November 23, 2011 / Eric Schudiske /

Announcing the November Featured Geocacher of the Month

Each month, Groundspeak Lackeys have the privilege of awarding one geocacher the title of “Featured Geocacher of the Month.” Deserving candidates are nominated by their fellow geocachers and Lackeys select three of the nominees to feature on the blog. The community then casts their votes to decide which of the three will be that month’s Featured Geocacher. Each of the November nominees showcased innovation, creativity, respect for the environment and helpfulness. We continue to be impressed by the number of qualified candidates as well as the number of people who vote for the winner.

November Featured Geocacher of the Month, Rokman4

With more than 100 votes submitted in November, it was a neck and neck competition. A panel of Lackeys, relying on voting and community comments, could ultimately only choose one. It is our honor to announce Rokman4 as November’s Featured Geocacher of the Month.

According to many, his dedication to the game since 2008 and his positive contribution the geocaching community are evident in his time spent assisting new geocachers, speaking at local libraries, and organizing the first ever geocaching training ground.

According to one comment: “Rod is looking into getting the city to donate a meeting room so that once a month new and seasoned cachers can learn how to use the different programs associated with geocaching, how to use Pocket Queries, and just general information about geocaching. Rod is a terrific role model for those of us that are new the the game.”

Rokman4 will receive a collector’s edition Geocacher of the Month Geocoin, along with a Geocacher of the Month hat and certificate acknowledging his contributions signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com. Those nominees not chosen as the Featured Geocacher of the Month receive a gift of appreciation from Groundspeak. See a list of all the Featured Geocachers of the Month here. The geocaching community is encouraged to renominate those not named Featured Geocacher of the Month.

geocacherofthemonthGeocoin(anniephone) — Geocacher of the Month Geocoin

If you know an outstanding geocacher who should be considered for Geocacher of the Month, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@groundspeak.com.

supergooberaward — September Featured GOTM winner, SuperGoober, with his GOTM Certificate

Every nomination must meet the following requirements: Please include your name, the name of your nominee, their username, at least one picture of the nominee and description (in 500 or fewer words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Geocacher of the Month. Please inform your nominee that you’ve submitted them for the award. Nominations for the December Geocacher of the Month must be received by December 7th.

Once we have received all of the nominations, we will choose the top candidates and post them on the Latitude 47 blog. You will then get a chance to champion your favorite. Our goal is to involve the entire geocaching community in this process so we might learn from each other.

November 14, 2011 / Eric Schudiske /

“Taiwan’s Secret Abandoned Theme Park” GC2GKP2 GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – November 14, 2011

Taiwan cache — Taiwan's Secret Abandoned Theme Park

Try to resist a geocache called, “Taiwan’s Secret Abandoned Theme Park” (GC2GKP2).

The difficulty three, terrain four Multi-Cache was hidden by wynando. It entices adventurers with this description: “Destroyed by the 1999 earthquake and left abandoned, this Dutch-themed amusement park is a must visit. Be prepared to feel like Indiana Jones as you venture deeper into the park, walking through thick vegetation and broken remains of the park to try and find the caches. You will be amazed by what you will see here and will wonder what this place used to look like before the earthquake!”

Eleven geocachers logged smileys on the geocache since it was hidden just over a year ago. Cachers are advised to wear long pants and bring mosquito spray. For those who complete the cache, the journey into a forgotten world is the reward.

taiwan cache 2 — Taiwan's Secret Abandoned Theme Park

One cacher logged, “This is an unbelievable and incredible cache among the caches I visited. It’s is very unique and classical for all our local geocachers to visit. When we approached the final stage, we intruded into giants’ realm. Visit yourself to experience the wonderful kingdom.”

Continue your exploration of some of the most engaging geocaches from around the globe. Explore all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com. If you’ d like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.

November 8, 2011 / Eric Schudiske /

November Featured Geocacher of the Month Nominees – Add Your Comments

Every month the geocaching community nominates people to be the Geocacher of the Month – a geocacher who positively contributes to the community and stands out for his or her outstanding involvement in the activity. Groundspeak Lackeys choose three of the nominees and tell their stories here on Latitude 47. The community selects which of the three should be designated “Geocacher of the Month.”

Last month, geocachers awarded the honor to coast2coast2coast. More than 50 geocachers wrote in support of the winner. Coast2coast2coast has hosted multiple events, helped direct the Mid Island Geocaching organization, and is known for his dedication to the geocaching community. Congratulations to all those who were nominated in October.

Now it’s your turn to help select the featured November “Geocacher of the Month.” The nomination period is closed and we have whittled it down to the three geocachers featured below.

Write a comment on this blog post about which of these three geocachers you feel should be November’s “Geocacher of the Month.” Those whose nominees were not recognized here are encouraged to submit their nominations again next month.

Some testimonials have been edited for length.

_JohnnyCache

( Member since 2007 )

Nomination by Bocco:

“_JohnnyCache has volunteered countless hours of his time as the president of the Maryland Geocaching Society for the past two years. In that position Tom has worked tirelessly to promote geocaching in our state. He also provides links for helpful information, and detailed instructions on how to use various GPSr’s, software, etc., in our organization forums. He has created a Maryland Geocaching Society fanpage on facebook, and a smartphone app for our forums. _JohnnyCache is not only an enthusiastic geocacher in his own right, who has hidden some of the most devious cache hides in the state, he gives back to our community of cachers. His efforts as president of our society have enhanced geocaching in Maryland enormously.”

Rokman4

( Member since 2008 )

Nomination by 2oddHOGs:

“Rod spends a lot of time helping new cachers learn everything from the basics of geocaching to more intricate hides. When I first met Rod, he was giving a talk at a small town library. Rod is enthusiastic and thinks nothing of going over to a person’s home to help them with a computer problem or to take them out to find their first cache. Rod was instrumental in setting up the first ever geocaching training ground, on a city owned recreational island, that will stay a training ground even now that the training event happened (close to 100 people attended). Rod spent a lot of time working to make a contact with the city, showing them what he planned for the island and getting the city’s support to hold the event and keep the island as the training ground. Rod is a terrific role model for those of us that are new the the game. ”

nicgeo

( Member since 2009 )

Nomination by Mickelic:

“Nicole is a geography teacher who uses geocaching to teach her students about latitude and longitude. She just wrote a grant for new GPS devices for her students and was awarded $500. Those who awarded the grant thought that her grant was the most unique and they featured Nichole in their monthly newsletter. I believe that she should be up for a nomination because, due to her excitement for geocaching, all of her students love going on field trips geocaching in our area. There is so much more about NicGeo which makes her the cacher of the month.”

Comment below to tell us who you think should be the featured November “Geocacher of the Month.” A panel of Lackeys will use your comments to help decide which geocacher is awarded the honor. Each featured “Geocacher of the Month” will receive an exclusive special edition featured ”Geocacher of the Month” Geocoin along with a Geocacher of the Month hat and a certificate acknowledging their contributions signed by 2 of the founders of Geocaching.com. We will be accepting comments for November’s award through Monday the 24th.

If you know an outstanding geocacher who should be the Geocacher of the Month, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@groundspeak.com.

Every nomination must meet the following requirements:

GCotM_geocoin — Geocacher of the Month Geocoin

Please include your name, the name of your nominee, their username, at least one picture of the nominee and a description (500 or fewer words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Geocacher of the Month. Please inform your nominee that you’ve submitted them for the award. Nominations for the December Geocacher of the Month must be received by December 3rd.

Once we have received all of the nominations, we will choose the top candidates and post them on the blog. You will then get a chance to champion your favorite. Our goal is to involve the entire geocaching community in this process so we might learn from each other.

November 1, 2011 / Eric Schudiske /

“La Réunion the First” GCQJFP GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – November 7, 2011

Reunion geocache 1 — Sunrise near the cache location

A geocache hidden on a small French island off of Africa reveals breathtaking sunrises and a volcano that still roars to life. The location Réunion is popular with French, German, Czech and English visitors.

“La Réunion the First” (GCQJFP) was hidden in 2005. The sturdy cache container is well suited for the environment. It can be found near the lunar-like landscape of a lava field.

The small island of Réunion mirrors the climate of the United States islands of Hawaii. Both have similar volcanic histories.

Réunion is also home to dozens of geocaches. An EarthCache is even located near “La Réunion the First.” Geocachers who log the traditional cache say, “”One of the most beautiful places in the world and for sure a place one should visit at least once during a life. I’ll never forget our vacation in La Reunion – we’ll be back :-)”

“La Réunion the First” has the most Favorite Points of any cache on the island. It was hidden by SwissSniper and is rated a difficulty two, terrain two. 150 geocachers logged smileys on the cache so far.

October 31, 2011 / Eric Schudiske /

Bruneau Sand Dunes GC10F12 GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – October 31, 2011

This difficulty one, terrain three EarthCache delivers adventurers to towering sandy dunes. These dunes don’t rise out of the middle of sweltering desert, but can be found in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Bruneau Sand Dunes (GC10F12) was created in 2007 by The Wandering Stars.

The cache page reads,”The tallest single-structured sand dune in North America rises high above small lakes in the high desert south of Mountain Home [Idaho]. The state park includes desert, dune, prairie, lake and marsh habitat with opportunities to observe nocturnal species… Feel free to climb but no vehicles are allowed on the dunes.”

More than 130 geocachers have logged a smiley on the cache, which now has eight Favorite Points. Cachers often combine discovering this EarthCache with finding nearby traditional geocaches. One log reads, “This is our first time out at the dunes and we have lived in Idaho 40 plus years. What a fantastic place. Took the walk over to the physical cache here and snapped a bunch of pictures. Thanks for putting this cache out.”

Continue your exploration of some of the most engaging geocaches from around the globe. Explore all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com. If you’ d like to nominate a Geocache of the Week send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.

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