Category: Geocache of the Week

/ Eric Schudiske /

“Water coming down, Cacher climbing up” GCQYK6 GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – 8/16/2010

"Water coming down, Cacher climbing up" GCQYK6

“Water coming down, Cacher climbing up” (GCQYK6) might define a terrain 5 geocache. Terrain is rated from 1 (most accessible) to 5 (most difficult).  The fixed-rope route is designed for advanced climbers only.  According to the cache owner, the route is said to be the most challenging climb in the southern Austrian state of Carinthia.  A helmet, climbing shoes and other pieces of specialized equipment are a must.

The view from the route of GCQYK6

Geocachers ascend the vertical face of a sheer rock cliff to reach the geocache.  The pictures below tell the heart-racing story and the majestic visual pay-off along the way.  The trek takes geocachers about two and half hours to complete.

Along the route of GCQYK6

The Multi-Cache tasks geocachers to reach three waypoints before unlocking the code for the coordinates where the physical cache is located.

The route also treats geocachers to a rope bridge that dangles climbers over a deep gorge.

Waypoint along the route of GCQYK6

Paraszczak and Jurko hid the cache in 2005.  Geocachers who’ve logged the find call it one of the absolute highlights of their caching careers.  But only ten brave geocachers have logged smileys to date.

GCQYK6 is one of the oldest terrain 5 caches in Austria.  When it was placed, there were fewer than ten terrain 5’s in the country. Now, there more than 250 Terrain 5 geocaches in Austria.

There are now more than 1.1 million geocachers in the world.  But only a fraction ever become Geocaches of the Week.  Explore the all the Geocaches of the Week here.

/ Eric Schudiske /

“Kilimanjaro Lava Tower” GC25W5D GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – July 18th, 2010

Kilimanjaro Lava Tower (GC25W5D) is an EarthCache three million years in the making.  KDubs created this EarthCache and two others on the mountain.    Kilimanjaro Lava Tower (GC25W5D), Kilimanjaro Climate Zones (GC1X8Ao) and Kilimanjaro Glacial Sublimation (GC29PKY) all wait for visitors to answer their EartheCache questions.

Lava Tower


Kilimanjaro’s summit reaches 19,342 feet (5895 meters) into the clouds.  The Eastern African mountain rose about three million years ago during the formation of the Great Right Valley. Kilimanjaro Lava Tower (GC25W5D) requires you to answer two questions about this rock tower, from one of the three volcanoes which comprise the mountain.

Kilimanjaro Climate Zones (GC1X8A0) asks you to take a photo in each of the five climate zone on the mountain.

Kilimanjaro Glacial Sublimation (GC29PKY) challenges you to explore the fading glaciers of the mountain.  You need to answer three questions and provide a photo.

Geocachers at the summit of Kilimanjaro
Glacier on Kilimanjaro

Today, adventures hike up the mountain in the thousands.  Geocachers stop along the way to claim EarthCaches, learn about the mountain, the forces that formed it and the glaciers that still crown Kilimanjaro.

Explore other Geocaches of the Week here.

/ Eric Schudiske /

“Captain Jacques Yves Cousteau” GCJ9YK GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – 7/26/2010

The Virtual Cache titled, “Captain Jacques Yves Cousteau” (GCJ9YK) takes divers forty feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean.  At this location you’ll discover a plaque honoring Caption Jacques Yves Cousteau.

This difficulty 4, terrain 5 Virtual Cache delivers geocachers to what’s reported to be one of the most popular dive sites on the West Coast of North America.  The dive site is located off Catalina Island, California.  According to the cache page, you must use SCUBA gear to reach the cache and dive with a partner.

PezCachers, Jill and Ken, created the geocache.

They say, “We enjoy placing caches that have some sort of history to them and are fun to find. GCJ9YK is a fine example of that. When we placed the cache in 2004, there were very few underwater caches and we thought it would be fun to see how many geocachers were divers. Turns out there are a lot! Thanks for bringing attention to the great legend who gave us a vision and the key to the silent world.”

PezCachers asks three questions before you’re able to claim the cache. Beside answering to those questions at this Virtual Cache, you’ll also discover much more: wrecks, drop-offs and come face to face with countless colorful fish.

Explore all the Geocaches of the Week here.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Virtual Caches are no longer available for creation on Geocaching.com.  These types of caches are now considered waymarks on Waymarking.com.

/ Eric Schudiske /

“Mingo” GC30 GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – July 4th, 2010

Sunset at "Mingo" GC30

“Mingo” GC30 survives at the oldest active cache.  This Terrain 1, Difficulty 1 geocache sits right off the interstate in Western Kansas. It was placed on May 11th, 2000.  The cache has been logged more the 1,700 times since then.  “Mingo” is a must-log for many geocachers and billed as a “quick stop for a long trip.” The Kansas Stasher placed the cache.  He writes that it’s the 7th geocache ever placed, and the first in Kansas.

What to explore more geocaching adventures? Take a look at all the Geocaches of the Week here.

/ Eric Schudiske /

“As North As It Gets” GC5803 GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – June 25th, 2010

A local resident near GC5803

Just in time for the beginning of the best weather to travel north, is our Geocache of the Week GC5803.  The geocache titled, “As North As It Gets!” takes you up to N. 82 degrees.

Besides the wolf above, cachers who’ve logged GC5803 say you’ll also be walking among foxes, lemmings and even polar bears.  The cache is just outside what’s reported to be the northernmost permanently inhabited place on earth: Alert, Canada. The Canadian Air Force staffs a station there. Temperatures in Alert average about -30 degrees Celsius most of the year.

Geocacher finding GC5803. At last report, the cache thankfully contained gloves and hand warmers.

Now is the perfect opportunity to plan your northern caching adventure.  July is typically the warmest month.  The snow melts to reveal a rocky terrain of jagged shale.  Temperatures average a scorching six degrees Celsius (42 Fahrenheit).  You could be among the nearly two dozen geocachers to earn a smiley for logging this cache and take away memories of a rarely visited northern landscape.

View from near the GC5803

What to explore more geocaching adventures? Take a look at all the Geocaches of the Week here.