Category: Extreme Geocaching

/ Paige Edmiston /

Maker Madness: How to Register Your Event

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Finding a great geocache can make for an awe-inspiring adventure, but those adventures do not magically appear on their own. They are concocted inside the brilliant mind of a Geocache Maker. This crazy thing we call geocaching would simply not exist without the people who channel their creativity and innovative spirit into making great experiences for others.

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.

We’re calling all Geocache Makers (and folks who want to celebrate their favorite Makers) to host events to celebrate geocache creation and to inspire the next generation of geocache makers. Anyone who logs an “Attended” at a registered Maker Madness event will earn a Maker Madness souvenir.

How to Register Your Event:

  1. Check out this blog post for ideas on how to host a magnificent Maker Madness event.

  2. Submit a geocaching event for publication. Make sure that it is clear in your event’s title and description that this event is part of the Maker Madness celebration. Events must be submitted at least 14 days prior to your event date. Late submissions will not be eligible for a souvenir. Events must take place between March 28 and April 7 to qualify for the souvenir.

  3. Wait for your event to be published by a geocaching community volunteer. It can take up to ten days for your event to be reviewed. Once that happens…

  4. Fill out this web form.

  5. Check out this bookmark list to see if your event has been successfully registered. It may take 3-5 days for your event to be added to this list. Note: Events that are not in the spirit of Maker Madness may not be eligible for this souvenir.

  6. Print out this official PDF completion certificate for guests who attend your Maker Madness event.

  7. Have a great time and then share photos and stories from your event with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and in the comments below!

Interested in attending an event? Check out this bookmark list to find Maker Madness events near you.

/ Paige Edmiston /

Geocache Maker Inspiration

Get your geocache building tools ready. It’s time to become a geocache maker. First things first. Check out this video to learn the basics of geocache hiding:

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Now, are you ready to take your geocache to the next level? You’ll need to learn the magic formula for creating an unforgettable experience: innovative container + inspiring location + powerful storytelling. Check out these 7 tips and tricks for making the ultimate geocaching experience:

1. Think everyday, household items. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to make an innovative geocache. Simple latches (like child locks!) and magnets can go a long way towards building a cool container.

Another geocache by Herr Potter, "Horse Heaven"
A geocache by Herr Potter that uses child proof drawer latches.

2. Make sure the location matches the container. A tupperware container is awesome if it brings you to an inspiring location; it’s less awesome if it brings you to a parking lot. You can make up for a less exciting location by using a container that requires some brain power to open or is itself a work of art.

3. Don’t forget the geocache page!  A person’s geocaching experience begins the moment they open a geocache’s page. Tell a fun, fictional story or use the geocache page to teach a history or science lesson. Make sure the necessary information, including coordinates, is accurate.

4. Geocaching needs a planet. So let’s take care of the earth! Read these 6 tips for hiding an environmentally friendly cache.

5. Ask for permission. While it may not be as exciting as making an innovative container or discovering the perfect location, asking permission before placing a geocache is essential to creating a quality geocaching experience. You wouldn’t want geocachers to have a negative run-in with a property owner who isn’t aware of your geocache!

6. Think longevity. Geocaches can live for a very long time, but this requires some tender, loving care. Take the D2W quiz to see if your geocache is made for life, and make sure to follow up on Needs Maintenance logs posted by other geocachers. No one likes a soggy logbook.

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See step-by-step instructions to recreate some of the world’s coolest geocaches.

7. Look to others for inspiration. There’s a lot of creativity out there in the geocaching universe. To get your own creative juices flowing, check out the Creative Hides on our Geocaching Pinterest page to see what geocachers around the world are doing. Then check out these step-by-step instructions to learn some of world’s greatest makers’ secret ingredients to building a world-class geocache:

Geocache on the Rocks by Fogg

A SHOCKING Cache by WVTim

Schrader’s Ode to Dayspring by Herr Potter

You’ve read the tips. You’ve seen the photos. Now you’re ready…. Go forth & create!

Are you a geocache Maker? Tell us about your most creative hide in the comments below.

 

 

 

/ Annika

Geocaching in Space – Q&A with Astronaut Rick Mastracchio

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Students ask – Astronaut Rick Mastracchio answers

On his final trip to Space on November 2013, Astronaut Rick Mastracchio packed along a Geocaching Travel Bug to the International Space Station (ISS). The little Travel Bug connected with students all over the world to teach about space travel, science and geography.

Continue reading →

/ Paige Edmiston /

From the Desk of Moun10Bike: How to Keep Your Geocaching Streak Going in the Snow

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Moun10Bike’s desk at Geocaching HQ: where office life and geocaching magic collide.
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The Geocoin that started it all turned 12 this year.

Geocaching HQ is home to a geocaching legend. His title is Community Liaison to Engineering. His name is Jon Stanley. He’s better known as Moun10Bike in the geocaching world.  As one of the world’s first-ever geocachers, Moun10Bike earned his geocaching fame by creating the first of what we now know as geocoins.

Moun10Bike agreed to share his coolest geocaching tips as we head into the winter season here in the Northern hemisphere.

Q: You are working on a geocaching streak. How many days of geocaching in a row are you up to? What inspired you to take on this challenge?

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Hiking above the clouds and into the snow for a geocache. Brrr….but totally worth it! Photo by Moun10Bike.

A: On Christmas Eve, my streak will hit 700 days. I want to keep going for as long as it’s fun. The initial motivator was to have a streak that was longer than my longest slump (141 days between my first and second cache finds, back when there were very few caches around). After that, there seemed to be continued incentives that kept me going (e.g. qualifying for particular challenges, etc.).

Q: What is the biggest challenge you face in maintaining your streak?

A: We head back to Spokane and North Idaho during the holidays to be with family, where snow is a much more frequent sight than it is in Seattle. Keeping up the geocaching when everything is under a blanket of white and you’re sipping eggnog by a warm fire becomes a challenge then.

Q: What tips do you have for other geocachers who are trying to keep a streak going in the winter weather?

A: I start off by looking for geocaches that have the “Available in Winter” attribute, although this is rather hit-or-miss as some geocache owners do not use attributes. It does help identify some better ones that were intended specifically for winter, though. What helps the most is looking for geocaches that were found in the last day or two, especially if it recently snowed. This tells you that people are having success at these geocaches despite whatever the conditions on the ground may be.

Q: So what makes  for a good winter geocache?

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Moun10Bike’s co-worker and geocaching friend Annie Love (Username: Love) takes a photo on their geocaching expedition. Photo by Moun10Bike.

A: Basically any geocache that is off the ground or otherwise protected from snow coverage. Some great winter geocaches that I’ve found were attached to branches in a tree. During the summer, they are many feet up in the air, but are within easy reach with snow on the ground. If a geocache meets these criteria, the geocache owner should be sure to add the “Available in Winter” attribute.

Q: Do you have any safety tips for geocachers who – streaking or not – might find themselves outside geocaching in frightful weather?

A: Dress warmly, be ready and willing to turn back if conditions turn against you, and watch out for ice! I encountered a frozen patch on a trail during an geocaching outing last winter and made a point to stomp across carefully. Despite my caution, my hiking boots slipped out from under me and I broke my arm in the process of catching myself.

Q: But you continued winter geocaching after that?

A: I absolutely did! The break came when I was only a month away from a year straight, so I had to keep going.

Keep tuned in to learn more great geocaching tips from the desk – or trail – of Moun10Bike. What inspires you to leave the warm eggnog and crackling fire behind, and head out geocaching in the winter weather? Tell us in the comments below.