/ Adela B /

The Aare Gorge | Aareschlucht | Gorges de l’Aar – GC1YH51 – GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – October 11, 2012

Crossing the board walk

Each Geocache of the Week takes us around the globe and sneaks us a peek at a geocaching adventure that we may otherwise never explore. The Aare Gorge | Aareschlucht | Gorges de l’Aar (GC1YH51) EarthCache in Switzerland delivers on adventure – big time.

Located between the villages of Meiringen and Innertkirchen, the river Aare is also home to an EarthCache that’s been around since September 2009. Geocachers can explore the beauty of a 1,400 meter (4,593 feet)  long and 180 meter (590 feet) deep gorge.

The gorge has been accessible for more than 100 years by safe paths and tunnels. Walking through the gorge is a unique way to experience raw nature. Gigantic rocks, consisting mainly of ancient hard limestone and the river’s light green colors mesmerize nature lovers and geocachers alike.

Exploring the path over the river

Since ernies set up this EarthCache three years ago, nearly 300 geocachers have logged a smiley, shared an incredible 1,149 images, and awarded it 48 Favorite Points.

One geocacher who logged this EarthCache writes, “It’s unbelievable what mother nature has created. We saw the quieter side of the gorge. The water was almost still, the rocks so tall and intimidating. What an incredible experience. We would have never visited this place if it weren’t for this cache. Thank you ernies for bringing us to this amazing place.”

International EarthCache Day logo

There are nearly 15,000 active EarthCaches. At least one can be found on every continent. Since 2004, EarthCaches have taken us on educational adventures that you may otherwise never have learned. Sunday, October 14, 2012 marks the 6th annual International EarthCache Day. We invite you to go out and explore the world by visiting an EarthCache site. For more information about EarthCaches, check out the Geocaching.com Presents – EarthCaches video or visit the Geological Society of America (GSA).

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 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.

Cloud over Aare river
/ Eric Schudiske /

Geocaching.com Caption Contest 36 – Win a Barely Coveted Prize

WINNING CAPTION: “Micro cachers” by Sandlapper120

“I think the geocache ‘Fountain of Youth’ is this way? — Wait, the coords say we already found it.” Devise your most creative caption for this picture of two cute geocachers out on the hunt. You could even win a ‘barely coveted prize’ in the 36th Geocaching.com Caption Contest. This picture was originally posted on the official Geocaching.com Facebook page. Special thanks to geocacher Rainbow Brubaker-Gass for use of the picture.

Submit your caption by clicking on “Comments” below. Please include your Geocaching.com username in all entries. Then, explore the captions other geocachers have posted.

Barely coveted prize
Try to ‘influence’ the voting process (*nudge*nudge*). “Like” the caption that you think should win. If you think your caption should win, convince your fellow geocachers, your friends, and family to “like” your caption. Lackeys vote from the top finalists to decide the winner of the contest.

The winner receives this month’s ‘barely coveted prize.’ The prize is a selection of Trackables from the desk of the author of this blog.

Click on the image to discover the winner of this Geocaching.com Caption Contest

Lackeys voted to award the winner of the 35th Geocaching.com Caption Contest a barely coveted prize. Click on the image to your right to read the winning caption of that contest.

Explore all the winning captions by checking out all the Geocaching.com Caption Contests. If you have suggestions for Geocaching.com Caption Contest photos, send a message and the image to pr@groundspeak.com.

/ Eric Schudiske

Geocaching.com Presents: Premium Membership

[Click CC for Closed Captioning in English, German, French, Norwegian, and Bulgarian]

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Spend less time planning and more time playing! Explore the 10 reasons to become a Premium Member on Geocaching.com. It costs as little as a cup of coffee a month and supports the activity you love. Premium Members unlock a suite of features like advanced search (Pocket Queries), have VIP access to Premium Member only caches, and even receive instant notifications of new cache placements.

Subscribe to the Official Geocaching.com YouTube channel for the latest tips and tricks in geocaching. Watch the more than 100 videos produced by Geocaching.com on our video page.

 

/ Adela B /

And the winner of the Trackable Week Story contest is…

Geocachers shared Trackable tales of adventures, challenges, and friendships. After careful consideration and deliberation, we are pleased to announce Log Dawgs as the Trackable Week Trackable story winner!

Log Dawgs shared a story about his encounter(s) with “one of the greatest pieces of geocaching local lore”: LostGuys’ FTF Trophy (TBHYTP). The FTF Trophy is a Trackable with the special mission “to be found by the champion first to finders in the Houston Area and be displayed proudly for a short time on their mantle.”

As a token of appreciation for sharing this great story, Log Dawgs will receive the newest Moun10bike Geocoin. LostGuys will also receive a Lackey Geocoin for creating such an inspiring Trackable!

Congratulations also to our two Honorable Mentions: Northwing65 and HoustonControl. Their stories show us how Trackables can intertwine with family, baseball, and the armed forces!

Visit the Trackable Week 2012 Trackable story contest page to read all the entries.

LostGuys’ FTF Trophy (TBHYTP) in all its glory.
/ Eric Schudiske /

Geocaching Vacation Destinations – Geocaching.com Weekly Newsletter

Let Geocaching Guide You

Let your love of geocaching guide you to your next vacation destination. Geocaching hotspots are popping up around the globe. You can explore unique destinations in a new way by attending Mega-Events or exploring official Geocaching.com GeoTours.

GeoTours are custom geocaching tours that lead geocachers on a series of interesting geocaches showcasing specific locations, like rustic Gold Country in British Columbia or find ideal bird watching locations in Florida through the Taking Flight GeoTour. More than a half dozen Geocaching.com GeoTours can be discovered throughout North America. More GeoTours are launching in the coming months.

You can also check out a hive of hundreds of geocachers and geocaching activities at a Geocaching.com Mega-Event. A Mega-Event draws more than 500 geocachers devoted to building the caching community, trading stories, and learning the latest caching trips and tricks. More than 20 Mega-Events are being planned around the world in 2013. Watch your Geocaching.com Weekly Newsletter for the latest Mega-Event listings. Subscribe to the Geocaching.com Weekly Mailer by going to email preferences under your Geocaching.com profile. See the latest geocaching tips and tricks, along with updated Mega-Events, and newly published nearby geocaches and events.

New John Grisham Trackable Promotion

Doubleday, publisher of John Grisham, invites you to discover why THE RACKETEER sets a new gold standard—even for the undisputed master of the legal thriller. The Racketeer — so entertaining, it’s a crime!

The Racketeer needs your help guiding 5,000 golden Grisham Geocoins across the U.S. THE RACKETEER Trackable adventure mirrors the book’s plot, in which ill-gained gold bars are moved from place to place. These unique THE RACKETEER golden metal geocoins are minted with a tracking code and the tag line, “999.9 Pure Suspense.”

When you find a gold Grisham Geocoin, keep it moving by placing it in another geocache. See how far it can travel to keep the mystery going! Then, upload your best Grisham Geocoin photos to the John Grisham Facebook page to be entered to win one of eleven autographed first editions of The Racketeer and a Grand Prize one-ounce bar of pure gold! Hunt for the Gold to find the Racketeer’s stash.

The Racketeer Geocoin Photo Contest is solely sponsored by The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, A Division of Random House, Inc. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States who are 18 years and older at time of entry. Entry period for the contest commences at 12:01 a.m. (EDT) on October 1, 2012 and expires at 11:59 PM (EDT) on December 15, 2012.Void where prohibited. For details and restrictions, seeContest Official Rules on the John Grisham website.