Editor’s note: the Travel Bug® aboard the International Space Station returned to earth in early 2011. The Travel Bug can now be viewed (and logged!) at Geocaching HQ in Seattle, Washington, USA.
Richard Garriott is a man on a mission. The active geocacher holds two extreme records in the world of geocaching. He’s placed the highest and the deepest caches. One cache is on the International Space Station, the other in an ocean trench off of Europe. Hear why he’s spent millions to push the treasure hunt to the edge.
See all the Lost & Found videos, from an 88 year old geocacher to how Geocaching.com got it’s start, here.
Lackeys Nate the Great (second from left) and Powpea (far right) attending a geocaching event near Chicago
Groundspeak’s Lost and Found tour is in full swing, with Groundspeak Lackeys attending geocaching events spread throughout the world. Earlier this month Lackey Powpea and I had the opportunity to visit the Second City for the first annual Chicagoland Cache-apalooza. The local geocaching organization, GONIL, hosted a fantastic event including 74 new geocaches placed and published over the weekend.
Before the festivities began, however, we attended a CITO event at the Lucas Berg Nature Preserve in Worth, IL. Here is a little speck of green space in the heart of a metro area whose stated purpose is as a repository for toxic soil dredged from a nearby canal. In short: it’s a dump.
Rather, it was a dump, until some geocachers caught wind of it. Thirty years of indifference and careless wind surfboard disposal (yes, really) provided geocachers the opportunity to put some of their hard-won bush-beating skills to good use. What it lacks in geocaches, it more than makes up for in potential.
No discarded BMX tire or mangled can of Fanta dared escape the eagle-eyed crew. I know at least one local resident would agree the place is much more inviting as a result.
Signal watching the CITO
However, it’s easy to see that altruism of the sort witnessed by this Lackey is not wholly selfless. Sure, getting filthy and comparing sticker-bush abrasions are their own rewards, but by demonstrating responsible stewardship of the land essential to our pastime we act as emissaries for the game. Geocachers sent a clear message to the land manager and community that geocaching is something to be welcomed and encouraged.
Worth Our Support!
What can you do in your community to spread this message?
The future of Lucas Berg Nature Preserve is still uncertain, but geocachers in the Chicago area are making an investment they hope will pay dividends down the road. At the very least, it’s a labor of love not lost on the critters in the little marshy plot of land just off SW HWY 7 and W 111th in Worth, IL.
In: New life to a neglected park and potential geocaching playground
Out: Tires, busted glass, soda cans, 3/4 of a wind surfboard (no sign of the surfer!)
This Earthcache takes you on an exploration of one of the geological wonders of Ireland. “The Giant’s Causeway Earthcache” GCPCPX challenges geocachers to find an unusual feature at a specific latitude and longitude, identify it and discover its “name.”
Child playing on rock formations
To verify your find send an email to the cache owner. You’ll find photos like this one above on the Geocache Details page as well. Geocachers who’ve logged the find say it’s one of the places you have to see in your lifetime. Explore other Geocaches of the Week here.
Meet the man behind one of the most engaging evolutions in geocaching… the geocoin. Jon Stanley, alias Moun10bike, is now a Lackey. But almost ten years ago he forged his way as a pioneer in geocaching. Go along with Jon as he retraces his steps in placing the first geocoin.
See all the Lost & Found videos, from a geocache in space to an 88 year old geocacher, here.
Thousands of geocachers walk into parks, onto trails and off the beaten path to cleanup the environment each year. The environmental movement is called Cache In Trash Out (CITO). This past April 24th and 25th were no different. But CITO doesn’t just take place on one weekend around Earth Day each year. Geocachers often seek a cache and clear out trash on each trip.
Here’s a video tribute to the volunteer spirit of geocachers who play a part in CITO, each year and each geocache. It’s an easy role to play in the ongoing environmental initiative, just find a CITO near you.
