What makes a great geocache? Does it have to have an amazing container? A beautiful location? An epic puzzle? As far as I’m concerned, the best geocaches are the ones that bring a smile to your face. Just like this one. A breath of fresh air for geocachers who might be a tad frustrated with a hard puzzle, this geocache is relatively easy to spot. Although, by looking at the photos, it would seem that some geocachers still tend to have troubles finding it.
“Yes!! after 3 DNF’s I finally made a score in Silverton. Way cool and tricky too. Hope the photo doesn’t give away too much and spoil the find.” – ADVTraveler
“Okay, this is my kind of cache. Going thru Colorado with far too many DNFs, this one brought a smile to my face. Thanks. SL, left two bits.” – cyclocat
“Geocaching friends were visiting from Denver and they thought I had to many difficult caches and I should do a real easy one. This one was really too easy, but they liked it and convinced me to submit it for publishing. So far the cache has never been muggled.
I was amazed by the feed back I got from cachers from the U.S. and other countries. The description several of their visits very comical and good sense of humor Some were going to use my idea, which is fine with me. Because of this cache I have met many cachers ,newbies and seasoned.
I would like to thank all who have visited to too two easy for the positive responses , the favorites and hope all that visit this cache will leave with a smile.”
Photos:
Maybe it’s up there. Photo by geocacher SprinklesBChick-A-D struggling to find the cache. Maybe one day she’ll find it.Can you spot it? Photo by geocacher Eispiraten DD
What was the last geocache that made you smile? Tell us and post photos in the comments.
Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog. If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, just fill out this form. Thanks!
Word on the street is, Mega-Events are the best thing since sliced bread
These geocaching parties of 500+ people offer more than a meet-and-greet of other geocachers—though that’s bound to happen too. Mega-Events are more like a celebration of all facets of the hobby we love. Often centered around a theme (ahem, *Pirates*), Mega-Events happen all over the world and are a must for every geocacher. Find one near you.
Were you there? Can you find yourself? GeoWoodstock XII.Living in or visiting Germany? You’ll never be short on awesome events.
Not sure if Mega-Events are your thing?
Geocaching HQ’er Chris (Rock Chalk) discusses his experiences at four Mega-Events this past year, and you can be sure that no two Mega-Events are alike.
By Chris Ronan
I’ve had the good fortune (and the necessary vacation time) to attend four Mega-Events in 2014. I’ve found Mega-Events to be much like any geocaching event in that they reflect the personality and geocaching style of the host community. However, they’re larger than typical events, as an event must have 500+ attendees to achieve Mega-Event status.
At this time last year, I had no idea what a Mega-Event was about, or whether I’d enjoy attending. Perhaps my experiences might be useful as you peruse the list of upcoming Mega-Events around the world.
S*W*A*G’s Yuma Mega #11
Held in Yuma, AZ, this was my first Mega-Event. I lived in Kansas at the time, so this was a wonderful mid-winter break from Midwestern winter. It was my first experience with Lab Caches, which took me on a great tour through the area. There’s a great variety of caching around Yuma—from power trails such as the Arizona Star Geo-Art and the S*W*A*G Geo-Art to higher-terrain hiking and climbing caches.
Logbook at the S.W.A.G. Yuma Mega-Event.
MOGA 2014
Unlike the Yuma Mega-Event, MOGA is held in a different place each year. The 2014 version took place in Athens, OH in late March. The perfect time for a road trip from Kansas! MOGA was where I experienced my first and only geocaching competition. The organizers took a different approach to Lab Caches, but they were just as enjoyable as what I’d seen in Yuma. The area offered a wonderful variety of geocaches. MOGA 2015 will be held in Jackson, MO, less than two hours from St. Louis.
A map-style logbook at the MOGA Mega-Event.
Geowoodstock XII
Geowoodstock XII was held just 30 minutes from St. Louis, in the historic river town of St. Charles, MO. The immediate area is more urban than Yuma or Athens, which meant yet another different style of caching. Fittingly, the Lab Caches focused on the area’s amazing history. Speaking of history, GeoWoodstock XIII is to be held in Boonsboro, MD. I could talk for days about all the great caching in that area, but definitely don’t miss the Wherigo at Antietam National Battlefield. It’s one of my favorite caches ever!
If you’re lucky, you might see Signal at a Mega-Event.
3IEE
Shortly after joining the staff of Geocaching HQ, I took a weekend to enjoy my first international Mega-Event in Duncan, British Columbia. 3IEE was a complete departure from my previous three Mega-Events, as it focused on EarthCaches. I’m no geology genius, but I walked away feeling like even I might be able to construct an enjoyable EarthCache, thanks to the many educational opportunities at the event. The Lab Caches introduced me to the beautiful Cowichan Valley. And, of course, I nabbed my first Canada caches, which were very cool!
At the International EarthCache Mega-Event!
I’ve had the chance to meet geocachers from around the world and enjoy very different geocaching experiences in some neat places. In fact, I’ve already booked another vacation to sunny Arizona for S*W*A*G Yuma Mega Event #12 on February 8, 2015. See you there!
The perks of being a Geocaching Premium member just got better. Besides unlocking the powerful search and listing tools on the website, now when you sign in to the free official Geocaching App, you’ll have a few extra features:
List View – See geocaches in a new way with the List View.
Filters – Filter your geocache search results by distance, Favorite Points, size, difficulty and terrain.
The perks for Geocaching Premium members will keep getting better and better as we upgrade our app. Stay tuned for more and if you haven’t yet, upgrade to Geocaching Premium.
Ping! That’s the sound of your phone or email notifying you when a new geocache is published nearby. Grab your geo-bag, gps device, and get moving… you want to be the FTF (First To Find).
Discovering new geocaches before anyone else. Image by @gc_steph
Why would I want to be FTF?
Being FTF on a geocache is an exciting experience. You get to discover the newly published geocache prior to everyone else in the community and you get to brag about it 😉 . On many occasions, geocache owners will leave a small gift for the first geocacher to discover their cache. Prizes? Heck yes!
Photo by @officialtinysupermanCash prize! Image by Instagrammer @ruznuz
How do I set up instant notifications to let me know when a new geocache is published (only applicable to Premium Members)?
You can custom build notifications under Premium Member features.
Choose a cache type to monitor (e.g. Traditionals, Events, etc.)
Choose the types of logs you want to see (if you are just looking for newly published caches, choose “Publish Listing”)
Set the location (central point) and distance (around that point) you want to watch.
Check the email listed in the “Send to” drop-down menu. (If you would like to send Instant Notifications to an alternate email,you will need to manage your email addresses first.)
Check “Enable Notifications”.
Select “Create Notification” and you are set!
For addition information on Instant and Text Notifications please go here.
FTF! Image by @driftsolo
How can I add FTF to my statistics?
Geocaching.com does not have a feature that showcases FTFs, as Geocaching HQ does not regulate or manage FTFs. However, many geocachers use outside statistics-generating sites such as GSAK.net or MyGeocachingProfile.com to display their FTFs on their profile pages.
As men around the world started to grow their facial hair in honor of Movember, we wondered about mustache-themed caches, trackables, coins, and geocachers that could be out there. And we found facial hair from a can is pretty popular. Most geocaches encourage people to use a mustache in the geocache to share a picture of themselves, stache’d up, on the geocache page. Here are some of our furriest finds:
‘Stache Caches:
GC415QR Movember – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
GC3F6P2: Facial Hair – Redmond, Washington, United States
GC57VAQ Moustache Cache – Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, United States
Trackables:
What about “a’sttaching” one to a Travel Bug then acquiring a few fun photos along the way?
TB214CA PCTM – Picture Crazy Travel Mustache
TB4XPHF – Ridiculously Large Mustache
Geocoins:
Oh these soup strainers are clever…
TB665G3 Geocoin Club November 2013 – Movember Geocoin even comes with a handy spot for inserting a “photo-op” stick.
TB5XQY3 “the Mustache made me do it” traveled 3,392 miles before finally landing on the upper lip of its owner
And finally, no blog about geo-staches would be complete without an honorary mention of Mr. and Mrs. Mysterious, aka TheVillans who bill themselves as, “the most feared geocaching team on the planet!!!” This dastardly duo caches in disguise leaving a comic book and a calling card in their wake. Muhahahaha!!
TheVillans
How do you Must-cache? Share your photos in the comments and tell us about your fall-foliage and folic-y fun. :-{)
