/ Derek H /

A geocache made in Hollywood (but placed in Washington). — Ring of Fire (GCJYHZ) — Geocache of the Week

Maybe this was the train Ozzy Osbourne was singing about in "Crazy Train". Photo by geocacher Brasstax.
Maybe this was the train Ozzy Osbourne was singing about in “Crazy Train”. Photo by geocacher Brasstax.

This week’s Geocache of the Week was born from the depths a fiery train crash. You might be thinking, “Jeez, that’s kind of a bummer. I hope no one was hurt in the wreck.” Until, of course, you learn that the train wreck was all a piece of Hollywood cinema. If you’re up for a hike and a challenging find, Ring of Fire (GCJYHZ) will show you a piece of movie history.

In 1961, the film “Ring of Fire” was released. This film is a classic, campy story of  boy meets girl, all while a giant forest fire rages through the Pacific Northwest. You can even watch the original trailer. Movie spoiler alert: The grand finale of the film occurs when a train is stuck on a flaming bridge. Eventually, the bridge weakens and collapses, sending the train cars tumbling into a ravine. While the movie is set in Oregon, the actual filming location for this stunt was in Washington. After filming, the crew did their best to remove the wreckage, but several pieces still remained. Several years later, geocacher ironman114 found the location and placed this geocache there.

Check out the epic grand finale (skip to the 13 minute mark):[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=gGnzVdnFkmI#t=758s]

A piece of wreckage from "Ring of Fire". Photo by geocacher cougarcach24.
A piece of wreckage from “Ring of Fire”. Photo by geocacher cougarcach24.

Since then, many geocachers have found this difficulty 3.5, terrain 5 geocache and ended up with great stories. Geocacher crouchcrew had this to say in their log, “What an awesome, amazing cache for an awe-inspiring, epic milestone! He did good by picking this one. From the ropes, the climb, the railcars, the view, the history, the celebration, the beautiful day and finding the cache en masse made for a geocaching top 10 day! Thanks so much for placing and maintaining this consummate cache!”

As a fan of old movies, the CO, ironman114, knew this spot would make a great geocache. Regarding the positive logs and favorite points, he says, “I derive a lot of satisfaction to see all the cachers enjoying the trek and hunt for this cache… If you get a lot of positive logs then you know you did it right.” He goes on with a message for other geocachers who plan to hide a geocache, “Location, Location, Location. Take time to think about it and if location is bland then make a good container or story to go with the geocache. Just because you can hide a geocache within feet of a full smelly pit toilet doesn’t mean you HAVE to!”

Have you ever come across old wrecks, abandoned buildings or other once-inhabited places while geocaching? Tell us about it 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.

 

/ Eric Schudiske /

Geocachers Help Grant a Make-A-Wish® for a Geocaching Teen

Jared and geocachers at
Jared and geocachers at Evergreen Park in Bremerton, WA.

A lot of geocachers will pull over between point A and point B to find a geocache. For Make-A-Wish® recipient, Jared, he and his family would often pick up geocache finds between home and the hospital. His early teenage years were often spent in hospitals from Aberdeen, South Dakota to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He logged smileys all around the three medical centers.

He says, “When I was in the hospital I would look on the website. I would look for trackables and take them to geocaches back home with me.”  Jared123, as he’s known in the geocaching community, endured three major surgeries for a life-altering digestive issue. Through traveling to treatment, he and his family logged hundreds of miles. They tapped into geocaching to break the tension between medical procedures.

Jared discovered he had been chosen for  Make-A-Wish. Make-A-Wish grants the wish of a child diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition in the United States and its territories. Jared thought about where he could go and what he could do. Many children decide to take a trip to Disneyland or spend time with their family on a vacation to Hawaii.

Jared (center) with his family and Make-A-Wish volunteers
Jared (center) with his family and Make-A-Wish volunteers

Jared was born in the Seattle area, and when he learned that Geocaching HQ was located in Seattle, he made his choice.

Make-A-Wish organized the visit and contacted local geocachers. An event called Jared From SD Wishes for your Presence was planned to welcome him to the Northwest. And Jared wanted to meet, and geocache with, one of the most creative geocache hiders on the West Coast of the U.S: goblindust.

Geocachers from several counties away showed up to greet their fellow geocacher. Jared says, “I couldn’t’ really believe how many people came there. There were 85-90 people who attended. There were a whole bunch of volunteers and businesses who donated for the event.”

Jared then took to the geocaching trail, claiming, The SUPER Pages as his favorite geocache of the trip and perhaps of all time. He says, “I found some of the most unique geocaches ever, or even in the world.” To offer you some proof, geocacher goblindust has a creative geocache found in this video (we just won’t tell you which one).

Jared then visited Geocaching HQ, meeting with the founders of Geocaching.com and having lunch with the people who power the experience. He also led his dad to log his first geocache—the giant treasure chest in the lobby of Geocaching HQ.

Jared and his dad at Geocaching HQ
Jared and his dad at Geocaching HQ

You can watch Jared’s tour of Geocaching HQ in this 6 second Vine video. Jared did what any geocache might do when they leave Geocaching HQ, he went geocaching some more.

Geocachers who logged the event say, “Thanks to all who put this together, the vendors who donated, and to Jared for inviting us to help make his wish!!! It was a pleasure meeting you and your parents! Enjoy your visit, and hope you enjoy all the fun caches we have to offer! Goblindust…you’re a rockstar! TFTE!”

Jared says the trip was a wish come true, “I guess I couldn’t really believe it. I’ll remember this day forever.”

/ Eric Schudiske /

Geocache Care – How to Earn Both Types of Smileys

Practice Proper Care and “Feeding” of Geocaches

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Good geocache maintenance is the story of two smiles. You earn a digital smiley for your Geocaching profile by finding a geocache. If you’ve found a well-maintained geocache it often leads to a real, in the flesh, teeth showing, ear-to-ear smile. Now, we’re on a quest for even more smiles.

It’s the perfect time to help.When you find a geocache, treat it with care and lend a helping hand if it’s necessary. After signing the log book, make sure the geocache is clear of debris and return it to the original hiding spot. If you notice the geocache is no longer water-tight, the log needs to be replaced, or anything else that needs some geocache love, submit a “Needs Maintenance” log on the geocache page. The geocache owner will receive a message and a red wrench icon will appear.

If the geocache is well-maintained, make sure to include a thank you to the geocache owner in your log. And, of course, don’t forget to smile.

/ Derek H /

World’s Oldest Unfound Geocache is Found! – Getting the FTF After 12 years

The canoe, all packed up.
The noble steed and the river.

Many anxious geocachers set alerts to ping them when a new geocache is published. Within minutes of going live, a geocacher rushed to claim the FTF (First to Find). In the case of one lonely geocache, in an uninhabited swath of Canada,  it took nearly 12 years for a brave and determined geocacher to venture into the wilderness and sign the logbook. 4.5lb Walleye (GCDFB) was hidden June 23, 2001. It registered its first find on June 8, 2013 by geocacher Stormgren-X. Here’s his story.

The idea for finding this geocache came to Stormgren-X months before he set out. “I planned the trip myself over a six month period from researching the route, history, other accounts of this amazing canoe route, food, gear, and logistics of getting to the launch site and getting out and back home,” he said, “I was prepared to do the trip solo, but managed to convince my life-long friend to join me on this amazing journey along this historical canoe route.”

On the day before they left, Stormgren-X posted about their journey in the Geocaching Forums and included a link to the Spot tracking page, “I expected a few people on the geocache watchlist to perhaps follow along from time to time.  By the time we reached Fort Albany and were set up in our lodge, I…was overwhelmed to see 375 replies to my thread.  It was amazing and I felt great that so many people were watching and cheering us on…So many emails of encouragement and positive comments.  We were pleased that we offered some sort of live entertainment and discussion to the geocaching community on our journey…”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csPzYln0aDE]

From there, the real adventure began. The first two days of canoeing  proved to be the most difficult. Stormgren-X recalls, “The winds and rain were non-stop and made for freezing toes and fingers, [and] poor morale…” After the initial problems, the weather cleared and made for an enjoyable trip. On the eighth day, they reached ground zero and finally found the geocache, “…I saw a foreign object. It looked like a rounded corner of something, and I grabbed it between index finger and thumb and pulled on it. I easily pulled it out from it’s hiding spot under the moss and yelled at Gord, “Here it is! I found it!”I placed it on the ground and immediately took notice that it was intact and contents were still inside.”

Found it! Stormgren-X with the 4.5lb Walleye.
Found it! Stormgren-X with the 4.5lb Walleye.

Regarding the trip, Stormgren-X said, “The eight and a half days we spent on this arctic watershed adventure is one I won’t soon forget. Being immersed in that environment, without communication with the outside world, and seeing so few people was so refreshing from the busy and modern life we are so accustomed to. The historic places we visited and the thoughts of men and women who toiled in this land to make a life for themselves was astounding. Many times we felt so small and insignificant in such a vast wilderness, but so connected to it at the same time. To travel 435 km along such a huge waterway and not see many people, any roads, bridges, railways, dams, or industry is something difficult to find in this world. I consider myself lucky to have experienced the voyage and the great memories.”

To hear more about this amazing journey, check out the Podcacher podcast that features an interview with Stormgren-X. You can also read the full write-up. Geocaching milestones of this caliber are out there, just waiting to be found. Will you be the next adventurer to earn one of these epic smileys?

Also: enjoy a few more photos of the trip courtesy of Stormgren-X:

A campsite panorama.
View along the river
At one of the stops along the river.
At one of the stops along the river.
Canoeing in lovely weather.
Canoeing in lovely weather
/ Derek H /

Check with the moon before you go. – Father Thames & the Mermaid (As tides go by) – Geocache of the Week: Video Edition

Before we get started with the very first Geocache of the Week: Video Edition, a quick note: the video contains spoilers with permission from the geocache creator.

Some geocaches are found easiest at night, others during the day. And some, like this week’s Geocache of the Week, are easiest at low tide (high tide would require SCUBA gear). Check out the video of geocacher Skwarepeg as she journeys into the River Thames in search of Father Thames & the Mermaid (As tides go by) (GC3KG2m).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdFztOz1zGg&hl=en_US&version=3]This difficulty 3, terrain 2 geocache was created by 83cad. When asked about his inspiration for this geocache, he cites his grandaughter. She likes going to London and the beach, so this location provided the opportunity to do a little bit of everything she enjoys in one day. And regarding all of the positive logs and favorite points, he said “When I get positive logs from people I don’t know or never met, I feel a tremendous satisfaction in knowing that we are all sharing a common enjoyment.”

Sunny London from near GZ. Photo by geoacher Von-Horst.

There are many different geocaches that are easiest to find with certain conditions. What’s your favorite “condition” dependent geocache?

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.