, in her own words. See what you might learn about bringing physical geocaches to a national park near you.

LATITUDE 47: Tell us the big geocaching news about the North Cascades National Park, what happened and how did you make it happen?

ABBY: The first two physical caches were recently published in North Cascades National Park Service Complex (NCNPSC) – Cascade Pass Trailhead and Gorge Dam Overlook. This may be the first western national park to permit physical caches – a great win for geocachers!

I first contacted North Cascades three years ago to get permission for an EarthCache. They were receptive, and their interpretive specialist suggested the location for a second EarthCache. I met with them, and built a relationship from there—becoming a park volunteer (VIP) and their geocaching liaison, and educating them about geocaching and the potential benefits of physical caches. It helped that the superintendent was already enthusiastic about “questing” activities (as he calls them) because he’d taken his kids letterboxing, and they had already permitted a letterbox.

LATITUDE 47: What lessons have you learned about working with the National Park Service that other geocachers should know?

ABBY: Many cachers believe the NPS bans geocaching, which isn’t entirely true. The current NPS geocaching guidance document (PDF file) leaves it to the discretion of individual park superintendents. Many NPS personnel aren’t familiar with it, so you may have to educate them about the guidance doc as well as geocaching.

You’re more likely to have success with lesser-known parks that are looking for ways to raise their profile and increase attendance (and funding). For example, Mount Rainier is hugely popular and has no incentive to permit physical caches (although we’ve turned a key ranger into an avid geocacher). North Cascades is a different story; they receive only 19,000 visitors each year (!), so promoting geocaching as a popular activity and educational tool that could help attract new visitors was a strong selling point.

LATITUDE 47: Why do you think geocaching belongs in national parks?

ABBY: Many of our greatest natural wonders are in the National Parks. Geocaching provides a fun and educational way to explore them, especially for families, since kids are more engaged by the “treasure hunt” than by scenery and signs. EarthCaches are great, but they’re limited to geological features and are less appealing to some cachers and kids. Physical caches can showcase scenery, flora and fauna, and human history.

LATITUDE 47: How do geocachers (seekers and those seeking to hide caches) continue a healthy relationship with the national parks?

ABBY: I think the best way is to show that we understand their goals and concerns, and that we respect the environment (think CITO!) and park policies. Becoming a park volunteer is a great way to foster this; it’s helped WSGA win over several parks. If you can get park personnel to view geocaching as a positive recreational activity that supports their mission without adding to their workload, it will be easier for them to support geocaching.

Building these trusting relationships is the goal of WSGA’s Park Liaison Program, which pairs a geocacher with a park system to self-manage geocaching activities. North Cascades was one of our first participants, and we currently have 10 park systems in the program.

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The story of the first Reverse Geocache™ took nearly an entire year to play out, from its auspicious and mysterious beginnings to a climactic ending. The intercontinental suspense just ended in November.

Inventor Mikal Hart shifted geocaching in reverse for a wedding present last year. Hart’s “Reverse Geocaching Puzzle Box” is a locked box that needs you to deliver it to a secret location.  The GPS-enabled box won’t unlock until you take it to the pre-programmed destination. Hart delivered the first-ever Reverse Geocache™ as a wedding present for friends.

The wedding took place in Paris last autumn. Hart gave the gift with no explanation. The curious wooden box had just a single button and a small display. When the button was pressed the display flicked to life and read, “Attempt 1 of 50: Distance 391km.”

Hart’s original Reverse Geocache™ was promptly placed on a shelf in the couple’s home, and for months sat largely forgotten.

But Hart almost immediately began stirring interest. He posted an article, and before long hundreds of thousands of people were enraptured by the romance and adventure contained in that one little box. But not his newlywed friends. They didn’t see the articles in major newspapers, the videos on YouTube or discover that Mikal started producing more and more Reverse Geocaches™.

Fast-forward nearly a year. A major motion picture is now in the works using a Reverse Geocache as part of the plot, Mikal  is traveling spreading the story of the Reverse Geocache™ far and wide, and still nothing from his friend.

Then, one day last month, an email arrives. The not-so newlyweds tracked down the location where their box would open. The original Reverse Geocache™ whirled and unlocked on a small island in the English Channel. The presents inside were gift cards. But the married couple said that the adventure was the real present, writing, “There’s some pretty cool and clever design in that little box!”

Mikal was able to sit down with his friend recently to tell them how the Reverse Geocache™ had evolved since their wedding. He details the conversation in a recent blog post. He says: “His response was just what you’d hope and expect: surprise and amazement yielding to quiet delight, and finally the inevitable series of questions and suggestions for how the magic of the puzzle box might be kept alive. ”

For more information and to read Mikal’s complete account of the story click here. Click on the video below to see the Geocaching.com Lost & Found video on the Reverse Geocache™.