Category: Extreme Geocaching

/ Eric Schudiske /

And Now… A Geocaching Limerick Contest

Podcacher Podcast

It’s not often you’re able to combine your love of prose and geocaching… until now. And really how do you express your love for geocaching? Do you pour your creativity into an awesomely crafted hide? Are you the first one out the door in the race to be first to find? Do you spend hours crafting a blog post about your latest geocaching adventures? How about poetry? That’s right – geocaching poetry!

Geocaching HQ staff will be judging the lyrical stylings of the PodCacher Podcast Limerick Contest. You have until April 11 to enter for a chance to win geocaching gear provided by Shop Geocaching. There’s a few things you need to know. Ready for a limerick that explains it all (almost)?

To win a cool coin that is slick

you’ll need to know this little trick

All you need to begin

with a good chance to win

is write up the best limerick

The Geocaching Limerick Contest is sponsored by the PodCacher podcast. Here are some important guidelines. Your limerick must have a geocaching-related theme and it must be family friendly! It must follow the standard Limerick format (3 long and 2 short lines rhyming aabba)

A geocaching Limerick might look something like this:

An urban family went caching

To locate what ranchers were stashing;

They disturbed many crickets

And found a few trinkets

Though the steers kept them constantly dashing.

And here’s a non-geocaching example:

Writing a Limerick’s absurd,

Line one and line five rhyme in word,

And just as you’ve reckoned

They rhyme with the second;

The fourth line must rhyme with the third.

Interested in competing? Check out the contest and details. The winner will be selected by a panel from Geocaching HQ. You have until Friday, April 11 to enter. Good luck! Listen to the PodCacher Podcast for the winner announcement!

Podcacher Podcast 1

/ 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”!

/ Derek H /

Picture This: A Geocaching Trackable Frames a Journey

Geocaching trackables travel far and wide—hopping from geocache to geocache in the hands of geocachers. If we could hear the stories they had to tell, we’d have an endless supply of tales that include action, adventure, love and maybe even some sci-fi. We haven’t developed talking trackables just yet (soon?), but they can still tell a story via the pictures you post on the trackable’s page. The next time you pick up a Travel Bug or Geocoin, make sure to add to the story and post a photo of its journey to the next geocache. You could help tell a story like Kelly Frazee (geocaching name: kelwin).

Kelly recently had the opportunity to take a picture perfect bike tour across Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand—and she brought along the perfect travel companion: a Geocaching trackable. The trackable, “Picture This” (TBKXCT), is an ornate wooden frame and has the mission to collect as many interesting photos as possible. So as she pedaled along the Silk Roads, she took photos of the trackable and posted them in a note on the trackable’s page. Here are a few photos of this amazing journey:

Wat Phra Si Sanphet Ayutthaya, Thailand Photo by Kelly Frazee
Wat Phra Si Sanphet Ayutthaya, Thailand Photo by Kelly Frazee
Bayon Temple Siem Reap, Cambodia Photo by Kelly Frazee
Bayon Temple Siem Reap, Cambodia Photo by Kelly Frazee
Downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Photo by Kelly Frazee
Downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Photo by Kelly Frazee
Angkor Wat Temple Siem Reap, Cambodia Photo by Kelly Frazee
Angkor Wat Temple Siem Reap, Cambodia Photo by Kelly Frazee
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Photo by Kelly Frazee
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Photo by Kelly Frazee

 

Have you taken any trackables to amazing locations? Tell the story and post the photos below.

/ Paige Edmiston /

Maker Madness Event Center

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Click on the map to find a Maker Madness event near you!

Whether you’re a Social Butterfly or a Nature Lover, a Stats Geek, Traveler, or Puzzler (take the quiz and find out your geocacher type), it’s time to say thank you to a geocache maker near you. From March 28 – April 7, geocachers around the world will join together to celebrate the people in their community who make geocaching possible. We call this celebration Maker Madness.

Every geocacher who logs an “Attended” at a registered Maker Madness event will earn a Maker Madness souvenir.

Take a look at these tips for hosting an event that will have your guests inspired to go forth and create their own magical geocaching experiences:

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Maker Madness Souvenir Image

1.) Think ahead. The best geocaches are not just thrown together willy- nilly.  They are a labor of love that take time and careful planning. The same should apply to your Geocaching Event. Do you need to make reservations for a venue? Do your guests need to bring their own creative supplies? Keep in mind that you have to submit your Geocaching Event at least 14 days prior to your Maker Madness celebration, which means that Monday, March 24th is the cut off date for your online submission. You will also want to submit the Maker Madness registration form as soon as your event is published.

2.) Think collaboration. Geocaches are a gift to the community. It’s time to get the community together to give back to those who make geocaching tick. To maximize the number of geocachers at your event, check to see if there is already another event published in your area. If there’s already an event, be a team player! See if you can help the event host with planning their event.

3.) Think education and inspiration. Are you an accomplished geocache maker? This is your chance to share your mad skills and big brain with your fellow geocachers. Incorporate a class or workshop into your event to show others how you implemented your best creations, or teach them the very basics of geocache making. Imagine what it would be like if every one of your guests walked out of your event inspired to make their own awesome creation. Imagine all of the cool, new geocaches to find!

4.) Think celebration.  We heart geocache makers and we know that their local (and world) communities do too. If you yourself are not a maker, this is your chance to celebrate your favorites! Organize an event to show your appreciation, showcase their geocaches, and maybe even ask them to share a few of their best tips and tricks with all of their fans who attend the event.

We hope that these tips will help you to spread your creative geocaching juices, inspire a new generation of awesome hiders, honor your favorite makers, and (let’s hold nothing back) make your event the very best Maker Madness bash ever.

A few things to remember:

  • Dates: March 28 – April 7
  • Don’t forget to register your event after it has been published by a reviewer. Events that are not registered will not qualify for a souvenir.
  • You can check to see if your event or an event you are attending has been officially registered here.
  • Share photos and stories from your event with us on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram.
  • And don’t worry – special Maker Madness GeoCoins, Tags, Trackable Patches, and T-shirts coming soon to Shop Geocaching!
/ Paige Edmiston

Registrierungsanleitung für Deinen “Maker Madness” Event

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Einen tollen Geocache zu finden, kann sich wie ein richtiges Abenteuer anfühlen. Solche besonderen Geocaches sprießen jedoch nicht von selbst aus dem Boden, sondern gedeihen im brillianten Geist eines Geocaching-Machers oder einer Macherin. Was Geocaching ausmacht, sind ebenjene Geocacher und Geocacherinnen, die ihre Kreativität und ihren Erfindungsgeist in tolle Erlebnisse für andere verwandeln.

Vom 28. März bis zum 7. April können Geocacher aus aller Welt zusammenkommen und diejenigen in der Gemeinschaft feiern, die Geocaching möglich machen. Wir nennen diese Feier “Maker Madness”.

Alle Geocache-Macher, Macherinnen und Leute, die ihre Lieblings-Macher und Macherinnen feiern wollen, können einen Event organisieren und die nächste Generation an Geocache-Machern inspirieren. Jeder, der sein “Attended” bei einem registrierten “Maker Madness” Event loggt, erhält ein “Maker Madness” Souvenir.

Wie kann ich meinen Event registrieren?:

1. Finde Inspirationen und Tipps, wie Du einen erfolgreichen Event organisieren kannst, in diesem Artikel.

2. Reiche Deinen Geocache hier ein. Der Titel und die Beschreibung für Deinen Event sollten mit der zur “Maker Madness” beitragen. Events müssen mindestens 14 Tage vor dem Event-Datum eingereicht werden. Es kann bis zu 10 Tagen dauern, bis Dein Event überprüft wird. Der Event muß zwischen dem 28. März und 7. April stattfinden, um sich für ein Souvenir zu qualifizieren.

3. Sobald Dein Event von Deinem freiwilligen Reviewer freigegeben wurde….

4. …Fülle dieses Formular aus.

5. Überprüfe in dieser Liste, ob Dein Event erfolgreich registriert ist. (Es kann 3-5 Tage dauern, bis Dein Event hier erscheint.) Anmerkung: Events, die nicht im Geiste der “Maker Madness” organisiert sind, qualifzieren sich möglicherweise nicht für ein Souvenir.

6. Drucke das offizielle PDF Zertifikat für die Gäste Deines “Maker Madness” Events aus.

7. Hab’ Spaß und teile Deine Fotos und Anekdoten von Deinem Event mit uns bei Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest und in den Kommentaren hier.