Category: Geocache of the Week

/ Eric Schudiske /

Strubklamm GC14D8W GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – August 1, 2011

Strubklamm GC14D8W

Not far from Salzburg, Austria a daring adventure waits among the steep cliffs that shoulder the Almbach River. Strubklamm (GC14D8W) is a difficulty five, terrain five geocache placed by Baumrinde & sternfänger in 2007.

The cache owners ask geocachers to understand the risks, find the cache in groups and bring the proper equipment. The list of equipment includes a wetsuit, helmet and climbing gear.

Strubklamm GC14D8W

The cache container is located down a steep gorge. There’s more than just a cache to be found at this location. Cachers will navigate to the gorge, then climb up the canyon walls to jump off of perches (again and again) into a deep, refreshing pool of water. Some who logged a smiley on the cache say they jumped from as high as 13 meters (42 feet) into the water below.

Strubklamm GC14D8W

Continue your exploration of some of the most engaging geocaches from around the world. Explore all the Geocaches of the Week on our blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com

 


/ Eric Schudiske /

Klettersteig Mürren – Gimmelwald GC1DDQ5 GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK July 18, 2011

The view from near "Klettersteig Mürren - Gimmelwald"

This emoticon is used often on the Klettersteig Mürren – Gimmelwald (GC1DDQ5) cache page. Here’s why. The traditional cache involves an extreme form of mountain climbing. Its earned it’s terrain five rating with a breath-taking climb up sheer cliffs and nail-biting crossings on wire thin suspension bridges.  The cache is not for the faint of heart.

Still more than 55 brave geocachers earned the smiley emoticon for logging the Swiss cache.  The geocache has also earned 10 Favorite Points. Spaki placed the cache in 2008.

The pictures posted to the cache page tell the story. Geocachers with only a metal step between them and hundreds of feet of thin air. Safety does come first, especially while climbing. Mandatory equipment for the cache includes a climbing helmet, climbing harness, climbing set specially designed for via ferratas (sling with 2 carabiner hooks).

On the way to
Traveling to the cache site

Continue your exploration of some of the most engaging geocaches from around the world. Explore all the Geocaches of the Week on our blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

 

/ Eric Schudiske /

‘The Ghost Orchid” GC112JY GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – April 11, 2011

The journey to "The Ghost Orchid"

The cache page for “The Ghost Orchid” (GC112JY) pulls no punches. Three paragraphs into the description, SeaAggies lets adventure seekers know what awaits them on this difficulty five, terrain five Multi-Cache.

The page reads, “Put on your mud boots, slather on the mosquito spray and be sure to bring a lot of water and some snacks for this four mile journey through some remote parts of Fakahatchee Strand.”

Fakahatchee Strand is home to a delicate ecosystem populated by endangered plants and animals, including the rare Polyrhiza lindenii, known as the Ghost Orchid. All the plants and animals in the Fakahatchee Strand are protected by state and federal laws. The cache page lets geocachers know that the journey to this cache will offer amazing opportunities for breath-taking photos.

The Ghost Orchid

“The Ghost Orchid” includes five challenging stages, some of which even contain multiple components. The cache was placed in February of 2007 and has accumulated 20 Geocaching Favorite Points.

Most geocachers keep the cache on their watch list for months, slowly assemble a group to tackle it and then work together to earn a smiley. One geocacher who recently logged a “found it” on the cache writes, “The strand is beautiful. The plants, the water, the structure and the places you visit/stumble upon inspire some sense of respect and as a biologist I enjoyed the experience of traversing this area by doing the stages.”

Continue your exploration of some of the most engaging geocaches from around the world. Explore all the Geocaches of the Week on our blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

 

 

/ Eric Schudiske /

“Wahe Ka-Ho-Nee” GCJZDX Geocache of the Week – March 7, 2011

Scaling cliff to reach the "Wahe Ka-Ho-Nee"

“Thank you Colorado for placing a cache here. I am exhausted and will never forget this adventure, definitely one of my all time favorites.” That’s the latest log entry for “Wahe Ka-Ho-Nee” (GCJZDX). It’s an extreme geocache rated a difficulty 2 and terrain 5. The cache owner, Colorado Jones, insists you not try this cache alone and suggests that you tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll return home. It’s easy to see why he’s so insistent. Finding the cache requires a rope, hiking poles, shoe spikes and safety supplies.  Cachers wade through water and encounter poisonous plants, loose rocks and dangerous heights.

Kahonee Falls

The cache description consists of an elaborate story written by Colorado Jones about an explorer completing a rite of passage. For geocachers who complete the extreme cache, they join an exclusive group. Only 31 people have logged a smiley on this cache since it was hidden in 2004.

Continue your exploration of some of the most engaging geocaches from around the world. Explore all the Geocaches of the Week on our blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

/ Eric Schudiske /

“Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Scene 21” GCP439 GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – February 28, 2011

Geocachers facing off against the killer rabbit

A killer rabbit, the Holy Grenade of Antioch and Monty Python’s search for the Holy Grail all intersected at one precise location in 1975. This Scotland location is  Tomnadashan Mine, but for fans of the British comedy troop Monty Python, and the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the location is best known as the lair of the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog.

The geocache “Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Scene 21” (GCP439) has brought more than 100 adventurers to the location since it was hidden in 2005.  Some geocachers even add their own makeshift props adapted from the movie, including their own “killer rabbit.”

The killer rabbit about to attack

The logs thank Snaik and a Deceased Parrot for placing the cache and keeping a small part of movie history from vanishing into the Scottish countryside. One entry reads, “I would never have known this were here if it weren’t for geocaching! I packed a holy hand grenade just in case, but the rabbit must be hibernating early. Thanks for bringing me here!”

The cache page for the difficulty 1.5, terrain 4 cache also details the non-cinematic history of the site as an abandoned mining operation. But it’s the reference to the Monty Python movie that has geocachers traveling deep into rural Scotland with their GPS device, a pen to the sign the log and a “killer” stuffed rabbit to pose in pictures.

Continue your exploration of some of the most engaging geocaches from around the world. Explore all the Geocaches of the Week on our blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.