November Featured Geocacher of the Month Nominees – Add Your Comments

The November Featured Geocacher of the Month Nominees provide their geocaching communities with a little TLC (tender loving care). They maintain for their own hides, but they are always willing to lend a helping hand with geocaches that are not their own. These geocachers are dedicated to doing whatever they can for their geocaching community from donations, to homemade swag, to their time.

October Geocacher of the Month, TeamAstro

Now it’s your turn to help select one of them as the Featured Geocacher of the Month for November.

Write a comment at the bottom of this blog about which of these geocachers you feel should be crowned The Featured Geocacher of the Month.

Last month, John, a.k.a. TeamAstro was recognized for creating the Solar System series of caches in South Australia. This series of caches is the world’s largest scale model of the Solar System. John is famous for his creative hides and is the proud owner of the most ‘Favorited’ cache in South Australia. John is also an important part of the South Australian geocaching community, and is known for his friendliness and eagerness in helping out new cachers.

Here are your nominees for the October Featured Geocacher of the Month. Some testimonials have been edited for length.

cschooner

cschooner

AZClaimjumper writes, “when you go a looking for a cschooner cache, you’re in for fun and adventure far beyond anyone’s imagination.” Al, a.k.a. cschooner “is relatively new to geocaching. However, the creativity of his caches is what makes geocaching such a fun and memorable outdoor adventure each and every time I go looking for one his caches. His hides are very creative and Al takes pride in providing timely cache maintenance, if a cache, or a part of a cache is logged by a fellow geocacher as missing. Take note of the number of ‘Favorites’ that Al’s caches have accumulated before you go looking for them. Almost 60% of all log entries haven given Al’s caches a ‘Favorite’ point. If you are visiting Phoenix, do a search for cschooner to see if one of his caches has been hidden nearby. Trust me, it will be a memorable adventure. A Travel Bug  has just been put into circulation in honor of Al as my way of saying ‘thanks’ for all the fun-filled adventures his creative hides have given me.”

 

 

 

OF-Erad

OF-Erad

Nominated by TheBergstromClan, Erik, a.k.a. OF-Erad “is an amazing individual and fun cacher. Erik is always up for a caching jaunt and will go out hiking, hit a power trail, or crawl through tunnels all in the name of finding another cache with friends.  He recently ended his cache-a-day streak of over 500 days because he was caring for a friend who needed some support. He gave the friendship priority over getting one more day in his streak. OF-Erad also adopted one of the toughest tunnel caches and then completely revamped it, rescuing it from the clutches of raccoons and other muggles in the process. Erik is a selfless cacher. Even though he had a long caching streak going, he still managed to always put other cachers in the group before himself.  As he told me on multiple occasions, ‘I only need one cache to keep my streak going. Let’s go get the caches you want to get.’ The puzzle caches I’ve placed in Aurora were placed using knowledge acquired with Erik’s help. He is mostly interested in making the great game of caching more interesting, more exciting, and more fun for kids of all ages.”

 

 

 

balkamper13

balkamper13

Cacheseekers! writes, “Not only is Ted [a.k.a., balkamper13] the Elvis of the caching world, he is just a darn good person. He has introduced and help countless novice cachers become caching addicts. He has lent out his GPS to new cachers, spent numerous hours teaching his secrets, and invited new cachers on caching adventures and to events. He donates quality, homemade swag, time, and money to caching events. Ted is the mastermind behind the Cache Scene Investigator cache series that has a huge following. This series has everything from underwater caches to pulley system caches hoisted up a tree. This series has the Utah caching world on pins and needles waiting for the Longitude and Latitude killer to strike again. Ted also carries around a cache repair kit and leaves every cache in better condition than he finds it in. Ted also shares his caching adventures and tips on his blog at Live Love Cache.com. The list of people he has influenced and befriended is countless.”

 

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, a Geocacher of the Month profile icon, and a certificate acknowledging their contributions signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com. We will be accepting comments for November’s award through Sunday, November 18th.

Those whose nominees were not recognized here are encouraged to submit their nominations again next month. If you know an outstanding geocacher you would like to nominate to be a featured Geocacher of the Month, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@groundspeak.com and include the following information:

  • Your name, the name of your nominee, their username
  • A picture of the nominee
  • Description (200 or more 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 Friday, December 7th.

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.

Announcing the September Featured Geocacher of the Month

You voted and we counted. And counted. And counted. Congratulations to Stuart, a.k.a. SpongeBob CachePants for pulling in a strong 106 votes to be named September’s Featured Geocacher of the Month.

September Featured Geocacher of the Month, SpongeBob CachePants

SpongeBob CachePants is recognized for his ability to influence and encourage geocachers around him, and for his commitment to providing quality geocaches for his community. SpongeBob CachePants is also praised for his work on the Hatfield McCoy GeoTrail Kickoff Event – a small community event that quickly became a Mega-Event.

One geocacher casting a vote put it, “SpongeBob CachePants gets my vote. He has done a lot for the geocaching community and his local community. His efforts in the Hatfield McCoy GeoTrail was a stellar. He brought his caching experience to help create a combination of history and locations to bring cachers together from all over the country. Not only did he recognize cachers when they attended the events, but he also sent personal e-mails to most attendees acknowledging their will attends. Now that is attention to detail.”

SpongeBob CachePants will receive a collector’s edition Featured 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.

Featured Geocacher of the Month Icon

Thank you to the fellow September nominees and all those who supported them. The nominees not chosen as Featured Geocacher of the Month will 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 re-nominate those who have yet to be honored as featured Geocacher of the Month. If you know an outstanding geocacher who should be considered for the honor, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@groundspeak.comEvery nomination must meet the following requirements:

  • Your name, the name of your nominee, their username
  • A picture of the nominee
  • Description (200 or more 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 October Featured Geocacher of the Month must be received by the end of the day on Sunday, October 7th.

Once we have received all of the nominations, we will choose the top three 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.

Trackable Tattoos – Never Lost

There is one way to ensure that your Trackable never goes missing get a Trackable tattoo. Tattoos are not for everyone. In factthere are fewer than 150 people who have ever earned the Trackable Tattoo icon. A geocacher can only receive the icon if they supply photographic proof of a Trackable tattoo to Geocaching.com.

User pumpkinking27 has an impressive tattoo from 2010 that reflects his username and includes a Travel Bug called PumpkinKing27’s Trackable Tattoo. The goal of such Trackable tattoos is to be discovered by geocachers at events and during geocaching outings. Ultimately, the Trackable tattoo becomes an engaging record of personal travels. The Travel Bug map for PumpkinKing27’s trackable tattoo shows that he has made many trips along the East Coast and the northeastern United States.

Watch video of a geocacher receiving a Trackable tattoo:

[vsw id=”TbZ9SHclvh0″ source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”]

 

Learn about CSavvy and his Travel Bug Tattoo in last year’s blog post, Become Trackable on Geocaching.com Tattoos to Travel Bugs. An additional Travel Bug Tattoos resource can be found in the Groundspeak Help Center.

The first steps to getting a Trackable tattoo:

1)       Make a decision tattoos are a commitment, you know.

2)       Purchase and activate a Travel Bug. Do not send the Travel Bug out to geocaches, as it would cause confusion.

3)       Use the unique Tracking Code from your Travel Bug as part of your design. Some tattoo designs include the Travel Bug scarab image and others include a custom design along with the Tracking Code.

4)       Find a trusted tattoo artist.

5)       Request the custom Trackable Tattoo icon from Geocahing.com by sending an email to pr@groundspeak.com and including a photo of the tattoo and the tracking number.

 

Es gibt eine Möglichkeit um sicherzustellen, daß Dein Trackable niemals verloren geht laß Dir eine TrackableTätowierung machen. Tätowierungen sind nicht für jeden geeignet. Tatsächlich  haben sich bisher weniger als 150 Leute das Trackable TatooIcon verdient. Ein Geocacher kann das Symbol nur erhalten, wenn er einen fotografischen Beweis seiner TrackableTätowierung an Groundspeak schickt.

Der Benutzer pumpkinking27 hat eine Eindrucksvolle Tätowierung aus dem Jahr 2010, die seinen Benutzernamen darstellt und den Travel Bug mit dem Namen PumpkinKing27’s Trackable Tattoo enthält. Das Ziel solcher TrackableTätowierungen ist es, von Geocachern bei Events und auf Cachetouren discovert zu werden. Letztendlich wird die TrackableTätowierung zum persönlichen Reisetagebuch. Die Travel BugKarte von PumpkinKing27’s TrackableTätowierung zeigt, daß er viele Touren entlang der Ostküste und im Nordosten der Vereinigten Staaten gemacht hat.

Lerne CSavvy und seine TrackableTätowierung in seinem BlogArtikel aus dem letzten Jahr kennen, werde ein Trackable auf Geocaching.com Tätowierungen zu Travel Bugs. Zusätzliche Informationen über Travel BugTätowierungen findest Du im GroundspeakHilfeZentrum. Der erste Schritt zur TrackableTätowierung:

1)       Entscheide Dich Du weißt, Tätowierungen sind verbindlich.

2)       Kaufe und aktiviere einen Travel Bug. Platziere den Travel Bug nicht in einem Cache weil das zu Verwechselungen führt.

3)       Benutze den TrackingCode Deines Travel Bugs als Teil Deines Designs. Einige TätowierungsDesigns enthalten das Bild des Travel Bug Skarabäus, andere ein individuelles Design mit dem TrackingCode.

4)       Finde einen vertrauenswürdigen Tätowierer.

5)       Fordere das individuelle Trackable TattooIcon bei Geocaching.com an. Schicke eine EMail mit einem Foto der Tätowierung und dem TrackingCode an pr@groundspeak.com.

 

ADDITIONAL TRACKABLE STORIES:

Zusätzliche Trackable Geschichten:

Share your Trackable stories for a chance to win a rare and covetedMoun10bike Trackable.

Share your Trackable stories for a chance to win the rare and coveted moun10bike coin

Teile jetzt Deine Trackable-Geschichten mit anderen und habe die Chance auf diesem seltenen und begehrten Moun10Bike Trackable.

Shop Now to Find Trackable Week Discounts of 10% or More

Finde jetzt Rabatte von 10% oder mehr während der Trackable-Woche
(Für Trackables von teilnehmenden Anbietern)

Learn and share Trackable Etiquette

Prüfe und schaue Dir die Trackable Etikette an

Check out the Travel Bug that’s traveled far enough to circle the globe 8 times… and is still moving (and moving, and moving…)

Schau Dir den Travel Bug an, der so weit gereist ist, um den Globus 8 Mal zu umrunden… und er ist immer noch unterwegs (und bewegt sich und bewegt sich…)

Astro the Eyepiece: The Tale of a Travel Bug® on a Mission

Where Astro was picked up
Happy Cache Inn, der Ort an dem Astro wieder in Empfang genommen wurde.

The Travel Bug® that traveled 63,000 miles is back home in the U.S. state of Oregon.

Astro the Eyepiece, a telescope eyepiece, was on the move for eight years before it was retrieved by its owner at Shelrik’s Happy Cache Inn (For TB’s & GC’s) this July 5th.

Geramy, a.k.a. CrazyGAF, released the Travel Bug in 2004 with this mission: “Astro’s mission is to travel East…a long ways East! You see, Astro is a telescope eyepiece and would like to travel to Greenwich, England…home of the Greenwich Royal Observatory and Greenwich Mean Time! After his trip he wouldn’t mind traveling the world a little more before, hopefully, coming back to his hometown of Portland, Oregon. He knows this may be a very long trip, but he’s ready! So…if you’re traveling East, please take him with you. If you’re traveling West, please let him stay. Thanks!!” -Cacheopia (now CrazyGAF).

The journey began when bbmagic grabbed Astro the Eyepiece on February 14, 2004, a few days after it was placed in the Cascades Parkway cache.

Astro at the Greenwich Observatory
Astro beim Greenwich Observatorium

Geramy says, “this was our first bug that we ever released. Its original goal was to make it to the International Date Line. It did that and then it continued around the globe and made it back into our hands. We kept it for a little while and then let it go again. It traveled around again for quite some time before it got stuck in South Korea where we thought it might have been lost or stolen…but then it started up again and made it the rest of the way around the globe a second time.”

At this time Astro the Eyepiece is back home and getting some well deserved rest and relaxation.

According to Geramy, “We’re not sure we are going to send it on a third journey or if we are going to let it enjoy a life of retirement after such an active life. It seems to quite like our home here in Gresham, Oregon. After all… it has seen the whole world and always comes back.”

To learn more about Travel Bugs or to live vicariously through each Travel Bug’s adventures, visit the Latest Travel Bug Reports page.

Astro’s trip across the globe

Astro das Okular: Die Geschichte eines Travel Bug® auf einer Mission

Der Travel Bug® reiste 63.000 Meilen zurück nach Hause nach Gresham, OR, USA.

Astro das Okular, ein Teleskop Okular, war acht Jahre unterwegs, bis er von seinem Eigentümer in Shelriks Happy Cache Inn (ein Travelbug Hotel) am 5.Juli wieder in entnommen wurde.

Geramy, a.k.a. CrazyGAF, schickte den Travel Bug im Jahr 2004 mit dem Ziel auf Reisen: “Astros Mission ist reise nach Osten…den langen Weg nach Osten! Astro ist ein Teleskop Okular und möchte nach Greenwich, England…Heimat des Greenwich Royal Observatorium und der mittleren Greenwich Zeit reisen! Nach erreichen dieses Zieles, möchte er sich noch ein wenig die Welt ansehen, bevor er wieder zurück in seine Heimatstadt Portland, Oregon kommt. Er weiß dies kann eine sehr lange Reise sein, aber er ist fertig für den Trip! WennDu also in Richtung Osten unterwegs bist, bitte nimm Ihn mit. Wenn Du nach Westen reist, dann laß Ihn bitte liegen. Vielen Dank!” –Cacheopia (jetzt CrazyGAF).

Die Reise begann als bbmagic Astro das Okular am 14. Februar 2004, aufnahm und wenige Tage später im Cascades Parkway Cache ablegte.

Geramy erzählt: “Dies war unser erster Travel Bug, welchen wir auf die Reise geschickt haben. Ursprünglich war sein Ziel, dass er die internationale Datumsgrenze überschreiten sollte. Es tat dies, dann ging es einmal um die Welt und wieder zurück in unsere Hände. Wir behielten Ihn für eine Weile um Ihn dann wieder loszuschicken. Es reiste wieder für einige Zeit, bevor er länger in Südkorea verweilte. Wir dachten, daß er verloren oder gestohlen wurde…aber dann begann er wieder zureisen und vollendete den Weg um den Globus ein zweites Mal.”

Momentan ist Astro das Okular wieder zu Hause und genießt seine wohlverdiente Rast.

Geramy: “Wir sind uns nicht sicher ob wir Ihn auf eine dritte Reise senden oder ob wir Ihn seine wohlverdienten Ruhestand nach solch einem aktiven Leben genießen lassen. Es scheint so, daß er sich ganz wohl hier in seinem Zuhause in Gresham, Oregon fühlt. Nach allemer hat die ganze Welt gesehen und ist immer wieder zurückgekommen.”

Für weitere Informationen zu Travel Bugs oder um weitere Abenteuer anderer Travel Bugs zu erleben, besuche die neuste Travel BugBerichtsseite.

ADDITIONAL TRACKABLE STORIES:

Zusätzliche Trackable Geschichten:

 

Share your Trackable stories for a chance to win the rare and coveted Moun10bike coin

Share your Trackable stories for a chance to win a rare and covetedMoun10bike Trackable.

Teile jetzt Deine Trackable-Geschichten mit anderen und habe die Chance auf diesem seltenen und begehrten Moun10Bike Trackable.

Shop Now to Find Trackable Week Discounts of 10% or More

Finde jetzt Rabatte von 10% oder mehr während der Trackable-Woche
(Für Trackables von teilnehmenden Anbietern)

Learn and share Trackable Etiquette

Prüfe und schaue Dir die Trackable Etikette an

Check out the Travel Bug that’s traveled far enough to circle the globe 8 times… and is still moving (and moving, and moving…)

Schau Dir den Travel Bug an, der so weit gereist ist, um den Globus 8 Mal zu umrunden… und er ist immer noch unterwegs (und bewegt sich und bewegt sich…)

Ready, Set, Go: The Great Geocaching Block Party 2013 Travel Bug Race!

One of the Travel Bug Racers

And so it begins – The Great Geocaching Block Party 2013 Travel Bug® Race! Today we will release Trackables collected at the 2012 Geocaching Block Party into the Geocaching.com HQ cache. To fulfill their Travel Bug destiny and win a great grab bag of Geocaching.com swag and merchandise, these trackables must travel a minimum of 2013 miles and return to Geocaching.com HQ in Seattle prior to the 2013 Geocaching Block Party. Additionally, these TBs will compete in the following categories:

  • Fastest TB back to HQ (after traveling the minimum mileage)
  • TB with the most mileage
  • TB to travel to the most countries
  • TB with the best picture
  • TB with the best log entry
  • TB with the most geocachers who moved the TB
  • TB with the most creative Hitchhiker (item the TB is attached to)

Lackeys will be competing in the The Great Geocaching Block Party 2013 Travel Bug® Race as well, but not eligible for prizes. Keep an eye on this blog post to check out these power racers in action. Best of luck to your Travel Bug and may the odds be ever in your favor.

The winners will be announced at the 2013 Block Party. If you would like to enter next year’s competition, you must present your trackable in-person at the 2013 Block Party, which will be held in Seattle, WA  on August 17, 2013.

Bin of Trackables entered into The Great Geocaching Block Party Travel Bug Race

Und so fängt alles an Das Große Geocaching Block Party 2013 Travel Bug®Rennen! Heute entlassen wir die bei der Block Party 2012 gesammelten Trackables in den Geocaching.comHQCache. Diese Trackables müssen mindestens 2013 Meilen reisen, um ihr Travel BugZiel zu erreichen und eine große Geschenktüte voll mit Geocaching.comArtikeln zu gewinnen. Außerdem müssen sie vor der Geocaching Block Party 2013 zum Geocaching.comHQ in Seattle zurückkehren. Die Trackables treten außerdem in diesen Disziplinen gegeneinander an:

  • Als Schnellster TB zurück zum HQ (nach zurücklegen der Mindestentfernung)
  • TB mit den meisten Meilen
  • TB mit den meisten bereisten Ländern
  • TB mit dem besten Bild
  • TB mit dem besten Logeintrag
  • TB, der von den meisten Geocachern transportiert wurde
  • TB mit dem kreativstenHitchhiker” (am TB befestigter Gegenstand)

Lackeys [Geocaching.comMitarbeiter] nehmen auch am großen Geocaching Block Party 2013 Travel Bug®Rennen teil, jedoch ohne Anspruch auf Preise. Verfolge diesen Blogbeitrag, um diese PowerRennteilnehmer in Aktion zu sehen. Wir wünschen Deinem Travel Bug viel Erfolg und möge das Glück stets mit Dir sein.

Die Gewinner werden bei der Block Party 2013 bekanntgegeben. Wenn Du nächstes Jahr am Wettbewerb teilnehmen willst, musst Du Deinen Trackable persönlich bei der Block Party am 17. August 2013 in Seattle, WA abgeben.

Ein besonderes Lob geht an Narilka für ihren Beitrag zu diesem großartigen TrackableLogbuch.

Geocacher Division:

GeocacherAbteilung:

Lackey Division:

LackeyAbteilung:

ADDITIONAL TRACKABLE STORIES:

Zusätzliche Trackable Geschichten:

Shareyour Trackable stories for a chance to win a rare and covetedMoun10bike Trackable.

Share your Trackable stories for a chance to win the rare and coveted Moun10bike coin

Teile jetzt Deine Trackable-Geschichten mit anderen und habe die Chance auf diesem seltenen und begehrten Moun10Bike Trackable.

Shop Now to Find Trackable Week Discounts of 10% or More

Finde jetzt Rabatte von 10% oder mehr während der Trackable-Woche
(Für Trackables von teilnehmenden Anbietern)

Learn and share Trackable Etiquette

Prüfe und schaue Dir die Trackable Etikette an

Check out the Travel Bug that’s traveled far enough to circle the globe 8 times… and is still moving (and moving, and moving…)

Schau Dir den Travel Bug an, der so weit gereist ist, um den Globus 8 Mal zu umrunden… und er ist immer noch unterwegs (und bewegt sich und bewegt sich…)

Watch the 4 videos that will show your everything-you-ever-needed-to-know-about-Trackables.

Entdecke die Grundlagen der Trackables… von der Aktivierung bis zum auf die Reise schicken.