/ Derek H /

Happy Halloween! – Geist des Hagen (GC11JM6) – Geocache of the Week

Watch out for the Ghost of Hagen while earning this smiley. Photo courtesy of die Helden
Watch out for the Ghost of Hagen while earning this smiley. Photo courtesy of die Helden

Geocache Name:

Geist des Hagen (GC11JM6)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

1.5/2

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

There’s no better day than Halloween to venture into the dark woods of Germany to hunt for one of the country’s most favorited geocaches. Geist des Hagen (in English: Ghost of Hagen) is modeled after Das Nibelungenlied (The Song of the Nibelungs), an old tale of love, war and betrayal in which Hagen is a character. Spoiler alert: Hagen dies. And now his spirit, forever unable to rest, haunts this geocache and those who dare seek it out. Apparently Hagen isn’t a very scary ghost because thousands of geocachers have made the find. And of those that have found it, many of them have awarded it a Favorite Point. While the story this geocache is based on is from ancient times, the geocache is very much up-to-date. This geocache includes electronic components and even a voice module.

# of Finds:

5,611

# of Favorite Points:

2,836, which makes it the second-most favorited geocache in all of Germany

What die Helden, the geocache owner, has to say:

“After this great feedback to this cache we did the other caches of the “Nibelungensage”, and now there are 10 caches from this series and some of them are made with even more mechanic and electronic “specials”. And when we do our caches we pay special attention to the water and weather proof stages, so we don’t need so much maintenance. For example we use many pieces from the car industry. It’s fun to do this caches and to interact with cachers.”

What geocachers are saying:

(Translated from German)

“Fantastic, this is how caching should be, if your expectations are high because a cache already has 3000 favorite points: absolutely spectacular! Too bad you cannot give more than 1 favorite point. With amazed awe, Team Osterhasl” – Osterhasl

“We came here only because of the favorite points to see what could be a cache like that to collect so many favos. This truly is worth every favorite point it has and more… One of the best caches we have ever found!” – Black_Island

Read More Logs

Photos:

Another piece of the cache. Photo courtesy of die Helden
Another piece of the cache. Photo courtesy of die Helden
This is what you're looking for! Photo courtesy of die Helden
This is what you’re looking for! Photo courtesy of die Helden
Secrets lurk everywhere in the forest. Photo courtesy of die Helden
Secrets lurk everywhere in the forest. Photo courtesy of die Helden

See All Photos

 

Have you ever found a “haunted” geocache or seen a ghost while out caching? 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.

/ Annika /

Geocaching Caption Contest 40 – Win a Barely Coveted Prize

kidcaption
The Frog or the Geocache, for this you must decide!

With Halloween just around the corner, it is time to get creative – and not only with your costume! Help us find a caption for this perfectly dressed up little geocacher, like “Trick or SWAG!” Tell us your funniest caption for this picture! You could even win a ‘barely coveted prize’ (emphasis on the ‘barely’) in the 40th Geocaching Caption Contest. This picture was discovered on the Recent Geocaching Log Images page.  You can discover the 1000 most recent images from recent logs.

Continue reading →

/ Eric Schudiske /

Tips on Geocache Hints

WeeklyMailer_10282013_WritingBetterHints_vFINAL_Blog

 

Sometimes geocaching hints create a confusing chorus that doesn’t lead anyone closer to the actual geocache. “Hints” like, “It’s in the obvious place” or “Yes, it’s really there” or “You don’t really need a hint” lead to a little confusion and a lot of shoulder shrugging. The hint shouldn’t spoil the exact location of the geocache, but be should be used as a good clue as to where it can be found. If you’re a geocache hider, consider a clue that would help someone who’s finding their first geocache step closer to the container.

The hint can still be clever and require geocachers to think about their surroundings. If you’re new to geocaching, or even a seasoned pro, sometimes the hint takes a little decoding. Here’s some help:

• Tie Your Shoe = Bend down and look at a lower level
• Attractive = Magnetic geocache
• Troll = Under a bridge
• SPOR/UPR = Suspicious Pile of Rocks/Unusual Pile of Rocks
• Handyman Special = Magnetic bolt

 

Do you still have more questions about hints? We’ve got you covered. Another great destination to decipher and share your favorite hints is the Geocaching Facebook page.  Inspire a geocache owner, leave your favorite tips on hints below in comments!

/ Paige Edmiston /

TattooBarbie Discovers Geocaching

eldorado
After attending Geocoinfest 2013: Las Vegas, Nevada, TattooBarbie and her friend cybercat completed the El Dorado series. They had so much fun they decided to also do the Route 66 series!

This is the story of a woman with Asperger’s, who became a geocacher with Asperger’s. It’s not about conquering a disorder or beating an affliction. It’s about something more. It’s about the most human of all conditions: adaptation. It’s a condition geocachers are known to excel at, and Toni Brown first discovered that at work.

In many ways, Toni (Username: TattooBarbie) is a geocacher like many others: adventurous, fun, and outgoing. But this has not always been the case.

Long before she discovered geocaching, Toni was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome.  She says, “With Asperger Syndrome, it’s sort of a problem with your social life. You just don’t fit in. You don’t understand people and people don’t understand you. That has led me to have a rather secluded life.” Like many others with Asperger’s, Toni found it difficult to meet new friends and to get outside.

Then, one fateful work retreat, she found a way to do both. Toni works for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). TPWD uses geocaching as an educational tool for its Outdoor Family Program, and so the department decided that it would be a good idea for TPWD employees to test out geocaching during its annual retreat. For Toni, this activity turned out to be more than fun – it turned her life upside down (sometimes literally).

“Geocaching changed my life…I finally fit in somewhere. I’ve even hosted events when I travel out of town just to meet other geocachers.  This activity is so much fun that no matter where you go you can meet perfect strangers and share a common bond.”  With nearly 10,000 finds and 200 hides, Toni now spends a lot of time outside exploring. Her geocaching dream is to travel to Brazil to find the last remaining Project APE geocache. She also would like to find the International Space Station geocache, but concedes that “Brazil is [more] doable.”

telephone pole
Toni climbs out of her comfort zone (and ours!).
tattootreasurechest
TattooBarbie’s trackable treasure chest tattoo.

Toni has been hooked on geocaching ever since that first experience at the TPWD retreat. Don’t believe us? Check out her rad trackable tattoo, featured in the video below. It’s in the shape of a treasure chest, which she thinks is the perfect representation of what geocaching is all about.

We think that Toni herself is the perfect representation of what geocaching is all about. She has used geocaching as a tool to step outside her comfort zone, to explore new places, and to surround herself with a wonderful community of folks united by their shared love of this crazy thing we call…well…geocaching.

Has geocaching helped you to overcome a challenge or step outside of your comfort zone? Tell us your story in the comments below.

Watch the video below (created by TPWD) to learn more about how geocaching helped Toni overcome the challenges associated with Asperger Syndrome:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3E-ehjqwho&feature=youtu.be]