If we take Blue Switch Day, May 2, 2000, when GPS technology became available outside the military, as Day 1, with the first geocache being placed the very next day, then December 21, 2024 is Day 9000. Coincidentally, it’s also the day of the Winter Solstice in North America in 2024. Thus, it’s pretty special, and provides the inspiration for this event. It gives us a chance to both look back over the history of geocaching generally and of our own geocaching histories, and forward to the lengthening daylight hours that make geocaching easier, and our hopes and plans.
Fun Facts about 9000, and the winter solstice:
9000 = 2^3 * 3^2 * 5^3 (only 3 distinct factors, which sum to 10).
The sum of proper divisors (its aliquot sum) s(n) is 21420. Thus, 9000 is an abundant number, because the sum of its proper divisors (21420) is greater than itself. Its abundance is 21420 - 9000, or 12420.
ISO 9000 provides a well-known set of quality assurance standards.
Speaking of “standards,” how about HAL 9000’s “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
For steam train fans, there was the famous Union Pacific 9000 series engine
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUKVDZA78Ss)
And as regards the winter solstice …
A man walks into a bar the day after the winter solstice and orders a quadruple vodka.
Concerned for him, the bartender asks, “Is everything alright?”
The man shakes his head, sighs, and says, “It’s been a long night.”
The winter solstice is also known (by some) as the hibernal solstice.
Since prehistory, the winter solstice has been a significant time of year in many cultures and has been marked by a variety of festivals and rites. It marked the symbolic death and rebirth of the Sun; the gradual waning of daylight hours is reversed and begins to grow again. Some ancient monuments such as Newgrange, Stonehenge, and Cahokia Woodhenge are aligned with the sunrise or sunset on the winter solstice. (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia has informative articles about the mechanics of solstices.
Winter solstice decorations include holly, mistletoe, evergreen boughs, and pine cones (Fellow geocachers might constructively employ 3D printed pine cones. Hint, hint! 3D printed mistletoe and holly - not so much.)
A popular winter solstice beverage is wassail, a hot mulled cider traditionally made with apples and spiked with bourbon, brandy, wine, or ale, with spices added to it. If you choose to indulge in this particular tradition, please don’t wassail to excess, and especially don’t wassail and drive.
Finally, for this geocaching event, please bring your stories and your hopes, and perhaps a seasonal joke or two, and share a bit of pre-Christmas time with your fellow geocachers. You can rejoice that I didn’t schedule the event at the moment of the actual winter solstice (04:20 if my sources are correct). Instead, you can enjoy the event and the company, and still have a bit of time for last minute Christmas shopping.