Whew! What a crazy, wonderful, mixed-up month we have had here at Geocaching HQ. In the last few weeks, we hosted a party that brought geocachers from all over the world together (Geocaching Block Party – maybe you’ve heard of it?), celebrated International Geocaching Day, and unveiled the first ever International Geocaching Film Festival (GIFF)….all while keeping the 31 Days of Geocaching streak alive. Okay, we didn’t all go #31in31. There were some frustrating 13-hour DNFs and some waking up at 12:08 am only to realize what was forgotten the day before. But we all learned a bit more about what it means to be a geocacher and what it means to work and to play at Geocaching HQ. So overall, not too shabby. And as if that wasn’t enough, rumor on the street is that we’ve made “orange headbands” the hottest fashion trend of 2013 (you ‘ll want to keep reading to learn more).
Adventurers from around the globe joined Geocaching HQ staff on August 17, 2013 to celebrate International Geocaching Day. It’s tempting to measure the Geocaching Block Party 2013 in attendance (more than 3,000) or by the number of countries represented by geocachers (more than 12), but we preferred to look up from shaking hands and swapping stories and just measure the Geocaching Block Party in smiles—and there was plenty to smile about. Geocachers soaked up the creative geocaches, clever wordplay and tricky clues of a newly launched Geocaching HQ GeoTour. Geocaching HQ also debuted a new geocache type, Lab Caches, and asked geocachers to help test the new style of geocaching (potentially coming to a Mega-Event near you). Plus, did we mention getting to meet 3,000 other geocachers from around the world?
Check out the new Geocaching Block Party 2013 video to experience the thrill of the event. Make no mistake, we want to see you in the next video. Put it on your calendar, make your travel plans and log your ‘Will Attend’ for the Geocaching Block Party 2014 on August 16, 2014. Keep scrolling down for the winners of the Geocaching International Film Festival (GIFF) and more pictures from the Geocaching Block Party.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/6vSB496S-4U]
Click the image to see more than 450 pictures from The Geocaching Block Party 2013
Most Adventurous Film
The Story Behind the Log – By: FredericBrot
Most Instructional Film
Geocaching Norway – By: Woodneyepatch
Best Cinematography
Galaxycache – By: aak7
Audience Award
My Geocaching Addiction – By: Mayberryman & Drjbroke
Most Inspirational Film
The Best Days of Our Lives – By: FrederikHast
Most Creative/Experimental Film
My Geocaching Addiction – By: Mayberryman & Drjbroke
Congratulations to each of the winners and all of the entries. Each finalist received a 1-year Geocaching Premium membership. Each award winner received a 5-year Geocaching Premium membership, a personalized (and super cool) trophy and a GIFF Geocoin. Want to see the finalists? There are two ways: attend a Mega-Event that will be screening them or view them online in Spring 2014. Mega-Event hosts should contact Geocaching HQ to request a DVD to screen at their event.
A happy mini-cacher making the find. Photo by geocacher Fee&me
Geocaching can be a bit like searching for hidden treasure. For instance, just like having an X on a map, we have satellites that tell us exactly where the “booty” is hidden. And just like a treasure chest filled with gold doubloons, we have ammo cans that are filled with…Well maybe that’s a bad analogy. Anyway, it’s no secret that geocachers have a certain affinity for seafaring, treasure-hunting, patch-and-parrot-adorned pirates—so finding a pirate-themed geocache like this week’s Geocache of the Week should be on every geocacher’s to-do list.
Geocacher Nashuan‘s first geocache, creatively named Nashuan’s First Cache (GC1D56C), is an extraordinary pirate-themed geocache located in New Hampshire, USA. While this is a two-stage multi-cache, the difficulty and terrain ratings are only 1.5, so the journey shouldn’t be too taxing. However, be sure to pay attention to the geocache description—without it, you’ll be left locked out of the geocache.
The pirates trying to figure out how to access the booty. Photo by Frau Potter
Once you’ve arrived at the final location and unlocked the final stage, this geocache shows the true reason why it’s being awarded Geocache of the Week. You unveil the scene of, “Captain Jack, his first mate Arthur and his second mate Nate in the dungeon of the Castle Waltraud; trying to get into the treasure room in search of gold doubloon sig. item coins that they can use to place in caches throughout the area.” The scene is complete with a goblet that tilts down to reveal travel bugs and a leather-bound logbook.
The geocachers who have earned their smiley on this geocache agree: the craftsmanship and creativity that went into creating this geocache is incredible. In a recent trip to the area, Geocaching HQ staffer Frau Potter had the opportunity to find this geocache. In her log, she writes, “Wow! I have found many geocaches. This one is near the top of the heap. The kids were delighted since they are often disappointed that other geocaches don’t have “treasure”. It was a dream come true to find the “x” marks the spot. Thanks to the cache owner got the great effort it took to construct and maintain this one. You sure set a high standard for others.”
For a closer look at the geocache and how it was made, check out this video Nashuan made of the creation process: (Warning: Spoiler Alert)
We’re continually blown away by geocachers who push the limits of creativity with the geocaches they publish. What geocacher has hidden geocaches that totally blow your mind? Let us know 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 or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.
If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@geocaching.com.
Left: GBP2013 Tell Me Your Story! Center: TB racers at the starting line Right: GBP2013 – 2013 Miles to Say Hello!
And the Travel Bugs have (finally) crossed the finish line! With the 2013 Geocaching Block Party now in the books, it’s time to announce the winners of the The Great Geocaching Block Party 2013 Travel Bug Race. To be eligible for a prize, the Travel Bug contestant had to start at the 2012 Geocaching Block Party, travel at least 2013 miles, and make it back to Geocaching HQ before this year’s Block Party festivities wrapped up. In just one year, the 57 Travel Bug racers collectively traveled 479,548.48 miles!
Now, without further ado, here are the winners of The Great Geocaching Block Party 2013 Travel Bug Race:
LibLabLady carried Arruf1’s Trackable “Anne Bonney” thousands of miles. After discovering a shared love of this pirate lady’s history, they decided to meet up at Geocaching HQ to swap stories and drop off Anne Bonney together – just in time for Block Party!
The winners will each receive a (modestly) awesome bag of geocaching swag. Thank you to all of the geocachers and Travel Bug racers who participated, and a special congratulations to the winners!
See all the smiling faces of those who earned a smiley for attending Geocaching Block Party 2013 on our Facebook page.
What is your best Travel Bug story of 2013? Do you have any special goals for a Travel Bug in the next year? Tell us about it in the comments.
The latest evolution of the Geocaching.com geocache details page serves up a new big button labeled “Log your visit.” And with big buttons comes big responsibility. With one click, you’ll uncover 5 different log types. Here’s a quick field-guide to help you navigate to the best option.Leaving the correct log type is all part of the geocaching experience. If you aren’t sure if you should leave a DNF or a Needs Maintenance, or you need help deciding if you should use the powerful Needs Archived option, try just leaving a note. Geocachers who have that geocache on their watchlist will see your note and will most likely be happy to help you out.
Found it – It’s a well-earned smiley when you choose this option. You’ve found the geocache and physically signed the log sheet. Now begin the over-sharing. What was your adventure like? Did you meet new people? Did you see a turtle? We want to know. Tell that story, upload a picture, thank the geocache owner, and you’re in business.
Didn’t find it (aka: DNF) – We all have these days. This is a really important option. It alerts other geocachers that this geocache might be more difficult than first thought or might not even be there. If you leave a detailed note they’ll know the whole story, like if there’s evidence of a critter making off with the geocache or too many muggles in the area to make the find. A DNF is a badge of honor and it’s easy to go back and turn a DNF into a “Found it.”
Write note – “There’s serious road construction leading to the geocache.” That’s a perfect example of a nice note. It’s not a “Found it” or a “Did not find,” it’s a way to ‘note’ify (yeah, we did that) other geocachers of conditions that affect finding the geocache, like “a new bee hive is in the area, bee* careful.” (*yeah – we did that too)
Needs Maintenance – The logbook is full, the geocache is cracked, or the camouflage is a little tattered—these are all good reasons to log your “Found it” then, log a separate “Needs Maintenance.” The geocache owner will appreciate your help and geocachers will appreciate the insight.
Needs Archived– Whew, well, this is the big one. Take a deep breath and count to 10, maybe even count to 100. This is a rarely used logging option and there’s more math involved. Use this option if the geocache has many DNF’s and “Needs Maintenance” logs without a “Found it” log.
Log Type Bonus Round! There are 2 more log types for Event Caches. An Event Cache allows you to meet your local geocaching community, swap stories, trade tips and plan geocaching outings.
Will Attend – It’s our version of RSVP’ing. This lets the event organizer know you’re planning on adding your wit, charm and presence to the event.
Attended – This is the “Found it” for events. You earn a smiley and an opportunity to leave a log with a great big ol’ ‘Thank You’ for the event organizers, as well as stories from the event.
