Category: Lackeys

/ Eric Schudiske /

Roadtrip? Just add Geocaching…

Lackeys and friends celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the "The Goonies" film and add geocaching to the fun

You can’t take it with you.  The adage is a common enough saying, but when it comes to geocaching, it’s an outright lie.  You can take it with you whether you’re road tripping for business or during a family holiday.

A group of Lackeys did just that this weekend.  They road tripped from Seattle, Washington USA, one state south to Oregon.

Why? The Lackeys revisited a movie at the heart of all things geocaching.  They took part in the celebration “Never Say Die – The Goonies 25th Anniversary Celebration”.

“The Goonies” is a classic location based treasure hunting film featuring a pack of outcast kids seeking a pirate’s hidden treasure with the mob in hot pursuit.  The movie based in Astoria, Oregon.  “The Goonies” is in a word, hilarious.

But what’s hilarity without sharing the fun with friends?  Enter the Lackeys.  In true geocaching tradition, they created an Event Cache.  More than 50 people showed up to share their own stories of hunting hidden treasure – though geocachers were not armed with a treasure map or chased by the mob (I hope), they were packing some serious GPS power.

Trackable t-shirts

There were also Trackables (like the t-shirts in the pictures.) trivia and trading at the Event Cache. Getting any ideas about hosting an Event Cache?

Right now, there are over four million of your geocaching friends out there in the wide world.  If your holiday travels take you to a fun and exciting destination, why not add geocaching to the equation?

You’ll be able to finally put faces to geocaching usernames and connect with local cachers.  It’s easy to create an Event Cache, just go to the Hide and Seek a Cache page.  Begin planning your Event Cache by reviewing how to Hide a Cache.

Your next road tripping adventure will multiply in fun.  Because with geocaching, you can take it with you.

Let us know, what has been your favorite Event Cache?  What’s your advice for a geocacher who’s thinking about attending their first Event Cache?

/ Eric Schudiske /

Geocaching Caption Contest 5 – Win a Barely Coveted Prize

Winning Caption, “I put the WAG in SWAG!!” – Sparknut

This is the fifth installment of our Geocaching Caption Contest. What caption would you write for this photo?  “Why is this swag barking at me?” You can do better. The photo you’re looking at now was submitted by a North Carolina, USA geocacher to the Geocaching.com Facebook page.  The geocacher who writes the winning caption receives these barely coveted 10 Years!  stickers.

You could win this Barely Coveted Prize

Please include your geocaching username in all entries.  The winner will be chosen by an ad hoc committee of Lackeys.

17 Lackeys voted in our last contest. It was our most popular Geocaching Caption Contest yet.  There were more than 200 entries.

See who won the barely coveted prize from last contest here.

/ Eric Schudiske

Cache In Trash Out, Surf’s Up

Posted By: Lackey Nate the Great

Lackeys Nate the Great (second from left) and Powpea (far right) attending a geocaching event near Chicago

Groundspeak’s Lost and Found tour is in full swing, with Groundspeak Lackeys attending geocaching events spread throughout the world.  Earlier this month Lackey Powpea and I had the opportunity to visit the Second City for the first annual Chicagoland Cache-apalooza. The local geocaching organization, GONIL, hosted a fantastic event including 74 new geocaches placed and published over the weekend.

Before the festivities began, however, we attended a CITO event at the Lucas Berg Nature Preserve in Worth, IL. Here is a little speck of green space in the heart of a metro area whose stated purpose is as a repository for toxic soil dredged from a nearby canal. In short: it’s a dump.

Rather, it was a dump, until some geocachers caught wind of it. Thirty years of indifference and careless wind surfboard disposal (yes, really) provided geocachers the opportunity to put some of their hard-won bush-beating skills to good use. What it lacks in geocaches, it more than makes up for in potential.

No discarded BMX tire or mangled can of Fanta dared escape the eagle-eyed crew. I know at least one local resident would agree the place is much more inviting as a result.

Signal watching the CITO

However, it’s easy to see that altruism of the sort witnessed by this Lackey is not wholly selfless. Sure, getting filthy and comparing sticker-bush abrasions are their own rewards, but by demonstrating responsible stewardship of the land essential to our pastime we act as emissaries for the game. Geocachers sent a clear message to the land manager and community that geocaching is something to be welcomed and encouraged.

Worth Our Support!

What can you do in your community to spread this message?

The future of Lucas Berg Nature Preserve is still uncertain, but geocachers in the Chicago area are making an investment they hope will pay dividends down the road. At the very least, it’s a labor of love not lost on the critters in the little marshy plot of land just off SW HWY 7 and W 111th in Worth, IL.

Lackey Nate the Great

TFTH[ospitality Chicago!]

In: New life to a neglected park and potential geocaching playground
Out: Tires, busted glass, soda cans, 3/4 of a wind surfboard (no sign of the surfer!)

/ Eric Schudiske /

Geocoin – Geocaching.com’s Lost & Found Video

Meet the man behind one of the most engaging evolutions in geocaching… the geocoin. Jon Stanley, alias Moun10bike, is now a Lackey.  But almost ten years ago he forged his way as a pioneer in geocaching.  Go along with Jon as he retraces his steps in placing the first geocoin.

See all the Lost & Found videos, from a geocache in space to an 88 year old geocacher, here.

/ Eric Schudiske /

The Founders – Geocaching’s Lost & Found Video Premiere

Enjoy watching the first video in the Lost & Found series. We’re discovering the lost stories of geocaching. It’s our way to celebrate ten amazing years of family-friendly geocaching adventures.

“The Founders” video showcases the three innovators who launched Geocaching.com. Learn a little bit about Jeremy Irish, Bryan Roth and Elias Alvord.  Hear how the company started and where they hope the geocaching treasure hunt takes us all in the decades ahead.

Tell us what you think!

More Lost & Found videos will be released each week.  See a glimpse of what’s ahead in our Lost & Found Video Trailer.