In the hide and seek adventure of geocaching sometimes people find more than just geocaches. They find companionship, camaraderie and even love. Valentine’s Day is celebrated this week, and more than a few couples will show their love by sharing the adventure of geocaching. Couples combine their passion for exploration out on the geocaching trail. Sometimes these love stories lead to marriage proposals. You guessed it – those marriage proposals often involve an engagement ring in a geocache.
Geocaching HQ has compiled a series of Geocaching Love story videos from around the world. Couples from the United States, Germany and the Czech Republic share their stories. See how geocaching helps couples grow closer as they search for adventure. Happy Valentine’s Day from Geocaching HQ.
Explore Florida’s beautiful wild places with the new Taking Flight GeoTour in Manatee County. Sponsored by Charlotte Harbor, Sarasota Bay, and Tampa Bay Estuary Program in cooperation with Manatee County’s Natural Resources Department, the tour leads geocachers through an area that encompasses over 25,000 acres of natural preserved land. The tour takes adventurous geocachers from coastal mangrove forests and salt marshes to upland pine flatwoods and dry scrub habitat.
The new Taking Flight GeoTour’s geocaches are located in birding “hot spots” throughout Manatee County Florida’s publicly accessible preserve system. Each cache highlights a specific bird species or aspect of bird life. You’ll get with opportunities to learn more about these creatures and what geocachers can do to help them survive. Geocaches also focus on protecting the region’s waterways, bays, natural watersheds, and habitat areas for many of the area’s feathered friends.
Geocachers who find at least 12 of the 15 geocaches on the tour and complete the activities associated with each stop can turn in their passport to receive a special custom Taking Flight tracking tag. Download the official passport and begin the adventure today!
Top countries or territories by active the number of geocaches – data from Geocaching.com from January of 2013Top countries and territories by active number of geocaches – data from Geocaching.com from January of 2013Top countries and territories by active number of geocaches – data from Geocaching.com from January of 2013Top countries and territories by active number of geocaches – data from Geocaching.com from January of 2013Top countries and territories by active number of geocaches – data from Geocaching.com from January of 2013Top countries and territories by active number of geocaches – data from Geocaching.com from January of 2013Top countries and territories by active number of geocaches – data from Geocaching.com from January of 2013Top countries and territories by active number of geocaches – data from Geocaching.com from January of 2013Top countries and territories by active number of geocaches – data from Geocaching.com from January of 2013Top countries and territories by active number of geocaches – data from Geocaching.com from January of 2013Top countries and territories by active number of geocaches – data from Geocaching.com from January of 2013
On February 4th, 2013 there were no active geocaches in just 7 of the 193 U.N. recognized member states: North Korea, Liberia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, the Solomon Islands, Central African Republic and Somalia.
A view of Crater Lake and Wizard Island from the Earthcache location. Photo by Geocacher McGeesters.
Nearly 7000 years ago, a massive volcano in southern Oregon, United States exploded leaving behind a collapsed caldera. Over the thousands of years that followed, the empty caldera filled with snowmelt and rainwater to form what is now known as Crater Lake. Geocachers from around the world have come to take in the amazing views, learn about this amazing location and find the Mt. Mazama Earthcache (GC123H6).
A closer view of Wizard Island. Photo by Geocacher lunarmist02.
The explosion that destroyed the stratovolcano is said to have been 42 times more powerful than the Mt. Saint Helens eruption in 1980. In fact, the explosion reduced Mt. Mazama’s original height by about a mile (1.6 km). Now, Mt. Mazama is more well-known for the result of the explosion: Crater Lake and Wizard Island.
“Crater Lake is such a beautiful place. We enjoyed our stay very much and also learned some new aspects about geology. Nature’s forces are really overwhelming. Thanks for the learnings and the cache,” said geocacher netteleut(h)e in a log to earn a smiley for the geocache.
At 1,943 feet (592m), Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States, second deepest in North America and ninth deepest in the world. Wizard Island is actually a small cinder cone volcano that was formed by continued volcanic activity after Mt. Mazama’s big eruption.
This Earthcache puts you on the rim of Crater Lake, overlooking Wizard Island—but getting there is only one of the requirements for obtaining your smiley. Be sure to read the instructions and correctly answer the questions on the cache page before you log this geocache as “found.”
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.
Whether you’re geocaching in a park or grabbing a T5 from a rappel, having right tools may be the difference between a smiley and a DNF. In fact, thanks to some clever geocache hiders, some geocaches may require certain tools to be found. The tools in the photo above are some of our favorites that help make geocaching easier and more fun. Here’s a look at 9 essentials for your geocaching pack (smartphone with Geocaching App and/or GPS device not included):
1) Flashlight
2) Spare batteries (occasionally used to power motors that open geocaches)
3) Camera – Don’t forget to post your photos on our Facebook page
4) Utility tool – this also includes a tweezers to remove log books from micro caches
5) Pen – often best to bring more than one
6) A log roller – use this to help re-roll logs for micro caches
7) A magnetic pen – sometimes metal geocaches hide in hard to reach locations
8) Swag – bring this along to place in geocaches after you’ve found them
9) A retractable mirror – a smart geocachers tool for looking under benches
Even more geocaching gear
The funny thing is, when you ask people at Geocaching HQ for essential geocaching gear, sometimes… okay, all the time, there’s always even more gear. So here are four more pieces of gear geocachers at HQ use out on the trail. And if you’re a shorter geocacher or just need to extend your range a little – number 1 might be perfect for you.
1) Grabber thing – it really works!
2) Headlamp – Free up your hands for searching
3) UV light – This is mostly for night caches with special UV reflectors
4) Metal poking device – Sometimes it’s a good idea to poke things before reaching in with your hands
In the comments below, tell us what else people should bring along while geocaching!
In the hide and seek adventure of geocaching sometimes people find more than just geocaches. They find companionship, camaraderie and even love. Valentine’s Day is celebrated this week, and more than a few couples will show their love by sharing the adventure of geocaching. Couples combine their passion for exploration out on the geocaching trail. Sometimes these love stories lead to marriage proposals. You guessed it – those marriage proposals often involve an engagement ring in a geocache.
