/ Eric Schudiske

The Newest Geocachers of the Month – A Geocache Series Creator

sadexploration – Geocacher of the Month

Sometimes the world is a big place.

 

It’s a daunting place with crisscrossing borders and politics, and for many it’s often isolating. Then there’s geocaching. The Geocacher of the Month taught us a lesson. The world of geocaching is small, connected and ready to celebrate the contributions of other geocachers.

We met three geocachers from different countries. Each delivers serious geocaching joy to their local geocaching communities, whether it’s gadget geocaches, inspiration and encouragement or a groundbreaking series of geocaches, or even all three.

Each of the geocachers will receive special recognition and a prize package for their contribution to the adventure of geocaching. Before naming the Geocacher of the Month, Geocaching HQ reviews community input and blog comments. Each comment is read and posts in native languages are encouraged.

It was a difficult decision.

 

A geocache series creator and geocaching ambassador to new players takes home the title, “Geocacher of the Month”.

sadexploration has called himself a geocacher for nearly a decade, added to the adventure by orchestrating a series of geocaches through the United Kingdom, and those who know him best do not stop there.

One geocacher writes, “I’d like to vote for Steve, Sadexploration. Not only did he create the fabulous Church Micro series, but he has set hundreds of amazing caches, His Devils Dyke Circular series remains one of my most memorable caching expeditions. It’s full of handmade and lovingly crafted containers many of which have ingenious gadgets attached and it’s not surprising that each cache on the series garners so many favourite points – well in to the hundreds. His caches are pretty special and as well as being a conscientious CO who maintains them all to a high standard, he’s a very friendly bloke who made me feel especially welcome at an caching event when I met him for the first time.”

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

The other nominees for Geocacher of the Month also made huge contributions to geocaching. If you haven’t already, read Mr. Gadget #2’s comment about Geocacher of the Month.

Congratulations again to sadexploration for earning the May 2014 title of Geocacher of the Month.

 

 

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

/ Derek H /

The most dangerous geocache in the world? – Hua Shan (GC1XAM3) – Geocache of the Week

For something like this, you have to spell extreme like this: "XTREEEEEEEMMMMEEEE". Photo by geocacher poizon
For something like this, you have to spell extreme like this: “XTREEEEEEEMMMMEEEE”. Photo by geocacher poizon

Geocache Name:

Hua Shan (GC1XAM3)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

2/4

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

First, to clear things up: we don’t condone taking unnecessary risks in order to find a geocache. No find is worth getting hurt over. And in fact, in order to find this geocache, you don’t have to walk along the precarious pathways bolted into the cliffside. That being said, very few times will you get the chance to do something this cool. And just think of the amazing selfies you could take! The pathways were developed several hundred years ago by those seeking to reach the mountain peaks for their religious significance. In more recent years, this has become a popular tourism spot. The Chinese government has incorporated more safety measures to the vertigo-inducing paths to ensure that everyone gets a chance to safely make the journey. Just google “the most dangerous hike in the world” or “Hua Shan” for plenty of more pictures and info.

What geocachers are saying:

“Finding this cache was a great adventure. Huashan is a wonderful mountain and we enjoyed our day very much.” – poizon

“This is the cache I have worked mostly to get. 3 hours of climbing stairs. I tried to count the stairs, but I gave up, reaching 1600. I think we climbed more than 2000 steps…Thanks to >>SCK_ARo<< for this cache.” – Lyngerup.dk

“After climbing incredibly many many steps, we found out that we have forgotten to check a photohint, but fortunately we found it anyway. Box was empty, so we tried to fullfill it with travelbugs. Hua Shan cache will be the most precious point of mine!” – GeoEfka

Photos and video:

 

NBD. These steps are solid as rock. Because that's what they're carved into. Photo by geocacher klingac
NBD. These steps are solid as rock. Because that’s what they’re carved into. Photo by geocacher klingac
Yikes! Don't look down! Photo by geocacher klingac
Yikes! Don’t look down! Photo by geocacher klingac
The heavenly steps. Photo by geocacher klingac
The heavenly steps. Photo by geocacher klingac
A beautiful sunrise makes it all worth it. Photo by geocacher doky team
A beautiful sunrise makes it all worth it. Photo by geocacher doky team

What’s the most well-made geocache you’ve ever found? 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, just fill out this form. Thanks!

/ Alex

How to DNF a DNF

Sometimes, expectations don’t match reality. Sometimes, geocachers are absolutely fine with that.

The team of intrepid Geocaching HQ’ers who left Seattle on Friday, June 27th were expecting their weekend culminate in a hike halfway up Mount Rainier. At 10,080 feet in elevation, the Camp Muir hike wasn’t one to scoff at. For five hours, the team would slog straight up rock, ice, and snow. Virtual caches GCA69 and GC1192 would be waiting for them at the top (hopefully holding a sign, flowers, and hand warmers). Logging these, one very old T5 and another very old T4.5, would be the ultimate payoff.

Alas, despite fervent pleas and several bouts of sun-dancing, the team of geocachers was not able to ward off the mantle of clouds that hung over the mountain. When the big day came, Mt. Rainier was to reveal itself for only a few seconds before vanishing shyly again.

2014-06-28 14.33.37

At that point, the team found itself on the cusp of failure.

A triple DNF hung across their shoulders—two for the caches, one for the mountain itself. They had no back-up plan, for the hike up to Camp Muir had consumer their very beings. It was the only ascent they’d considered, the only slope they’d trained for. The team was inconsolable.

Inspiration hit them like a bison charging down a mountain. What do geocachers do when they DNF? They break into song of course.

Explorers, sleuths, adventurers,

finders, keepers, hey!

We the brave, the geocachers,

three dozen finds per day!

The song, which was sung to the tune of “Ronda Alla Turca”, rallied the team immensely. They realized what they had to do to cancel out their DNF: find some more geocaches! Unsurprisingly, the surrounding cliffs, valleys, trails, rivers, and lakes were dotted with geocaches of every type. In little time, the team was hiking merrily along a thin, winding trail rimmed with wildflowers. The prospect of two more caches at the end of the trail lifted their spirits immensely.

2014-06-29 12.36.17

The team thought about all the reasons they loved geocaching, and added one more to the pile: A DNF isn’t synonymous with failure. Lots of things can get in the way of a find. Weather turns south. Batteries die. The dog eats all the snacks. Does that mean the adventure is over? Nope!

Three tips to DNF a DNF

1) Bring a friend. Someone with Pollyanna-style enthusiasm will do nicely.

2) Look around. Are there other caches nearby? Go find ’em.

3) Plan for a return trip. A DNF isn’t a permanent status.

4) Try singing the song mentioned above. Try singing anything to the tune of Ronda Alla Turca. It will cheer you up, we promise.

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/ Guest Writer /

Allegany State Park Geobash IX Mega-Event

Signal, Amy and the whole ASPGB IX crew
Signal, Amy and the whole ASPGB IX crew

Geocaching is Better with Friends… Lots and Lots of Friends.

Editor’s note: Geocaching HQ staff are  attending dozens of Mega-Events around the world, shaking hands, sharing stories of adventure, and of course, geocaching. Each person at Geocaching HQ brings their own unique talent to advancing the adventure. Some write code for the website, others design images for the apps, and some shoot videos explaining it all. Amy Faulkner is the Geocaching HQ staff member behind the Geocaching Block Party and other awesome events. She recently traveled to her home state of New York to join nearly a thousand people  in celebrating geocaching and the geocaching community at the ASPGB IX. Here’s her story. 

A Return Trip Home with Geocaching

Here at Geocaching HQ, we often hear glorious stories of geocaching taking people to places they never knew existed. And we’ve even experienced this phenomenon ourselves – stumbling upon EarthCaches that reveal large geological events that we never knew happened, or finding the Little Library around the corner that just so happens to contain a geocache.

As excited as I was to attend the ASPGB Mega-Event again this year, returning to the place where I grew up to attend an event I had previously attended seemed a bit anticlimactic. But I was wrong. Not kind of wrong, I was so wrong – out of the ballpark wrong- that I’m actually embarrassed that I had that thought in the first place.

To begin, the ASPGB was spectacular this year. It was great to see familiar faces from last year and meet all of the new attendees this year. The event was packed full of fun activities,  from Lab Caches to a creative cache contest to a raffle dripping with anticipation. I met so many great people including these lovely ladies (below) that were celebrating their 100th find. They presented me with the awesome smiley which now permanently resides at my desk.

100 finds
100 finds and a smiley

In addition to attending the event, I had the opportunity to spend a day geocaching with my mom in the town where I grew up. We found an amazing EarthCache at one of my favorite childhood spots, Rock City Park. My mother has become quite the geocacher over the last year.

GC14E7K: Rock City Park
GC14E7K: Rock City Park
amys mom
Amy’s mom, geocaching pro.

 

A Hometown Still Full of Surprises

The biggest element of surprise happened on my drive back to the airport. About 30 minutes into my drive, I stopped at a rest area in a place called Friendship, New York. While there, I decided to peek at the Geocaching app to see if there were any nearby geocaches. To my surprise, there was one right at that rest area. I left the car and wandered to GZ and quickly made the find. As I was re-hiding the container, a car drove up behind me. From the window I hear, “Can we sign the log before you put that back?”

As I turned around, I saw a car full of geocachers. They pulled over and we shared stories, trackables and even had an impromptu photo shoot.

All in all, I realized that geocaching is so much more than finding new places. It’s about the randomness of the things that happen along the way, the people you meet, the experiences you have and the community that you belong to as a geocacher.

unnamed (3)
Random encounters: Teamajk, theworldisfun, cheryyll, & Tiki tour

 

 

/ Eric Schudiske /

Introduce Friends to Geocaching with this 1 Free App

MailerImage_06302014_IntroAppsForEveryone_vFINAL_BLOG

Geocaching has never been easier to share or take along on a spontaneous adventure.

The official Geocaching Intro apps for Android, iPhone and Windows Phone serve up beginner geocaches. The app is loaded with helpful advice, tips and videos to turn muggles into geocachers in just a few clicks. The apps offer your friends everything they need to launch on a geocaching adventure. Use the app to search for Traditional geocaches, navigate to their locations and log finds. Now when friends ask about geocaching, you can say, “download the official Geocaching intro app, and I’ll show you all about it.” Or say something even wittier, maybe even add a joke. Your friends like jokes.

If you’re a Geocaching Premium Member the intro app offers even more features, like access to all Traditional geocaches regardless of terrain or difficulty, including Premium Member Only Traditional caches. Download the app for your phone now, and begin a geocaching adventure anywhere.