/ Derek H /

Dive in and earn a smiley! – The Blue Hole – Half Moon Caye (GC2KFB8) — Geocache of the Week

A bird's eye view of the Great Blue Hole.
A bird’s eye view of the Great Blue Hole.

Geocache Name:

The Blue Hole – Half Moon Caye (GC2KFB8)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

1.5/4.5

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

After receiving a little more rain in Seattle, I couldn’t help but daydream of somewhere sunny, warm and tropical. I remembered a place I’ve always wanted to go scuba diving and decided to see if there was a geocache nearby—and of course, there was! The Great Blue Hole in Belize was once named one of the top 10 scuba diving sites in the world by Jacques-Yves Cousteau. The Blue Hole was formed through thousands of years of geologic processes, including earthquakes and rises in sea level. The deep blue color comes from its depth: 480 feet (145 m). And now, in addition to enjoying the tropical paradise of Belize, you can also learn about the formation of this amazing geologic attraction while earning a smiley for this Earthcache.

What geocachers are saying:

“Awesome! This is my first EarthCache and my 5th cache of any kind. I was so thrilled to get one in such an out of the way spot!” – 1fish-2fish

“My husband had been waiting forever to dive the Blue Hole on our trip to Belize. How awesome to have a geocache too! We’ve done at least one cache in every country we’ve traveled to. This was the only one we could do since we were staying on the Turneffe atoll as opposed to the mainland. Thanks so much for placing it. One more EarthCache/new country to add to the list. ” – dadsgps

“Worked on this island for a tour company, so I know the area well. Got excited to see that there’s a smiley I can log because of my work! ;)” – tigerkity

 

Photos:

 

Geocacher Luninia smiling after earning her 500th smiley at this Earthcache.
Geocacher Luninia smiling after earning her 500th smiley at this Earthcache.
If you aren't a diver, I guess you'll just have to hang out here. Bummer! Photo by geocacher Free-bird
If you aren’t a diver, I guess you’ll just have to hang out here. Bummer! Photo by geocacher Free-bird
Exploring the Great Blue Hole from within. Photo by geocacher kinderarzt
Exploring the Great Blue Hole from within. Photo by geocacher kinderarzt

What has been your favorite geocache you’ve found while on vacation? Tell us 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, leave a comment below with the name of the geocache, the GC code, and why you think we should feature it.

/ Derek H

Share the Joy of Geocaching & See the Results

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It’s a fact: geocaching is better with friends. And another fact: geocachers love stats. Now you can bring your friends along, share the high-fives and earn a few more stats with the brand new Geocaching Refer-a-Friend page.

Many geocachers found out about their favorite hobby from a friend or family member. You can invite your friends, family, acquaintances, favorite pizza delivery person, hairstylist… You get the idea.

Share your personal invitation link on Facebook and Twitter, or with an email. And remember: as your friends find and hide geocaches, you can see a brand new set of stats start to climb. Invite your friends now and go geocaching!

/ Derek H /

Tick tock… — Times Up (GC161PW) — Geocache of the Week

Uh oh...did you bring any quarters? Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie
Uh oh…did you bring any quarters? Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie

Geocache Name:

Times Up (GC161PW)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

1.5/2.5

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

Geocaches come in all shapes and sizes. One of my favorite parts of geocaching is discovering the creativity that cache hiders use to take seemingly ordinary objects and morph them into geocaches. From birdhouses to phone booths, the possibilities are nearly endless. In this instance, one geocacher took the downtown bane of my existence and turned it into something I’d be delighted to see. Hopefully they disabled the actual metering functionality, otherwise I hope your geocaching pack contains quite a bit of change.

# of Finds:

213

# of Favorite Points:

33

What geocachers are saying:

“One of my favorites! This was such a cool cache. It was also our final find to get the Tallahassee Parks and Recreation Geocoin! What a way to complete our quest! It’s not over, though, because there will always be more caches to find. Thanks for the fun! ” — Nelson BoneDogz

“WOW!!!!! What a cache! Signed log, replaced as found and called it a day!” — dogcop1us

“This was an awesome adventure! Without fully reading the description, others’ logs, or the hint, we jogged here and climbed down into the creek. Taking in the surroundings we immediately noticed an object that was out of place and had to climb up to explore more! TFTH!” — R3DH3ADS

What one of the the Geocaching Liaisons for the City of Tallahassee Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Affairs, Tallahassee-Lassie, has to say:

“While geocaching was not new to the area, two PRNA employees were instrumental in getting the City to add geocaching to the Parks program back in March 2007.  Bob (Creekhunter) & Vernon (HBunch-Tallahassee) were extremely clever in their containers and hides…In 2009 I was meeting with the then Superintendent of Parks (he’s now retired) about hosting a CITO for one of the parks.  In our discussion I told him the local geocachers group, Tallahassee Area Geocachers aka TAG, would be happy to help out maintaining the caches.  He immediately said yes and our collaboration took off…
When I report to the City about the positive logs and how far people have traveled to find the caches, they are very proud and extremely positive.  I enjoy working with them.  I will be retiring in a year & look forward to having more time to volunteer.”

Photos:

Oh good, no ticket for us! Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie
Oh good, no ticket for us! Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie
Walking up to this in the middle of the woods may be a bit confusing. Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie
Walking up to this in the middle of the woods may be a bit confusing. Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie
Can you see it? Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie
Can you see it? Photo courtesy of Tallahassee-Lassie

This geocache features a repurposed parking meter for a container. What’s your favorite repurposed container you’ve ever found or hidden? Tell us 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, leave a comment below with the name of the geocache, the GC code, and why you think we should feature it.

/ Alex /

Beware the Tall Grasses! Or, Death of a Battery

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This geocacher reached GZ happy, healthy, and totally tick-free.

 

MailerImage_06022014_SafetyTips_vFINAL_BLOG“Hey there Southern Hemisphere! This is the Northern Hemisphere calling. How’re things? It’s about the third week of May, and…well, we’d like our summer back.”  Depending on what part of the world you’re in, the latitudinal phone call that happens around the fifth month of the year signals the start to another summer of geocaching. The longer days, the warmer air, the leafier hiding spots…It’s a season so ideal for geocaching it’s hard to imagine spending your time doing anything else.

Though not to the degree of winter, even summer can have the pesky habit of preventing you from getting to GZ and finding a cache safely, effectively, and enjoyably. We’ve got some tips that will get you from working at cross-purposes with summer to working in tandem with it. (Assuming that is a thing.)

1) Make peace with your battery

Remember how we mentioned those longer summer days? They’re very good for longer sojourns into the wild, increasing your per-day find count…and draining your phone battery. Consider borrowing or purchasing a portable charger similar to this one available in Geocaching Shop, or this one on Amazon, to keep your phone from puttering to a halt at exactly the wrong moment. Compatibility with several types of devices is an especially useful trait when you’re geocaching with a group.

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” -John Steinbeck
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” -John Steinbeck

2) Ticks are not your friends

Bees, mosquitoes, thistles, and poison ivy are common culprits of summertime discomfort, but ticks should equally be on your radar. Although only a few of the many species of ticks found around the world can bite and transmit diseases to humans, those that do can really ruin your day. Here are some tips to avoid them:

    • Check out a tick distribution map for your area, like this one for Europe and this one for the United States.
    • To be extra vigilant, invest in a bottle of tick repellent.
    • Since it’s not always possible to avoid the high grass or bushes when you’re searching for that cache, dress with ticks in mind. Geocaching HQ’er Heather suggests, “Tuck your pants into your socks to keep the ticks from crawling up your legs. You’ll look really cool, and you’ll be tick-safe.”
    • Conduct a tick-check of yourself, your gear, and your pets after coming back inside.
    • Tick-removal is an art. Know the correct technique.

3) Sunscreen is king

The sun’s rays may have a pleasing effect on the hue of your skin or the shade of your hair, but don’t make that a reason to forget the sunscreen on your geocaching adventure. Even if in the end you DNF, always protect yourself with SPF, preferably 15 or higher.

What tips do you have for ensuring an excellent summer geocaching experience?

 

 

/ Eric Schudiske /

North American Edition of Geocacher of the Month: Comment Now

The earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin
The earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin

Sometimes continents must choose. Welcome to an all North American edition of Geocacher of the Month. This month we’re introduced to three geocaching community champs from North America. They’re already winners: recognized by their local communities, placers of inventive and well-loved geocaches and all-around advocates for new geocachers to join the adventure.

Your comments below help decide who takes home the earned, never-for-sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin. Each featured Geocacher of the Month will receive the special edition Geocoin, a hat and a profile icon. They’ll also receive a certificate acknowledging their contributions, signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com.

iPajero was named the Geocacher of the Month for March for helping unite the geocaching community in South Africa. One comment read, “We’d sum them up as a mix of irrepressible energy, indefatigable commitment to finding caches and a clever impish sense of humour when creating their own caches!”

iPajero – Geocachers of the Month

Each of the nominees below is an essential part of the global geocaching community and will receive a prize package from Geocaching HQ in Seattle, but only one will be the next Geocacher of the Month. A  panel from Geocaching HQ will use your comments, community input and other data to decide the winner.

 

Now it’s your turn to help us select the next Geocacher of the Month.

Write a supportive comment for the nominated geocacher you feel should be awarded the title.

hurleyanne

hurleyanne - nominee for Geocacher of the Month
hurleyanne – nominee for Geocacher of the Month

Nominated by Delaronda_Hillbillies:

Hurleyanne started caching in July 2006 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. She was one of a handful of people who started the Saskatoon and Area Geocaching Association in 2011 and has been on the executive since March 2013. This group hosts a 24 [hour] event each year, which includes a midnight “dine and dash”, a pancake breakfast and finishes with a BBQ. Well over 100 cachers attend this event every year and appreciate all the hard work that Hurleyanne and her fellow executive members put into it. In March of 2013 she traveled to California and Arizona to find a number of Route 66 caches by herself. She had such a great time that she returned in March of 2014 with a couple of other cachers from Saskatoon to do the TS trail in Nevada as well as approximately 400 caches on the ET trail. During the month of March she found 2907 caches with her most successful day being March 18th when she found 717 caches.

 

 

 

 

 

zacknmom

zacknmom - nominee for Geocacher of the Month
zacknmom – nominee for Geocacher of the Month

Nominated by dakotahillbillies:

zacknmom is a well rounded cacher in the Black Hills of South Dakota. You will find her name in about every logbook and more. She is crazy enough to cache at dusk, dawn, at night, in the cold & heat. Because of her drive to geocache, she has made it fun for those of us who cache with here too.

zacknmom has been active in geocaching events, CITOs and had events of her own. She has some really fun hiking caches. If a person needs help finding a cache she is always there to lend a hand. The stories she tells are so funny about her adventures! zacknmom takes a lot of pictures so we can enjoy her adventure as if we were there with her. One thing I know for sure, if you hide a cache, she is going to find it. With over 6.600 finds, it would be hard to stump her even if you tried.

Baytown Bert

Baytown Bert - nominee for Geocacher of the Month
Baytown Bert – nominee for Geocacher of the Month

 

 

Nominated by Lilsprinkles67:

You can’t help but get caught up in his enthusiasm for geocaching and life itself. He writes the funniest logs in the caches he finds, posts funny pictures of himself, had been known to wear a funny hat, wig, fake teeth, anything that would let people know when Bert is around – things are going to be out of this world fun and surprising.

Bert is real active in his community by organizing and participating in teaching geocaching classes, hosts events including CITOs, mentors geocachers, maintains several web pages not only about geocaching but Baytown as a whole. He meets and works with local community leaders about geocaching and has a set of goals to make geocaching better, safer, more fun, train other geocachers in nearby towns to be able to teach geocaching in their communities “pass it on” if you will.

 

 

 

 

Comment below to tell us who you think should be the April Geocacher of the Month. Comments accepted through through May 28.

If you know an outstanding geocacher who should be considered for the honor, simply fill out this webform.