May 9, 2014 / Eric Schudiske /

Say “Well Done” to the Latest Geocachers of the Month

he earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin (sun flare optional) — The earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin

A geocaching couple who can literally say they’ve cached their way through an entire country—and mean it—claim the latest Geocacher of the Month award. Comments and shared stories of two people who have not just found more than 10,000 geocaches, but inspired countless geocachers. Their well-maintained hides deliver instant memories. Oh, they also found a vast majority of the geocaches in South Africa. While there is only one Geocacher of the Month, each of the nominees is already a winner, with a prize package headed their way.

All of the nominees add an important contribution to their local communities and inspire the global geocaching community. Each will receive special recognition 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.

iPajero has been part of the geocaching world since 2011. After cementing hundreds of new relationships and fostering the joy of geocaching, he’s being named Geocacher of the Month for March 2014.

One comment reads, “They have been a huge encouragement to us and have added to our caching experience by posting many challenging caches in our home-town. 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. We once posted a new cache with the wrong co-ords which took folk about 500m from the cache position. Nonetheless they claimed a FTF by using a canny geocaching sense and pointed out to us our mistake. Now it takes a special geocacher to do that!”

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

iPajero - Nominee for Geocacher of the Month — Geocachers of the Month

Every nomination must include the following items and abide by the following guidelines:

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 have submitted them for the award. Nominations for Geocacher of the Month are accepted at any time.

Congratulations again to iPajero for being recognized as the Geocacher of the Month for March.

The world of smileys as seen from geocachers like iPejera — The world of smileys as seen from geocachers like iPajero

May 7, 2014 / Derek H

Just hangin’ with my gnomeys — Gnomesville (GCHTN7) — Geocache of the Week

Welcome to Gnomesville! Photo by geocacher Crumps

Geocache Name:

Gnomesville (GCHTN7)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

1/1

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

While out geocaching, you can meet some pretty interesting folks. Sometimes it’s another geocacher who joins the hunt. Other times it’s a curious muggle who discovers their new favorite hobby. And then there are the times when you meet a horde of gnomes in Australia. What? That hasn’t happened to you? Well head out to find this geocache and it will. Aside from making new friends, one of the best parts of geocaching is that it takes us to incredible (and sometimes strange) locations throughout the world. Gnomesville is a perfect example of an interesting location filled with interesting (albeit small) people.

# of Finds:

261

# of Favorite Points:

What geocachers are saying:

“Heard about this place earlier in the year then noticed some caches here too so couldn’t resist coming to take a look. Kids loved wandering around look at all the gnomes. Had no idea there would be sooo many!!” – SpatialRiq

“Heading down south with my husband who told me about gnomesville. So we made a detour to come and see this amazing place. We parked the car almost right beside the cache. I was so excited. I got to the cute little cache,signed the log book. Took lots of photos then added my little hiker gnome to the geocaching colony. TFTC it was a highlight of my day.” – Ladyjet86

“Great day out gnoming around. What a collection. The geokids dropped some angry little men off to join the clan. Great place!” – polony_5

Photos:

Well, that's a lot of gnomes. (See what I did there?) Photo by geocacher Wandaley — Well, that’s a lot of gnomes. (See what I did there?) Photo by geocacher Wandaley

We've heard of TB hotels, but this is a Gnome hotel. Photo by geocacher Luna Maya — We’ve heard of TB hotels, but this is a Gnome hotel. Photo by geocacher Luna Maya

Gnomes EVERYWHERE! Photo by geocacher CassidyFamily

Have you met any interesting people while geocaching? 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.

May 6, 2014 / Eric Schudiske /

The 4 Most Common Geocache Hiding Mistakes

Make your geocache smile... 4 things to avoid when hiding a geocache — Make your geocache smile… 4 things to avoid when hiding a geocache

(Cough Cough) Hello class, and welcome to a quick installment of the 4 most Common Geocache Hiding Mistakes. Why read on? It’s like knowing the four common routes where there’s a bridge out, or heavy road construction, or a locust migration. These are all mistakes a new hider doesn’t have to make. Let’s learn together and if at any point you’d like to know more, check out the Hiding Overview for all you need to know.

Here are the four guidelines that potential cache owners most commonly overlook:

1) Choose an Appropriate Location

Think like a non-geocacher and ask yourself, “Self, am I placing this geocache somewhere where it could be mistaken for something dangerous?” Also ask yourself if geocache hunting behavior (i.e. looking through bushes) might draw attention in sensitive areas, like schools. And make sure you know whether or not geocaches are allowed in that location. Some areas require a permit, are private property, or don’t allow geocaching altogether. Ask a land manager or owner for permission when needed.

2) Consider Proximity to Other Geocaches

Geocaches must be at least 1/10 mile or 528 feet (161 meters) apart. Check the area for other geocaches before settling on a spot. There’s a great new planning map tool to help you, with red circles showing places that are already blocked by another geocache. It won’t tell you about secret locations, but it will catch a lot of the locations that have already been taken.

3) Avoid Commercialization/Agendas

Geocaches cannot be commercial or used to publicize an agenda. Sometimes people get tripped up by the commercial guideline unintentionally. There are lots of platforms that you can use to get the word out about your important cause or a business that you really (really) like, but geocaches are not an appropriate platform for that.

4) Don’t Damage Property

Telephone poles and stop signs seem like they are public property because they are so familiar, but they are the property of the city or utility company. Don’t damage things in the environment. Screwing or drilling into a live tree creates an pathway for insects and disease. Never bury a geocache, even partway. If you have to make a hole in the ground, it’s not OK.

Follow these four tips and you’ll avoid many of the common hurdles geocache hiders face. And while this is the end of this blog post, it’s not the end of what you need to know. Check out the Hiding Overview before placing a geocache and avoid these pitfalls and create smiles like the one below!

This is the "OMG" look we're aiming for. — This is the “OMG” look we’re aiming for.

May 4, 2014 / Derek H /

5 Tips for Getting Your Film into GIFF 2014

Last Year's GIFF Geocoin. Photos by Suzi-Pratt.com — Last Year’s GIFF Geocoin. Photos by Suzi-Pratt.com

By Reid,

Around this time last year, my co-HQer and the great Geocaching Block Party organizer, Amy, said something like, “Hey Reid, so it turns out we have access to a very large screen for Block Party. What should we do with it?” After a thoughtful pause I said, “What if we hosted a film festival?” Amy did a giddy dance and the Geocaching International Film Festival (GIFF) was officially born. In true “If you build it they will come” fashion, the ambitious idea was a success. We received over 100 submissions from more than 20 countries! After spending three years of telling the stories of geocachers for Geocaching HQ, I was truly inspired to see how the community chose to tell their own. Our inaugural GIFF was such a hit that we decided to do it again this year.

Crawling around in a cave. Anything for the shot!

It has now been four years that I’ve been running through forests, crouching into caves, and crawling through sewers to tell the stories of people who love to find and hide geocaches. I like to think I’ve learned a thing or two about what makes for good geocaching video, and with the help of the GIFF judges from HQ, I have compiled five tips to up your chances of being one of the finalists for this year’s Geocaching International Film Festival.

1. Less is More

Just because you can submit up to 4 minutes of video doesn’t necessarily mean you should. When I make videos I think, “What is the simplest way I can tell this story?” Then, I add from there if I can’t resist. This will help you focus on what is truly important and keep your audience engaged. Last year’s finalist, Godzilla Goes Geocaching, is a great example of a geocacher who used 1 minute and 32 seconds to tell his story.

2. Global Appeal

How are you going to communicate your love of the game to 9 million geocachers from more than 185 countries? Something that might be amazing for your local community may not speak to the global community. One of last year’s finalists, Geocaching Day, is a story told without dialogue that speaks to the adventurous spirit of geocachers everywhere.

GIFF on the Big Screen. Photos by Suzi-Pratt.com

3. Focus on Quality

We understand if geocaching comes before filmmaking on your hobby list—we’re not looking for Hollywood here. We are, however, looking for videos that will look and sound good on the big screen. If you can, use a tripod and an external mic. If you can’t, have your actors speak close to your on-camera mic and use a natural tripod like a tree or your friend’s shoulder. For inspiration, check out last year’s winner for Best Cinematography: Galaxy Cache. For more technical tips, I highly recommend checking out Vimeo’s Video School.

4. Follow the Rules

For real. We had to deny one of our favorite films last year because they didn’t have permission for the songs they used. If you’re serious about being considered as a finalist, I recommend grabbing a coffee, a snack, a highlighter and reading through the GIFF guidelines.

5. Have Fun!

If you’re not having fun making your film, your audience won’t have fun watching it. Though I know they didn’t get much sleep, I’m pretty sure the creators of My Geocaching Addiction had a pretty good time putting it together. Oh, and they just happened to take home the Audience Award.

We are on the edges of our exercise ball chairs over here at HQ to see what you come up with for GIFF 2014.

You can also see all of last year’s finalists here.

Not going to submit, but want to watch the finalists on the big screen? Log your will attend here.

Geocachers watching the GIFF 2013 Finalists. Photos by Suzi-Pratt.com

Official Blog

Say “Well Done” to the Latest Geocachers of the Month

Just hangin’ with my gnomeys — Gnomesville (GCHTN7) — Geocache of the Week

Geocache Name:

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

# of Finds:

# of Favorite Points:

What geocachers are saying:

Photos:

Have you met any interesting people while geocaching? Tell us in the comments.

The 4 Most Common Geocache Hiding Mistakes

1) Choose an Appropriate Location

2) Consider Proximity to Other Geocaches

4) Don’t Damage Property

5 Tips for Getting Your Film into GIFF 2014

1. Less is More

2. Global Appeal

3. Focus on Quality

4. Follow the Rules

5. Have Fun!

We are on the edges of our exercise ball chairs over here at HQ to see what you come up with for GIFF 2014.

You can also see all of last year’s finalists here.

Not going to submit, but want to watch the finalists on the big screen? Log your will attend here.

Instagram

Geocache Name:

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

# of Finds:

# of Favorite Points:

What geocachers are saying:

Photos:

Have you met any interesting people while geocaching? Tell us in the comments.

1) Choose an Appropriate Location

2) Consider Proximity to Other Geocaches

4) Don’t Damage Property

World Wide Flash Mob – The Spice of Geocaching Life

1. Less is More

2. Global Appeal

3. Focus on Quality

4. Follow the Rules

5. Have Fun!

We are on the edges of our exercise ball chairs over here at HQ to see what you come up with for GIFF 2014.

You can also see all of last year’s finalists here.

Not going to submit, but want to watch the finalists on the big screen? Log your will attend here.

Instagram