Geocachers are known for being prepared — from bug spray to backup batteries. Now you can be prepared to go geocaching almost anywhere, anytime (even if you forget to download geocaches to your handheld GPS device).
Take the power of Geocaching.com on the go with the official Geocaching.com smartphone app. The app makes the journey to log your next smiley as simple as clicking, “Find Nearby Geocaches.” You’re also able to hone your spontaneous quest for geocaches with an advanced search and sort geocaches by Favorite Points, cache type, and more. Geocaching.com offers apps for the iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone 7. Do you have a different type of phone? See if one of our third-party developers makes an app for you.
International Geocaching Day — August 18
Earn a souvenir as geocachers unite on August 18 to celebrate International Geocaching Day. It’s a day devoted enjoying what you love — geocaching. Geocachers who log an “Attended” at an Event Cache or a “Found it” for another cache type on International Geocaching Day earn a souvenir for their Geocaching.com profile page.
Thousands of adventurers will attend one of more than 250 International Geocaching Day events around the globe. Check out the Geocaching.com Event Calendar to find an International Geocaching Day event near you. Don’t forget to share pictures and stories from your International Geocaching Day adventures on the official Geocaching.com Facebook page.
Groundspeak Lackeys are traveling thousands of miles from H.Q. throughout the year to share smiles, shake hands, and make geocaching memories at nearly 20 Mega-Events worldwide. Ben Field aka, LackeyBenno, attended the Mega-Event PROJECT: GeoGames 2012 (GC32012). It took place in Leipzig, Germany. Ben has been a Lackey since 2008 and works in IT. Here’s Ben’s account of his adventure.
Written by: Ben Field
Lackey Ben “LackeyBenno”
As I read through the descriptions of the games being hosted at the Geogames Mega-Event in Leipzig, I had two questions running through my head: How many of these games should I actually attempt and what exactly IS a PETling??? The answer to the first question took a few hours to figure out, the second one was answered relatively quickly. A PETling is a small plastic preform for a 2-liter bottle. The clear water-tight containers are frequently used as geocaches in Germany. The PEtlings were the focus of three of the GeoGames I was about to attempt.
The day leading up to the event I managed to take the tram with Jeremy, the Co-Founder and CEO of Geocaching.com, to grab a few caches and explore downtown Leipzig. I’d already seen a small amount of the downtown area having come down the night before to watch Deutschland’s agonizing defeat in the Eurocup semi-finals, but wasn’t about to pass up more opportunities to explore.
PETling
There was an added layer of difficulty finding some of the caches with our limited knowledge of German. After looking for one cache in the wrong area for a lengthy period of time, some nearby geocachers helped us out by explaining that the name of the cache we were looking for translated to “old town hall”, which happened to be the building across the street from where we were searching. We had no trouble logging the find once we had what should have been an obvious giveaway.
Between caches, we also managed to explore the Bach museum, which held some fascinating pieces of history. The museum was positioned next to the site of the Thomasschule, where Bach taught students and composed during the latter part of his life.
After a great meal at Romanushof on Katharinenstraße, and a gracious ride back to the Messegelände from cachers Manuela and Peter (Schulze&Schultze) but better known by the name of their geocaching and dining blog “Schlemmercacher“, we prepared for the opening party. While Jeremy was busy preparing a speech, I represented the US in the opening parade with only Signal at my side. Thankfully, Caro (saxony) was gracious enough to hold the sign for us as we marched through the masses of people gathered for the event.
Dosenfischer in concert
Still feeling some effects of a cold, I wasn’t feeling overly adventurous the next day, but I was too excited for the event to let the cold hold me down. Enjoying the PETling toss first, my enthusiasm grew. By the time the 6:00pm cutoff arrived, I’d made it through all of the games. My new geocaching friend Jana (tkrholic) kept me moving, determined to complete all of the games and keep me company throughout the day.
The games weren’t the only activities at the event. There was ample time during the day to take photos of Jeremy descending the Trau Dich (zip line – see the photo at top) from the top of the 75M high tower. Later in the evening, it was time to take in the geocaching band Dosenfischer and mingle with the masses of geocachers as a thunderstorm passed by. All in all, it was a fantastic day.
We found time the next day to explore some areas of Leipzig with Andy (stash-lab) and Nils (Nilos). A trip to the Völkerschlachtdenkmal monument commemorating the German victory over the French at the Battle of the Nations was a worthwhile glimpse at the history of the location. After snagging the correspondingly named cache, we stumbled upon some other cachers, including ORaMo and Rennrodler. They graciously shared some personalized swag with us. Before heading out, there was still time to snag a few more caches including Connex and then Gleis 26 – Reloaded at the train station. It was a great day to end a great trip.
Ben (far left) at the Völkerschlachtdenkmal Monument with Jeremy (center) and geocachers
What do the inventor of the Geocoin, one of the oldest cities in the world and a night time cycling tour have in common? They are all aspects of a unique Mega-Event known as Geocoinfest. Geocoinfest Lisboa 2012 (GC3N1YQ) takes place in just about three weeks in the capital of Portugal. It promises to be an exciting event and I’m thrilled to get the opportunity to attend.
This will be my fifth Geocoinfest Mega-Event I’ve attended and yet another opportunity to connect with the amazing community. I enjoy working with geocachers and Geocoins every day as part of my work at Groundspeak. I’m privileged to attend this event with my coworker Jon Stanley (Moun10bike), who plans to bring the very first Geocoin for all to discover.
Geocoins add a fascinating element to the game of geocaching for me and many others. Beautiful designs, unique icons, and the stories and pictures they collect as they move from cache to cache, or as they’re discovered in private collections, provide a fun experience for enthusiasts everywhere. I love walking around Geocoinfest events and seeing geocachers showing off the pride and joy of their personal collections to new friends and old. It always reminds me that the task of generating tracking codes (the unique set of numbers and letters that identify each Geocoin) at Groundspeak HQ has such a greater meaning than I realize on a day-to-day basis.
A dedicated event committee of over 50 Portuguese geocachers came together to organize this amazing event for Geocoin fans and collectors in a short amount of time. The committee is divided into eleven groups that cover the individual pieces that make up the Mega-Event. One of these organizers, António Casimiro (Acasim), explained that “A Geocoinfest event is a special Mega-Event, a themed event related to Geocoins. But in reality it is much more than that. It’s a gathering of people from many different countries, an opportunity to meet some Groundspeak Lackeys, famous Geocoin designers and producers, and many many Geocoin collectors and geocachers in general, who often carry their Geocoin collections to show around or to trade at the event.”
Along with viewing the latest and greatest Geocoin designs, I’m hoping to enjoy some of those other aspects involved with the event. Music, games, a flashmob, tasting local wines, attending an evening bicycle tour of Lisbon to discover the city, and of course finding geocaches! The organizers have done an amazing job putting the event together and I personally can’t wait to see their efforts in person.
Silva provides some great tips for those interested in attending the 2012 European Geocoinfest:
– Book travel and hotel as soon as possible, to get better prices (accommodation pointers are provided on the event website)
– Add your “will attend” log and register for the event, providing the requested information
– Look at the provided program and prepare your own schedule, to make the best possible use of time
– Periodically look at the event web site for news and updates
– Contact the organization in case you have any questions — everyone will do their best to help you!
Find more details for planning on the official event website. If you can’t make it to the European Geocoinfest, the annual US event (GC2XW58) is in the U.S. state of Colorado this October. Geocoinfest U.S. 2012 offers a similar experience in North America. Check out the official Geocoinfest U.S. 2012 website and register here.
Trackable Week presents a new story Monday through Friday this week about creative ways to experience Trackables. Geocaching.com Trackables allow people to tag and track an item from location to location. Trackables typically come in three varieties, Geocoins, Travel Bugs® or Promotional Trackables like the “Find the Gecko,” Geico campaign. (Watch a video on Travel Bugs)
See the bottom of this article for a place a share your Trackable stories, links to other Trackable stories and a limited time special offer for 30% of individual orders of Travel Bugs this week only (US costumers only).
Image holding the first geocoin ever created. (First geocoin video) But you’re not just holding it, you’re entrusted to take the first geocoin to another continent and let thousands of geocachers see and discover the coin. That’s exactly the mission Lackey Annie Love was given. This is her account of Geocoinfest 2011 – Europa.
Geocoinfest 2011 – Europa: Travels with the World’s First Geocoin
By Annie Love
Lackey Annie Love with the first geocoin
Alarms that go off at 4am are brutal. Knowing the alarm means you’re about to spend 13 hours on a bus doesn’t make that alarm any easier to take. Realizing that the alarm and the 13 hour bus ride mean you’re going to visit five countries and collect more than ten geocache icons in one day kind of makes it all worth it. This epic geocaching tour was just one aspect of Geocoinfest 2011 – Europa. Held in the beautiful German city of Cologne, geocachers came from all around the world to celebrate the geocoin. Little did they know I had the first geocoin ever created. More on that soon.
Tom Phillips and I had the pleasure of representing Groundspeak, the company the operates Geocaching.com, at the first European Geocoinfest. It consisted of a weekend full of amazing events. For me, this event meant that I got to finally meet many geocoin manufacturers and Shop Geocaching distributors that I’ve worked with over the past few years via email. It also meant that I got to meet thousands of geocoin or geocaching enthusiasts from all over the world.
After arriving in Cologne on Friday, I checked into my hotel and quickly headed out the door to get started in weekend fun. The organizers of the event were able to arrange special tours of the Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral) for geocachers. The Cathedral, rich with history, had the honor of being the world’s tallest structure for four years in the late 1800’s. Tom, a few other geocachers and I had the privilege to take a special tour up to one of the high points in the Dom. It was here, that we took a group picture that would be my first Challenge completion. Pouring down rain and a rickety old elevator did not stop us from the amazing views of the city the Dom offers.
We then headed to the Friday night welcome event, which took place at a beer garden in the city. Tom and I had a great time getting first introductions to many geocachers.
Lackey Annie Love at the "Battling Annie" tank in Europe during a bus trip to five countries
Normally one might consider standing in a parking lot at 5am in the rain, watching people climb a lift with climbing gear to grab a doughnut for breakfast a little bit crazy. Geocachers know this isn’t crazy, it’s just part of the game. This is how Saturday started for me and about nearly 400 other geocachers. At 6am, our group boarded tour buses and headed off to find geocaches in Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and The Netherlands. Definitely a highlight on the tour was finding my 500th geocache – which ended up being “Geocache” (GC40 – the oldest active geocache on continental Europe). I was also told early in the day that I was chosen to find GC2M8E5 – a geocache located on a Tank named “Battling Annie.” Naturally I would then need to climb up on the tank for a picture. One of our final stops of the day had us at the tri-country border of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. This stop included picking up trash at the border as part of a Cache in Trash out (CITO) event. It was definitely cool to be part of a group making a positive impact in not one, but three countries at the same time.
Annie's hand with the first geocoin
Following the bus tour, Tom and I were dropped off at the Saturday night meet and greet event. It was a great chance for people to come together and talk about their adventures of the day and show off their geocoin collections. Tom and I were asked to give a short speech on stage. We quickly decided that we needed to emulate the geocachers on stage just before we were introduced by planking on the speaker boxes at the front of the stage.
While on stage, I let everyone know the big surprise. I announced that Moun10Bike, Lackey Jon Stanley, had entrusted me with bringing the very first geocoin ever created to Geocoinfest Europa. Jon Stanley invented the geocoin.
When Jon asked me to bring something to Geocoinfest for him, I said sure. When I saw that it was the very first geocoin, I tried to say no. Losing my passport or my money on an international trip would be a bad thing. I knew I could not return to Seattle if I accidentally lost Moun10Bike’s most prized possession!
Within minutes of leaving the stage, my hand quickly became the most photographed hand in Germany. I’m not sure that anyone cared about having a picture of my hand, but they did want an image of the geocoin that started an obsession within the geocaching community.
Geocoinfest - Europa 2011
The sun was shining when the big event finally rolled around on Sunday. Geocachers came out in great numbers to attend the historic event in Cologne. People swarmed the vendor’s booths in order to see the latest and greatest in trackable designs. Plenty of space was provided for enthusiasts to discover or trade geocoins with geocachers they likely had never met before. This event has already surpassed last year’s Geowoodstock event in Carnation, Washington for attended logs. Unofficially, it may have been the largest geocaching event in history. I wouldn’t trade this experience or any of the others I’ve had thanks to the game of geocaching for anything.
I’d personally like to thank Groundspeak for giving me the opportunity to spend an unforgettable few days in Germany with around 5,000 fellow geocachers. I’d also like to thank the organizers of the event (Guido, Gunter, Martin, Oliver, Thorsten and Björn – click here to see the team) who spent months ensuring that the event would run smoothly and be enjoyable for everyone. These guys did a fantastic job!
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Nota do editor: No decorrer deste ano, os Lackeys da Groundspeak estão a viajar milhares de quilómetros a partir da sua sede (o HQ) para participar e espalhar boa disposição em mais de uma dezena de Mega-Eventos espalhados pelo mundo. Nate, também conhecido por Nate the Great, foi uma das presenças no Mega-Evento 11 Years! Oeiras – Portugal que teve lugar a 1 de Maio em Lisboa, Portugal. Nate é Lackey desde 2003 e coordena o desenvolvimento de novas funcionalidades na Groundspeak. Este é o seu diário de viagem:
Lackey Nate the Great
Estou a mais de 12000 Km de casa e entre 500 dos meus amigos mais próximos (e que acabei de conhecer hoje) num parque nos arredores de Lisboa, Portugal. No preciso momento em que estão a fazer uma caricatura minha, o DJ de serviço passa “Take On Me” dos A-Ha. Uma situação absurda como esta seria o suficiente para me colocar um sorriso lunático nos lábios durante os 10 minutos que demoraria a terminar o meu retrato. Mas passa um geocacher anónimo, sorri e tira uma fotografia, enquadrando a placa trackable com o meu nome. Dá-cá-mais-cinco e tal… E desaparece entre a multidão. Só tenho tempo para ouvir o caricaturista a dizer “Senta-te quietinho, se faz favor…”
A equipa iURKings
É dificil ficar sentado quieto num Mega-Evento.
Choque de cultura? Geocaching é cultura. Quando estamos em viagem e nos sentimos desenquadrados de tudo, vamos a um evento de geocaching e sentimo-nos em casa, identificando desde logo as personagens habituais: o frenético doido dos FTF agarrado ao telefone; o escondedor de caches compulsivo, com mais tupperwares escondidas no meio do mato que caches encontradas… e mais geocachers de botas cheias de lama que crianças a brincar no parque infantil. Se não fosse a agradável sonoridade do português falado à minha volta, podia ser em qualquer parte do mundo.
O Nate não está nesta fotografia
O espírito de aventura é algo naturalmente partilhado por todos, mas os portugueses em particular têm o instinto explorador gravado na sua identidade nacional. Na era dos Descobrimentos, entre os séculos XV e XVII, exploradores como Vasco da Gama trouxeram fama e riqueza a Portugal viajando pelo mundo. É impossível viajar por Portugal sem tropeçar num monumento comemorativo desta ou daquela viagem. A probabilidade de haver uma cache mistério baseada num desses factos é alta. Hoje em dia, é fácil comprar mapas topográficos detalhados do território, o que pode explicar o crescimento exponencial do geocaching em Portugal durante os últimos anos. É no geocaching que este povo está a redescobrir o seu desejo de explorar e de conhecer coisas novas, mesmo que seja à porta de casa. Por tudo isto e pela história e tradição que me rodeiam, Portugal é o centro de tudo.
Ou então o geocaching é divertido. Para quê complicar?
O Geocacher TZR
Estou de volta aos Estados Unidos, a folhear um bloco de notas cheio de ideias rabiscadas à pressa sobre como melhorar o site Geocaching.com. Sim, eu admito. Havia um motivo subjacente para ir a este Mega-Evento. Não, o meu motivo não era só encher o bandulho de porco no espeto (divinal), desfrutar da hospitalidade dos geocachers locais (interminável)… certamente que não era ouvir tesouros deprimentes dos anos 80 enquanto me desenhavam a caricatura (que coisa bizarra). Quis, acima de tudo, estar em contacto com geocachers, perceber melhor o que é que a Groundspeak faz bem e o que é que podemos fazer para ser melhores. Como Lackey, aprendi que a melhor coisa que posso fazer aos geocachers é aparecer, ouvi-los e tomar notas para depois fazer com que o website esteja ao nível das suas exigentes expectativas. Porque os geocachers portugueses estão muito à frente no que toca à inovação no geocaching. E isso facilita-me muito o trabalho.
Geocachers are known for being prepared — from bug spray to backup batteries. Now you can be prepared to go geocaching almost anywhere, anytime (even if you forget to download geocaches to your handheld GPS device).
