/ Eric Schudiske

Geocaching Just Got Better in Georgia State Parks

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Spend your Georgia vacation geocaching in natural beauty with the Georgia State Parks GeoTour. You could even earn custom geocoins!

Georgia State Parks has hidden 46 geocaches in 43 spectacular state parks, from Cloudland Canyon’s cool mountain trails to Skidaway Island’s sunny historic coast, and everywhere in between. Pick up or download your Geo-Challenge Passport today to start your journey, reach all three levels, and collect all three custom geocoins!

Georgia State Parks GeoTour
Georgia State Parks GeoTour

To thank our loyal geocaching community and promote GeoTours and camping in Georgia State Parks, we have created the GeoCamp Loyalty Program. Tent campers can simply stay nine nights in a Georgia State Park campground and get the 10th night free! First, grab a Camp Card or RV Passport at any Georgia State Park. Then, you’ll receive one sticker for each night you pay to stay. Collect nine stickers to earn one free campsite at one of the participating parks.

Forty-one state parks offer more than 2,700 campsites, including tent-only areas, RV pull-throughs, primitive sites and group camping. Regular campgrounds have hot showers, water, electricity, and some have sewage hookups as well.

Join us on at Georgia State Parks Geocaching Facebook page for the latest updates.

/ Eric Schudiske /

Announcing the February Featured Geocacher of the Month

louwtjievdw: Featured Geocacher of the Month for February
louwtjievdw: Featured Geocacher of the Month for February

All three nominees for the February Geocacher of the Month show us the meaning of geocaching ambassadors. They welcome new community members, hide and maintain clever geocaches, and are rewarded with  hundreds of Favorite Points.

Thank you to all those who supported the nominees. Those not chosen as featured Geocacher of the Month will receive a gift of appreciation from Geocaching HQ.

After counting the votes and registering the sentiment a man known as  Uncle Louwtjie, louwtjievdw, is named the Featured Geocacher of the Month for February 2013.  

Louwtjievdw is known in the South African geocaching community as a creative geocache hider. He’s built a reputation as a geocacher who’s as quick to maintain his geocache hides as he is to make friends with new geocachers. He’s also known for friendly advice, leaving great logs on geocaches he’s found and having a cup of coffee ready for geocachers at his home.

One voter writes, “Oom Louwtjie, also called the “Flame of Bloemfontein”, gets our vote. His contribution towards geocaching can not go unnoticed. He accelerated this hobby and made it extremely pleasurable and challenging. His unique cache hides and above all his comments, his friendly nature, made him a legend in our country. He has the ability to find caches even in the toughest places with no complaints and he will always look for that something good in every cache hide…”

Uncle Louwtjievdw will receive a collector’s edition featured Geocacher of the Month Geocoin, along with a Geocacher of the Month hat and certificate acknowledging his contributions, signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com. See a list of all the featured Geocachers of the Month here.

Featured Geocacher of the Month Icon
Featured Geocacher of the Month Icon

If you know an outstanding geocacher who should be considered for the honor, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@groundspeak.com. Every nomination must follow these requirements. Please include:

  • 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 Featured Geocacher of the Month are accepted at any time.

Congratulations again to Uncle Louwtjie on being recognized at the Featured Geocacher of the Month for February.

/ Derek H /

The Two Millionth Active Geocache – Overwatch #1 (GC46N4E) – Geocache of the Week

Just one of the many congratulatory images left in a note on the two millionth geocache.
Just one of the many congratulatory images left in a note on the two millionth geocache. Uploaded by geocacher paparazzi patsy, who added, “enjoy the honors of being the CO of the 2,000,000th cache!! And CONGRATULATIONS to the FTF!!!”

Last week, we hit a major Geocaching milestone: our two millionth active geocache. This feat happened only three years after the millionth geocache, which means our favorite activity continues to grow by leaps and bounds. To continue the celebration, this week we’re featuring the geocache that put us at the two-million mark: Overwatch #1 (GC46N4E) near Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.

Part of the Geocaching congratulations package sent to rAMPant_1 from Geocaching HQ.
Part of the Geocaching congratulations package sent to rAMPant_1 from Geocaching HQ.

Take one look at the log book and you’ll see just how excited the Geocaching community is about the two millionth geocache. There are more than 1500 notes from geocachers all over the world sending congratulations and well wishes to the geocache creator, rAMPant_1.

Geocacher TheRadioheads writes, “Wow, what a milestone to have: we would like to add our congratulations on having the 2,000,000th cache published.” Geocaching HQ got in on congratulating rAMPant_1 by sending a Geocaching care package. The package includes personal tags from those that work at Geocaching HQ and Lackey Geocoins. Who knows, they may end up as swag in the 2,000,000th active geocache.

And that geocache is no walk in the park. The difficulty and terrain are both 3.5 and the search includes a scramble up a short, steep slope. From ground zero, you’ll get an amazing view of Alice Springs and the surrounding country.

View to the west from ground zero. Photo by the FTF, geocacher tttedzeins.

So far, Overwatch #1 only has one find by geocacher tttedzeins, but we’re guessing that this geocache will have plenty of “found it” logs soon.

Note posted on the "Overwatch #1"
Note posted on the “Overwatch #1”

Are you planning on making the trip to Alice Springs to log the two millionth active 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@groundspeak.com.

View from the site of the two millionth geocache. Photo by the FTF, geocacher tttedzeins.
/ Eric Schudiske /

What 2 Million Active Geocaches Means to Me

instagram 2 millionTwo million active geocaches is a big deal. But at the end of the day, two million active geocaches is a number. It’s hard to even imagine. Here’s a little perspective on the magnitude of two million. It takes you more than four months to blink two million times. About two million babies will be born around the world this week. And students spend two million minutes to complete four years of high school classes in the United States.

Two million active geocaches though, means adventure is closer than ever. Active geocaches can be found in more than 180 countries. Those at Geocaching HQ in Seattle weigh in on the significance. Cathy Hornback at Geocaching HQ has more than 11,000 finds. She’s been geocaching under the username Prying Pandora since 2003. She says two million active geocaches takes Geocaching into the mainstream, “It means we’re no longer the biggest game that no one has heard about.”

Jenn Seva, MissJenn, at Geocaching HQ says congratulations goes to geocache hiders, “Thank you so much for those quirky gems and amazing locations. Thank you also to those who take the time to award Favorite Points so that it’s slightly easier to choose my destinations.” (You can thank a geocache hider by sharing this video)

Recent "Corporate Day" at Geocaching HQ (no one really dresses like this)
Recent “Corporate Day” at Geocaching HQ (no one really dresses like this at HQ)

MissJenn also helped power the worldwide geocaching volunteer community. Each of the two million active geocaches has volunteer reviewer fingerprints on them. Each geocache was individually reviewed. She says volunteers should take a moment to enjoy the milestone, “Being a steward of the game takes a lot of time and dedicated effort. Please take a moment to bask in a bit of the  glory: beam with pride! Take a look at this awesome community that you have helped to create: one geocache at time, one forum thread at a time, and one translation at a time.”

Geocaching is now more than 12-years-old. Jon Stanley, Moun10Bike, has been geocaching since its infancy. He works at Geocaching HQ and says, “At the outset, I had no idea that this great game would ever get this big. When I placed Idaho’s first geocache back in 2000, there were less than 40 geocaches in existence, and I naively placed a hitchhiker in the geocache with the idea that it might someday visit every geocache in the world. Now we’re at two million. My hitchhiker, poor little Stash Hopper never had a chance!”2 million geocaches in 1 minute player image

But Jon reminds us, “Remember, it’s not about the numbers! For this game to continue to thrive, we all need to become stewards of the game and push forward to new heights of creativity, cooperation, and commitment!” Well said.

Share your comments below. What does reaching two million active geocaches mean to you?

 

/ Eric Schudiske /

Celebrating Two Million Geocaches

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2 million reached!
Homepage counter at 5:11 am Seattle time on February 28

Join Geocaching in celebrating a major milestone! The 2 millionth active geocache was published on February 28 at approximately 5:11am Seattle time. It’s located in Australia. The 2 millionth active geocache is Overwatch #1 (GC46N4E). The traditional geocache is rated a terrain 3.5, difficulty 3.5 and promises to take geocachers to a lookout over the city of Alice Springs.  As of 6:12am Seattle time, the geocache has not yet been found.

To celebrate this milestone – Geocaching will be rewarding the global community with previously unreleased Geocaching Souvenirs. Hundreds of thousands of geocachers will receive never-before released country and region souvenirs. Find details here. Geocachers also have a new way to thank geocache hiders. Share this new “Thank a Geocache Hider” video with those who place and maintain geocaches so many enjoy.

Click to see the latest Geocaching Souvenirs release
Click to see the latest Geocaching Souvenirs to be released

Don’t forget to spread the word about geocaching by checking out and sharing the Celebrating 2 Million Infograph, and the videos 2 Million Geocaches in 1 Minute and Travel Bug® Travels.