Here at Geocaching HQ, we are inspired every day by stories from people who have discovered that adventure still exists in the real-world — stories of exploring the unknown, rocketing a trackable into space or seeing a child connect to the world for the very first time.
One of the best parts of working at HQ is getting to share these stories with all of you. That’s why we’re excited to announce that the Geocaching Blog has a new look — one we hope matches the extraordinary stories it holds.
Here are some of our favorite geocaching stories from over the years (now with a fresh, new look!):
Just as summer turned into autumn, I was fortunate enough to walk across Spain. Literally. Those 1,043 km took me over 3 mountains, flat through 7 days of the exquisite meseta (plateau), and across more than a thousand years of Spanish Catholic history. Those kilometers also brought me conveniently near several remarkable geocaches. And bonus: two new country souvenirs! This pilgrimage is called El Camino de Santiago.
I began my 38-day walk in the misty French town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Although I had gotten a late start that morning, I still walked against the pilgrim traffic towards the cache at La citadelle to earn my France souvenir: magnifique! Later that day, I walked from France into Spain, over the Pyrenees.
Clockwise from left: Karin and Milene find a cache together. Amber finds her 1st geocache.
On the second day, my new friend Amber asked me what this game is all about. The best way to explain geocaching is to show it, of course! At first, we DNF’d at Caminante No Hay Camino… which is ironic given what that cache title means. We found success at Brujeria – Sorginkeria – maravilloso! – and only because this Dutch woman also speaks Spanish and helped me understand that the hint (pío, pío) is about birds: something not immediately obvious to a non-native Spanish speaker like me. Amber’s first find had a very creative container, and we secured that additional country souvenir.
Walking farther west, we stumbled upon a German-style T5 experience at Casa Paderborn, Pamplona: märchenhaft! I estimated the cache height to be some 21 feet or so off the ground, well beyond the 14-foot ladder I borrowed (a ’14-foot ladder’ is probably called something different in a place where they don’t measure things in feet.) My pilgrim friends and 10 cyclists who happened to be resting below the tree did not understand what was happening. Even I was pretty amazed that WAY UP THERE is where my day went, in a dress, no less. They asked me from the ground: ¿Qué encontraste en el contenidor? What did I find in that container? Adventure and a great story to tell, that’s what.
The Casa Paderborn, Pamplona cache brought me additional joy because I had helped to develop the Paderborner Land GeoTour in Germany. This pilgrim hostel and this geocache both represent a sisterhood between the city where I was and a city that hosts a GeoTour! My worlds were coming together in delightful, mathematically unlikely ways.
German-style T5 experience at Casa Paderborn, Pamplona.
By the time I got to La Cruz de Hierro, I was in my 4th week of walking. One of the most significant and powerful moments along the pilgrimage route, I had every intention of finding this geocache as a personal milestone. As it turned out, the significance and power of the moment itself caused me to forget about all about geocaching; instead my thoughts went to so many other far-off places. I recorded that as a memorable DNF since I had intended to find it and once within a few meters of the cache, I simply forgot to look. Has that ever happened to you?
Right outside the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela is a shadowy geocache called A sombra da Quintana de Mortos. Finding it at night when the lights are on makes for the best experience: architectural factors at the location combine, creating the magical illusion of a pilgrim forever tethered to the cathedral walls. It’s quite an improbable combination: the bumps on the cathedral walls were built independently of the simple pillar that creates the shadow. Further, the electric lights were added hundreds of years later. This is not something included in a typical guidebook. This is something I found only because of geocaching.
Clockwise from left: Sombra with Hans photo by Suzanne, MissJenn walking to the Cruz de Ferro, Walking the Camino, At the finish.
Signing each of those geocache logs reminded me how geocachers have more than just geocaching in common. My stories intertwined with other pilgrims’ narratives as they each made their way one step at a time towards the city of Santiago de Compostela just like I did, but differently than I did. For example, the logs show that Dauby had started in Prague while I started walking just over Spain’s border with France. I read that the Canadian 3 Bearss were pawing through caches, always just a few days ahead of me. I actually met Maltese superprizz in person in Burgos (at a cache owned by my friend and Community Volunteer Stitch81) and we must have had very different paces since we didn’t run into one another again. Stitch81 himself had walked his own Camino many years ago, and he gave me sound advice and helped me with critical provisions.
It will take me ages to process all my many stories about this awe-inspiring, multi-faceted experience called El Camino de Santiago. At least I have now told you about some of the caches that helped make it an even better adventure.
What is the longest distance you have walked while geocaching?
A pilgrim from Mexico explains what he knows of geocaching to his Swiss friend, who has just downloaded the Intro app
“Buen Camino” is the traditional wish and sometimes a goodbye for all the pilgrims.
Stitch81 and MissJenn at The Royal Monastery of Las Huelgas
Octopus: that’s what’s for lunch! So delicious when prepared with special spices and a bit of olive oil.
Festival dancers all dressed up await their turn on stage in León.
The exquisite meseta is not all flat. This long hill gave me quite the heart-pumping climb.
View of the Cathedral at Santiago de Compostela, where many pilgrims end their journey.
I sat at a tapas bar and enjoyed super fresh seafoods like scallops with shrimp, grilled to order.
One of my first views of the sea as I approached Finisterre.
Metal sculpture at Alto del Pérdon, altitude 790 m and very, very windy.
This bridge, Puente de la Reina, was constructed by Queen Doña Mayor in the eleventh century so pilgrims would have an easier time over this wide river crossing.
Abandoned boots make a good flower vase and comic relief.
Traffic jam: I had to wait for thousands of sheep (literally) to pass before I could continue.
One of many sunrises I greatly enjoyed along the way.
We were graced with a double rainbow as we entered Castilla y León.
The sign says: “ Take what you need. Leave what you can.”
Yellow arrows mark the Camino. The white/red blazes identify this specifically as the Camino Francés.
Backpacks from a Philippine-American, a Dutch woman, and a Swede, each with a scallop shell symbolising the Camino.
Gorgeous window at the Cathedral in Burgos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
I left several MissJenn trackables that can be adopted by the people who find them.
superprizz from Malta finds a geocache in Spain with a new friend from Seattle.
Some days the walk took me right past the grapes in one vineyard after another. Tasty!
“Buen Camino” is the traditional wish and sometimes a goodbye for all the pilgrims.
In the shadows created by another beautiful sunrise, I found a geocache at the ruins of El Convento de San Antón
This article was originally published in the Portuguese “GeoMagazine.”
Not many people would choose to visit Alaska in December. But that didn’t stop a group of nine Geocaching HQ Lackeys and friends from spending 24 hours visiting the capital city of Juneau. I feel fortunate to work with such amazing people who don’t think twice about spending their own money and giving up their weekend for a fun geocaching adventure.
With a cheap flight and our sense of adventure, we took off early on a Saturday morning for a 24-hour geocaching journey. The only way to reach Juneau is by plane or boat, as there are no roads that lead to this isolated part of Southern Alaska. Our plane descended into Juneau at sunrise treating us to a spectacular view of seemingly endless white capped mountains.
Upon arrival we picked up our two SUVs and took off on our adventure. Within minutes we were stopping at our first geocache. The setting: a lifting fog on a beautiful wildlife refuge surrounded by mountains. We couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to Alaska. After a tasty breakfast, we set off for one of Juneau’s top tourist attractions: Mendenhall Glacier (a 13 mile long river of ice). This place is unreal. If you ever get a chance to travel to Alaska it’s well worth the visit. It’s also a great place to log several EarthCaches and learn about the interesting geology and history of the area.
Local geocacher Avroair (Mark Clemens) was hosting an event at the Visitor’s Center to celebrate his accomplishment of finding caches in all 50 states. Our group of nine met up with a handful of local geocachers and enjoyed talking about our hobby while taking in the amazing view of the glacier.
We then took off on the one-mile nature walk to Nugget Falls – an impressive nearly 400-foot tall waterfall. We posed for some silly pictures in front of the glacier.
Lucky for us, one of the local geocachers is a long time employee at Alaskan Brewing Co. We got our own behind-the-scenes tour of the brewery while sampling the local beer. Naturally, there was a geocache in front of the brewery that we had to find before starting our tour.
Our very long day ended with a dinner event with even more local geocachers. Since it was a nice small group, we were able to have some great conversations and really learn a lot about the area and the local geocaches. We barely scratched the surface of the great geocaching Juneau has to offer and I was inspired to return someday – hopefully next time in the warmer summer months!
The Geocaching Shop Boyz: Gary, Phil, Marty, Dylan, and Mark
If you’ve ever ordered anything from the Geocaching Shop, you may have wondered, “Where does all this awesome stuff actually come from? Is it from a warehouse? Is it located inside of Geocaching HQ in Seattle? Is it made and packaged with love by geo-elves?” Well, we now present to you the story behind the SWAG and introduce The Geocaching Shop Boyz.
Meet the five guys who do everything geo-related for all orders made within the USA.* Long overdue for a shining moment of glory, here they are:
Dylan is the Fulfillment Specialist and a Scorpio
Dylan literally wears many hats at the Geocaching Shop, and is the youngest of the Shop Boyz. Technically, he’s been at Geocaching the longest since he used to come to the office with his dad when he was a little kid, but he’s been an official employee for about two years. His responses are always typically Dylan-esque: clever, quirky, and understated. For example, his favorite item is, “Anything that goes out of stock, because it’s ‘good business’.”
Geocaching Logo Marble-Earth SWAG
Dylan got the job when, “…one of the guys was moving to the main office, so one of the founders offered their first son as a sacrificial lamb, I mean, hard-working employee.”
Gary is the Fulfillment Inventory Lead and a Libra
Don’t let his uncanny resemblance to Sasquatch scare you—Gary is actually the sweetest one of the bunch and perhaps the smartest. A little known fact is that he aced all three semesters of Calculus in college. Perhaps the theory that mathematics and music are well connected comes in handy since Gary plays a mean bass for a local band called the Greenriver Thrillers. Gary has worked at Geocaching HQ for almost six years and knew one of the founders, Bryan Roth, from a previous employer.
An aisle from the Geocaching Shop – in an undisclosed location…
As an organizational fiend, Gary keeps the Geocaching Shop in tip-top shape. He’s also responsible for most of the “interior decorating” which includes a holiday tree covered in tape rolls and a geocaching T-shirt. It’s very avant garde.
Mark is the Fulfillment Lead and a Taurus
Known as a family man and all around nice guy, Mark is also the designer of the Build Your Own Ammo Can Brick Set. He got the idea while building bricks at home with his son. After collaborating with one of our amazing vendors, these have become a very successful item in the Geocaching online Shop.
“Shipping and logistics are my specialty. I also pack and ship most of the international distributor orders and volunteer shipments that come through the door. There are many other components to my job, but these are my primary daily functions.” He’s been with Geocaching for close to eight years, and also knew Bryan Roth from a previous job. Side note: if you want a job at the Geocaching Shop, apparently knowing Bryan is a prerequisite. 🙂
Mark’s masterpiece, “Phil and Gary with a Unicorn”
At some point in time, a fun tradition began at the Geocaching Shop. Customers and other Geocaching employees would leave cartoon drawing requests in their order notes and Mark would animate those requests. Sometimes they’re good, other times not so good. But he tries his best to accommodate.
Marty is the Operations Manager and a Taurus
Now the Operations Manager of the Geocaching Shop, Marty started as a temporary employee about 3 1/2 years ago but eventually became a full-time Geocaching HQ employee after a few months. He wants to offer items that inspire geocachers and give them ideas (like our devious geocaches), are top quality (like our packs, bags, and tools) or are best practice (like large clear ammo cans as requested by law enforcement).
The best times Marty had geocaching were with the Shop Boyz during the 31 Days of August Geocaching campaign that ran in the summer of 2013. “We keep very busy with clearing out all orders twice a day, but needing to find a geocache every day for a month got us out exploring. We went as a group every day to a geocache nearby. Some of our best selling items (like our Cache Maintenance Kit) came out of these days of geocaching. It was a lot of fun to explore the area with this interesting group of characters, and we learned a lot about geocaching.”
But don’t let the calm and cool demeanor fool you. Marty is terrified of adults dressed as animals. “When I saw Cats, I did not enjoy it. Adults dressed as cats is probably the one thing I dislike the most. So creepy!”
Phil is the Fulfillment/Customer Care Specialist and a Scorpio
Of course, we saved the best for last: Phil! He’s the guy that makes showing up to work seem like a party. Funny, hardworking, engaged, and big hearted, Phil also plays drums for the Greenriver Thrillers with Gary.
He’s worked at Geocaching for about five years and his favorite Geocaching Shop item is the Pelican Cache Containers – because they’re indestructible (just like Phil’s spiked hair). And yes – Phil wears his hair spiked every day – not just for blog post photo shoots. The color scheme is usually in support of Seattle’s NFL team, the Seattle Seahawks.
A huge map adorns the wall while Mark and Phil collaborate with distributors and fill orders
All the Shop Boyz pitch in to cover every area: logistics, customer service, ordering, receiving, creating kits, putting items on the website, writing item descriptions, figuring out the best items for the Geocaching Shop newsletters, etc. In addition, they all have input as a group on what items to carry, and work together to come up with the next great items for geocachers to use.
Have you ordered anything from the Geocaching Shop? Tell us in the comments below!
*If you are outside of the United States, please look up one of these great international retail partners for all your geocaching and SWAG needs.
Unless you’ve been living in an unfound geocache, you’ve probably heard about the Geocaching Road Trip ‘15. Just in case: we’ve challenged the geocaching community to earn 6 new souvenirs by finding 5 different types of geocaches before September 2.
But we’re not ones for issuing a challenge and not completing it ourselves. So not only will a group of folks from Geocaching HQ find all five types of geocaches that can earn the new souvenirs—they’re going to do it all in 24 hours on one epic road trip. Before the wheels start rolling, let’s get to know the crew:
Even though Zach is driving the van, Paige is behind the wheel of the Geocaching Road Trip ‘15. If you see her at HQ, be sure to give her a high-five for the fun!
We’ll be putting together a video of the whole journey after it happens—but you don’t have to wait for that to come out to join the fun. Follow @GoGeocaching on Twitter or stay tuned to this blog post to follow their journey live. We’ll post updates, photos and more. The adventure will kick-off this Thursday, August 6, 2015 at 8:30 am PST at this event.
P.S. Yes, you’re correct. Not all of the souvenirs will be available during our road trip. We know. We’re going to see if we can find all 5 types of geocaches that can earn souvenirs in 24 hours. Once the Put on Your Thinking Cap souvenir actually becomes available, we’ll each go find a Mystery Cache to earn it.
