Parks Canada created the Heritage Hide’n’Seek GeoTour for visitors to discover people, places, and events of national significance in Northern Ontario. There are 500,000 square kilometers of nature waiting to be explored—that’s an area twice the size of California.
Best time of year to visit:
August and September, when the days are warm and the nights are cool. The fall foliage starts to change in mid-to-late September, and the views along Lake Superior between Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay are spectacular.
Learn from Aboriginal grandparents while walking through splendid scenery in Pukaskwa National Park (GC5BQBG)
Terry Fox Scenic Lookout (GC455RQ) honours a Canadian hero, near the location where he was forced to halt his Marathon of Hope.
Prizes:
If people find the caches, complete the passport, and collect 100+ points, they will earn a collectible Geocoin from Parks Canada.
The Heritage Hide’n’Seek geocoin available once you earn 100+ points and submit your passport.
What geocachers are saying about this GeoTour:
“I just spent 4 days in the Thunder Bay area and did one traditional and three Multi-Caches there so when I knew I was driving from Sudbury to Orillia today I loaded this cache into my GPS to stop and find it. What a great series of caches this is, love the history lesson and the places the caches take me to. T4TC!” – Desafio
“…This is the second cache in the series for me and I now have 30 points. To get more points I need to go further north. Because of this I’m now planning a Northern Ontario tour for next spring to explore the northern towns and find some more HHS caches. I’ve never been north of Sault Ste Marie / Sudbury / North Bay, so I’m looking forward to the adventure. It’s great that Parks Canada is embracing GeoCaching! Thanks for setting up this great cache and for bringing me here. Thanks for the fun Parka, you busy little beaver!…” –swed31
Additional Information:
To start the tour simply download a passport from any of the Heritage Hide’n’Seek GeoTour geocache listings. Adventure, discovery, and your shiny new Geocoin await!
Note: All the above information was provided by the GeoTour host. Copy has been edited by Geocaching HQ.
GC3MFAD is disguised as a multi-level birdhouse, which, on its own, isn’t that unusual for a geocache. The casual observer might notice the birdhouse is a little high up…seven or eight feet off the ground, at least. A muggle probably wouldn’t think twice about that fact, but the geocacher—who realizes this must be the geocache, is presented with the problem of reaching it.
Geocachers realize the genius of this cache the moment they figure out how to lower it to the ground. At the base of the pole in a second wooden box is a small crank. When turned in the right direction, a box descends from inside the birdhouse ‘shell’. This is the Director’s Travel Bug Hotel. According to the cache page, this geocache is “by far the best Hotel in Pintlala, Alabama” and “the staff might be someone you recognize but they are not travelers and do not want to go for a ride. They are here to help the guest enjoy their time while staying here.”
It’s the perfect blend of a gadget cache and a roomy and well-crafted Travel Bug Hotel. Should you be lucky enough to be passing nearby, it’s worth the visit. Take care when lowering the unit—it is full of sleeping guests, after all.
The cache fully revealed.
What geocachers have to say:
“Out on a cache run with CaverScott. This was the start of our day. This was a great find. I love how this has been put together and how it works. Worth at least one favorite point. Thanks for the fun and the smiley!” –autigerman
“Wow. There was definitely a lot of work put into making this cache. I love that people drive by every day and don’t even know it’s there. Kudos for your awesome workmanship and for maintaining this. There were no travel bugs inside, but we signed the log and enjoyed the characters visiting the hotel. Great shape. Well crafted. TFTH!” –hoosiersunshine
“It is always a joy to find a Woodnutt cache, and with 99 favorite points we knew this one was not to be missed. I saved the two travelers I had for a nice stay at this quality hotel. Such fun! I am honored to add favorite point #100. CITO tftc” –tleu
How did you first come up with the idea for this type of hide? “A lot of my ideas come when I am traveling, which I do a lot for work. My mind wanders trying to come up with new and different ways to do things. I like birdhouses and have a number of them as caches and this is just another type of birdhouse.”
Was building the cache a difficult process? “Building it was not a difficult process, I have a nice workshop with a lot of tools and I enjoy woodworking very much.”
Do you ever see birds landing on the cache? “I have seen some birds on top of the cache but not a lot.”
What’s been your reaction to all of the nice logs and Favorite Points? “I have always read all logs on my caches. It is one of my favorite parts of owning caches. It is always nice and rewarding when someone appreciates the work and enjoys the cache. The favorite points are nice.”
Is there anything you’d like to say to the geocaching community? “Lately I have been very frustrated by some caches that have destroyed a cache with an ax when they could not figure out the on site puzzle cache but this is a game, not everyone enjoys the same thing but one can make geocaching what they want. You can go for numbers, you can go for puzzles, you can do FTF or whatever it is you like; most important is to enjoy what you are doing and respect others as well.”
Photos:
The cache, looking pretty birdhouse-y in it’s normal state.The hand crank elevator mechanism.The TB hotel descending from the bowels of the birdhouse.All the way down.The TB hotel is open for business!Time to put a “No Vacancy” sign up?The front desk staff are happy to see you.
Continue to explore some of the coolest gadget caches around the world. Check out all of the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog. If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, fill out this form.
This past weekend, more than 36,300 people earned their International EarthCache Day souvenir by finding an EarthCache. Many of them decided to photograph their adventures and share them on Instagram. Here are some of the amazing pictures from the International EarthCache Day celebration.
@l0verlada “Another dinosaur footprint.”@_iso61 “Measuring boulder ?.”@kelisabethlb “#EarthCache #Gotland”@arace1985 “#Earthcache today.”@galleytrotter “Happy International Earthcache day! Here’s me and Kiwi checking out some ice age remains.”@geominionmom “The sunshine made this cave/tunnel a truly magnificent sight.”@kaja2105 “#naturelovers #earthcache #familytime.”@le_mur_ko “earthcacheday2015.”@strawberryberry16 “#internationalearthcacheday.”@kacnampr “Fall colors and cloud reflections at Potter’s Marsh Boardwalk on International Earthcache Day! A bit of cache maintenance done while there too!”@thomasanderz “earthcacheday2015”@yeseniapais “#earthcache”@christinamdlt “Love the view on my little adventures. #geocaching #earthcache”
Just because International EarthCache Day is over, doesn’t mean the educational fun stops. You can find EC’s all year-round!
Which EarthCache did you find yesterday? Share your pics!
Am letzten Sonntag, dem 11. Oktober, haben mehr als 36 300 Geocachers ein Souvenir für den Fund eines EarthCaches am “Internationalen EarthCache-Tag” erhalten. Aber nur weil der Feiertag jetzt vorbei ist, heißt das nicht, dass man nicht auch weiterhin Spaß haben kann, EarthCaches rund um den Globus zu Suchen. Über das Nachrichten-Center in der Geocaching-Intro-App kannst Du die Antworten auf die geforderten Fragen zu einem EarthCache ganz unkompliziert an den jeweiligen Owner senden.
Schau in den Geocaching-Blog, um einige der spektakulärsten EarthCaches angezeigt zu bekommen, die Geocacher wie Du gefunden haben, um den Internationalen EarthCache-Tag zu feiern. Geocaching-Blog aufrufen.
Vergiss nicht, Dein GIFF-Event einzureichen!
Das GIFF-Wochenende steht vor der Tür, was bedeutet, dass Du sicherstellen solltest, dass Du Dein GIFF-Event mindestens zwei Wochen vor dem Termin, an dem es stattfinden soll, zur Überprüfung durch einen Reviewer eingereicht hast.
Hier kommt Deine Chance, Deine Geocaching-Kumpels einzuladen, um gemeinsam die Finalisten des “Internationalen Geocaching-Film-Festivals 2015” anzusehen. Veranstalte zwischen dem 5. und 8. November ein GIFF-Event. Sobald Dein Event freigeschaltet wurde, fülle dieses Formular aus und wir schicken Dir dann einen Link zum Download aller fünfzehn Finalbeträge. Danach könnt Ihr Euch zurücklehnen und das Spektakel einfach nur genießen.
The burnt orange dunes of the Namib Desert aren’t exactly right around the corner for most geocachers. Actually, they’re not right around the corner for anyone. The name Namid comes from the Nama word for ‘vast’—and those who are lucky enough to take a scenic flight above the desert know just how fitting a title it is.
GC14W63 is an EarthCache. If you happen to be in the area—that is, in the Mars-like sand dunes of Sossusvlei, in Namibia—this Sunday, October 11, you’ll earn the International EarthCache Day 2015 souvenir for finding it. The sand dunes at Sossusvlei are the largest in the world at around 300 meters tall, and they’re being coaxed northwards by prevailing winds from the south. According to the EarthCache description, geologists say this desert could be the oldest in the world. The almost electric colors of the dunes are caused by the slow oxidization of iron in the sand; the more bright orange the dune is, the older it is.
This EarthCache is Geocache of the Week not only for it’s well-organized, informative, and clear cache page, nor merely for its spectacular vistas, but because it holds true to the original purpose of the EarthCache. An EarthCache site is a special place that people can visit to learn about a unique geoscience feature or aspect of our Earth. The sand dunes of the Namib desert are utterly unique. They’re fantastic. They’re old. They are at once imposing and delicate, timeless and mutable. The dream landscape they create defies civilization (you try building a cottage on a pile of sand). And—this may be the understatement of the year—they’re well worth a visit.
Photo by Team Hermann
What geocachers have to say:
“We loved visting the Namib Desert whilst on our family holiday to Namibia. We stayed in the Sesriem Camp and got up very early to watch the sunrise over the dunes. Thanks for this lovely EarthCache.” –GCMTWood
“On of the highlights of our Namiba trip was the visit of Sousuvlei. The dunes are just fantastic. We enjoyed the stay and even climed the big daddy dune. What a great view from there. Thank you very much for this Earthcache and greetings from Switzerland.” –foolish5
“What a fascinating place in the middle of an ocean of endless dunes. We stopped here during our three weeks lasting tour through Namibia and this was definitely one of our favorite places. The red colors in different increments, the merciless heat despite winter mode, the seemingly absence of life and the huge amounts of dead sand – what a spectacular view to remember, what a unique feeling to deal with, what an unforgettable moment. You have to visit Sossusvlei to imagine and understand these feelings. We will be back as soon as possible, also to enjoy these exceptional moments once again. These days here were such a great experience, so we need to say thank you for bringing us here. Thanks a lot for this cache, for the listing and for your efforts. Regards from Germany!” –do.se_gotcha
“We had 2,5 weeks in Namibia. The countryside is awesome, fauna and flore interesting and the people are so nice. Thanks to geocaching we have found a lot of places I wouldn’t have visited otherwise. A nice EarthCache leading me deeper in the canyon then I expected!” –MMXX
When did you first visit the dunes near Sesreim? Have you visited again since then?
“My wife and I were in South Africa and Namibia first time in 1990, again in 1993 and our last visit was in 2007. Unfortunately we have not visited this beautiful country since then, but we are looking forward to go again within the next 2-3 years.”
What do you like about this spot, and what do you think attracts other people?
“This is a very unique place. If you go early in the morning, you can feel the cold of the night and once the sun comes up, its rapidly getting warm. Very few places where you can feel the power of the sun this extreme. On the other hand, it is very quiet, only the wind is singing while it is blowing over the dunes. When you are on top of a dune, your view can carry for miles and miles and all you see is the beauty and the colors of the desert. There is nothing but vastness, nothing will disturb the view. Out of a sudden, your thoughts are free, you feel the peace of the area, you just feel happy. There are very few places where I had a similar feeling.”
What’s been your reaction to all of the nice logs and Favorite Points?
“Of course I like the logs where people report about the beauty of the place and about their experience. I answer each end every mail I receive and thank Cachers about their visit. At the same time I wish everyone a very nice vacation and happy caching for the future. Sometimes a little email conversation takes place where we share some experience.”
Is there anything you’d like to say to the geocaching community?
“Namibia, located in the south of Africa, a land of contrasts and beauty. The cost region is cold and windy while the inner part is hot with mountain ranges. There is the oldest desert, the Namib and the Fishriver canyon which is the second largest canyon of the world. In the northern part close to the Angola border is Etosha National Park. With its size of almost 9000 square miles and over 100 species of animals and 300 species of birds, it is one of the largest parks in Africa. If you like lost places, you have to visit Kolmanskop, an old German diamond field. The people are friendly and helpful and the scenery just breathtaking. We enjoyed every second and sure enough, we will come back to visit this remarkable country.”
Photo by saharaaPhoto by PermonHrochPhoto by pfitschipfeilPhoto by pfitschipfeilPhoto by KilroymanPhoto by KilroymanPhoto by saharaa
Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all of the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog. If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, fill out this form.
