We did it! Whether you found one geocache in August or a geocache every day of the month, you joined a global team of more than a half-million adventurers who geocached last month. How many completed the 31 in 31 challenge? An amazing 26,228 geocachers found a geocache each day in August. That’s 10 times the number from August of 2012.
Did you see that out-of-this-world geocache or maybe you’ve heard whispers of it in geocaching lore? It’s the geocache with King Arthur’s sword in a stone, that geocache placed at the scene of a Hollywood train wreck, or maybe it’s even a birdhouse that houses no birds or something else that’s magical, ingenious and never-before-seen in the history of the geocaching galaxy. Yeah, wow. So you’ve heard of it?
A quality hide inspires and invites other geocachers to flex their geocaching creativity. There are ways for you to find the best of the best and ways to get inspired to create amazing geocaches. Use Favorite Points to find the geocaches that made your fellow adventurers’ jaws drop when they found it and follow the Geocache of the Week on our blog. Check out the Geocacher of the Month to see innovators in the geocaching world. Many of these all-stars have geocaches that have hundreds or even thousands of Favorite Points. The Geocaching YouTube channel offers a whole video series dedicated to Creative Geocaches.
There’s one stop you should make before locking yourself in the garage to craft the perfect geocache hide. Check out Advice to Geocache Hiders from Law Enforcement. Then you’ll be ready! Join us on the Geocaching Facebook page to talk creative geocaches and show off your geocaching wonders to the world.
Geocaching goes hand-in-hand with snapping a few shots of the wildlife and your adventure along the way. And sometimes combining two passions like photography and geocaching pays off. Check out some of the early winners in Minelab’s Ultimate Geocaching Hunt photo contest. Seven geocachers have already won the photo of the month award, including WherzaWiggTherzaWay and JonesPosse.
PoteauPets won the February Minelab photo contest for their sweet father-daughter portrait under the caption of “Love is in the air for this father/daughter pair.” PoteauPets enjoy geocaching as a family, and usually find caches in rural areas near where they live. “We truly LOVE geocaching and the time we spend together ‘on the hunt’ as a family,” said Dana of PoteauPets. “My husband likes the ‘evil hides’ while on the other hand, my daughter and I enjoy the cemetery caches. Our daughter loves to keep up with the trackables.”
The Adventurers in Michigan won the March contest with their snowy photo of the Minelab geocoin and a metal detector. “Winning the contest for that month was a complete surprise,” said David of the Adventurers. David and his girlfriend/best friend enjoy discovering trackables and going geocaching everywhere and in all seasons. Another winner, Gary of JonesPosse, came away with a pocketed vest. He wore it to Geowoodstock XI and during a three-day hike along the Appalachian Trail for his 6,000th find.
Adventurers – March winner
There are still nearly three months left to enter the monthly photo contests and earn a chance to win a trip to Mexico. For more information on Minelab’s Ultimate Geocaching Hunt, visit the Minelab Geocaching page. When you’re ready to enter, go to the Minelab Facebook Photo Contest page.
Monthly prizes include a $400 Minelab coupon, a Minelab hat & vest, and all monthly winners will still be eligible for the grand prize: a Mexican cruise for two!
The Minelab “Ultimate Geocaching Hunt” photo contest is solely sponsored by Minelab, Inc., a subsidiary of Codan, LTD. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and Canada who are 18 years and older at time of entry. Entry period for the contest commences at 12:01 a.m. (CST) on November 13, 2012 and expires at 11:59 PM (CST) on November 13, 2013. Void where prohibited. For details and restrictions, see the Official Contest Rules.
A double-whammy: a magnetic and camouflaged geocache
Geocaching Back to Basics
Geocaching is actually pretty basic when you write it out—someone hides a geocache and challenges anyone to try to find it. Whether you’re new or a geocaching veteran, it’s good to renew some of the other basics. It makes geocaching an adventure worth sharing.
1) Warm up: Brush up on your geocaching knowledge with the new What is Geocaching? video. Be a pal and share it with your fellow geocachers to start them on the right path.
2) Finding basics: This is a big one, ready? Magnets exist. We even know how they work. Geocache hiders love to use magnets to secure a geocache under or on a metal object. They have also mastered all sorts of camouflage. See the image in the newsletter? It’s a double-whammy: a magnetic geocache that looks like a bolt. It’s easy to learn even more tips and tricks from friendly geocaching veterans, just attend a local Geocaching Event.
3) Logging basics: BYOP. It means Bring Your Own Pen. When you finally track down the geocache, sign it with your username, the date and, if there’s room, some details about your adventure. Then, log your experience online or through the Geocaching App, maybe add a photo and BOOM—you’ve earned a smiley for your Geocaching profile.
There’s more to know and more to uncover (even for the experts). Stumped on something? Have a question about what TOTT* means? Chime in here in comments or on the Geocaching Facebook page for answers and advice.
Start plotting your crafty strategy, rally your friends and prepare for a month of geocaching like no other. August is being celebrated by geocachers around the world as the “31 Days of Geocaching.” Find a geocache, log a “Found it” (or an “Attended” for an Event Cache) and earn a unique calendar-style Geocaching souvenir for each day in August. That’s 31 souvenirs up for grabs.
Warming up for this month-long geocache fest will take more than planning. It’ll take practice. You can get ready for the 31 Days of Geocaching by earning the Geocaching Get Outdoors Day souvenir. You’ll only be able to earn it on this Saturday, July 13. The same rules apply. If you log a “Found it” or an “Attended” on July 13 you earn the souvenir seen in this newsletter for your Geocaching profile.
The official Geocaching Get Outdoors Day souvenir
To prepare for this epic challenge, you should tap into some expert advice. Check out the Top 8 Tips for Maintaining Your Geocaching Streak post on The Geocaching Blog about planning for your geocaching streak. Spread the word about the 31 Days of Geocaching to your friends by attending the event on the Geocaching Facebook page. And keep watching the Geocaching Weekly Newsletter for more details about the August adventure, 31 Days of Geocaching.
We did it! Whether you found one geocache in August or a geocache every day of the month, you joined a global team of more than a half-million adventurers who geocached last month. How many completed the 31 in 31 challenge? An amazing 26,228 geocachers found a geocache each day in August. That’s 10 times the number from August of 2012.
