-The community celebrated the first International Geocaching Day!
Check out the 2011 Geocaching Year in Review video for a fun overview of these events and all the other geocaching happenings in 2011. (SPOILER ALERT: You’ll also see a Lackey transform into a Groundspeak Hamster. It’s magical.)
Share your favorite geocaching experiences from 2011 on the official Geocaching.com Facebook page. Happy geocaching in 2012 from all the Lackeys at Groundspeak!
Rumor has it Geocaching.com internet servers are run by cute, hard-working, squeaky-voiced hamsters. Now you can have a Geocaching.com hamster of your own. Your hamster could either be a Trackable or commemorated on clothing. The hamsters just launched their own products today. You know you’re kind of a big deal when you have your own merchandise line. But the humble hamsters weren’t always big time.
The hamsters toiled running Geocaching.com (Groundspeak) servers in obscurity for years. All that changed six months ago. Thousands of geocachers watched this first Geocaching.com hamster video as the site received a server upgrade in May. Instantly the hamsters were a hit.
Hamster Trackable Tag
Two lucky geocachers even adopted retired Geocaching.com hamsters used in the video. You can follow the adventures of one the hamsters in Germany on the blog, “Karlson the little hamster from Groundspeak.”
Now Shop Geocaching is introducing hamster themed merchandise. Customers outside the United States can ask their local Official Groundspeak Distributor for hamster merchandise. You can buy Trackable Groundspeak Hamster Tags. You can also purchase hamster shirts.
Detail on Hamster Shirt
If you’re interested in watching the hamsters in their natural habitat, you can watch all three Geocaching.com hamster videos at the end of this blog post.
As far as what’s next for the Geocaching.com hamster, a lot of folks are asking. The answer may just rhyme with “bleacher tankth smoothie” (feature length movie) … or could that just be another rumor?
Hamster Shirt
GEOCACHING.COM HAMSTER VIDEOS
This is the first Geocaching.com Hamster video launched in May of this year. Geocachers discovered the history of the hamster rumor and learned more about the server upgrade.
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Geocachers in Europe sent hamster food to Groundspeak Headquarters when the servers were slow during one week in the summer. We thought it was hilarious and wanted to thank them, including a cameo by Geocaching.com Co-Founder and CEO Jeremy Irish. This is the response video from Geocaching.com posted on German blogs. Ironically since the hamster food arrived the servers have been faster than ever. Hmmmm… (Please do not send any more hamster food)
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The video you see below is the “Down for Maintenance” hamster video which will appear when the site is briefly down for performance upgrades.
Right now, about sixty Groundspeak Lackeys are in the process of packing up desks and loading up boxes. Groundspeak Headquarters, affectionately known as “The Lily Pad,” is moving… about two blocks. We’ll still reside in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, USA.
The move will not affect performance on Geocaching.com. Our new offices allow the team to grow so that we can enhance your geocaching experiences.
Groundspeak Headquarters cache
We’d love for you to visit the new HQ. The Groundspeak Headquarters cache (GCK25B) will make the move too. The coordinates will be updated soon. Visitors to the new office should check out the cache page for instructions on visiting.
The move will only take a day. We’ll be back at work in the new offices tomorrow.
Watch this video to take a step inside the 2011 Geocaching Block Party. Nearly two thousand geocachers traveled from around the world to attend the event. Sunshine welcomed fans of the high-tech GPS-based treasure hunt to a plaza outside the future Groundspeak Headquarters.
Attendees earned this special souvenir
Block Party attendees explored the neighborhood around Groundspeak Headquarters by completing “Fremont Challenges”, socialized while filling out their Geocacher Bingo sheets, plunged Groundspeak Lackeys and Reviewers into a dunk tank, and pinned the antenna on signal. Geocachers could also test their skill at beginner, intermediate and advanced geocaching courses.
Come visit us next year for even more surprises! The best advice is to plan ahead. The Geocaching Block Party 2012 occurs on International Geocaching Day each year. It’s the third Saturday of August. Next year all the Lackeys would love to see you at the Geocaching Block Party on August 18, 2012.
Geocaching.com is excited about introducing “Geocaching Challenges” in the near future. Enjoy this sneak peek at the innovative new way to experience and share location-based adventures around the world on Geocaching.com. More information will be released in the next days. “Geocaching Challenges” is scheduled to launch on Geocaching.com in the next weeks.
