Good morning everyone. This week isn't a fun fact, but a few goals I hope to attain this year. It also plays off of last week's fun fact where I broke down my finds in North Dakota. In 2019, I plan on reaching 200 finds in North Dakota (up from the current 125, or a 75 find increase). Add 9 new North Dakota counties to my list (I currently have found caches in 9 counties, so increasing the total to 18), and attend at least 3 events in North Dakota.
This week I want to look at the some of the challenges, be it a challenge cache, a personal geocaching challenge, or a challenge of our personal comfort zone. We all know about challenge caches. The other mystery type. You can find and sign the challenge cache, but you can't claim it as found until you have completed the task required. That task can be anything geocaching related. Although, the challenge cache was put in a moratorium by Geocaching HQ for a short time while the powers that be reviewed and made changes to the challenge cache tasks. One of the changes was that the cache owner has to prove they have completed the challenge themselves before submitting it. In the past, and there may be still some kicking around, there are/were challenge caches that were almost impossible to attain. If one person put out a challenge to find a cache everyday for a whole year, someone else would up the challenge and ask that you find one for everyday for two consecutive years. It became a "I'll do one better than you" of sorts for some challenges. That's where GCHQ put a stop to that and kept things within reason and attainable.
I love challenge caches. It provides a game within the game. It also becomes a personal challenge to complete the challenge. I'm always looking for challenge caches to find and sign. Chances are, I already have the challenge completed. If I don't, then I have another challenge to work on. Having done a zombie streak (365 consecutive days of finding a cache, and that was a challenge cache as well), that opens up a bunch of challenges that I have completed. Find a cache on everyday of a particular month? Done. Complete the 365 day calendar? Done. With 5,200+ finds under my belt and have done some travelling, that opens the door to more challenges. Down in the Fargo-Moorhead area, there are challenge caches that require you to find caches that were published by different reviewers. I'm sure every State has a county challenge. Jasmer challenge? Fizzy grid challenge? I'm sure there's actual challenges or variations of these challenges all over the place.
There are the personal challenges. One form of this is to leave your comfort zone. Never climbed a tree before? Not crazy about crossing a swinging bridge? How about leaving the comforts of the city and go romping around in the woods with the mosquitoes and ticks? If there's a cache out there and you want it bad enough, you will basically "suck it up", face your fear or uncomfortable zone and go head on. If you succeed, then you deserve to brag about it. I'm not a big fan of tree climbing. I have done them if I feel secure enough to climb without falling.
Then there are the personal goals that most of us set each year. These are like New Year's resolutions, only they are cachelutions. The most popular are milestone finds, Jasmer calendar, Fizzy grid, and the 365 day found calendar. As noted at the beginning, I have set three goals for this year. I do have a couple of others and I'm always coming up with new goals. I do have a plan on achieving my three goals for this year. That plan involves attending the North Dakota Camping and Caching event in June. This year, it's in Dickinson. I've only been to Dickinson once and that was before I started geocaching. If everything falls into place, I plan on leaving on a Thursday and getting as far as Williston. Again, this is a whole new area for me to be caching in. Friday; leave early and make a big detour to Montana for a couple of caches (new State and completes last year's goal that I never did accomplish) before heading down to Dickinson. After the events are done, head home via Bismarck/Mandan to get North Dakota's oldest cache and to see the Whispering Giant carving. I'm also looking for anything that could fill a spot in my fizzy grid or my Jasmer calendar.
Another goal that I've been working on is the 365 day calendar. I have it all filled up (including leap day) three times over. I only have two more days that have three finds, both are later this month. Once that's done, I start replacing all the days that have four finds with five or more. I have 46 days with 4 finds and could increase to 48 when I knock off the two days with 3 finds.
This week I want to look at the some of the challenges, be it a challenge cache, a personal geocaching challenge, or a challenge of our personal comfort zone. We all know about challenge caches. The other mystery type. You can find and sign the challenge cache, but you can't claim it as found until you have completed the task required. That task can be anything geocaching related. Although, the challenge cache was put in a moratorium by Geocaching HQ for a short time while the powers that be reviewed and made changes to the challenge cache tasks. One of the changes was that the cache owner has to prove they have completed the challenge themselves before submitting it. In the past, and there may be still some kicking around, there are/were challenge caches that were almost impossible to attain. If one person put out a challenge to find a cache everyday for a whole year, someone else would up the challenge and ask that you find one for everyday for two consecutive years. It became a "I'll do one better than you" of sorts for some challenges. That's where GCHQ put a stop to that and kept things within reason and attainable.
I love challenge caches. It provides a game within the game. It also becomes a personal challenge to complete the challenge. I'm always looking for challenge caches to find and sign. Chances are, I already have the challenge completed. If I don't, then I have another challenge to work on. Having done a zombie streak (365 consecutive days of finding a cache, and that was a challenge cache as well), that opens up a bunch of challenges that I have completed. Find a cache on everyday of a particular month? Done. Complete the 365 day calendar? Done. With 5,200+ finds under my belt and have done some travelling, that opens the door to more challenges. Down in the Fargo-Moorhead area, there are challenge caches that require you to find caches that were published by different reviewers. I'm sure every State has a county challenge. Jasmer challenge? Fizzy grid challenge? I'm sure there's actual challenges or variations of these challenges all over the place.
(My fizzy grid. Almost getting filled up)
There are the personal challenges. One form of this is to leave your comfort zone. Never climbed a tree before? Not crazy about crossing a swinging bridge? How about leaving the comforts of the city and go romping around in the woods with the mosquitoes and ticks? If there's a cache out there and you want it bad enough, you will basically "suck it up", face your fear or uncomfortable zone and go head on. If you succeed, then you deserve to brag about it. I'm not a big fan of tree climbing. I have done them if I feel secure enough to climb without falling.
(I did climb this tree in Bemidji, Minnesota to get that cache. I soon discovered that the tree was infested with ants once I started climbing)
Then there are the personal goals that most of us set each year. These are like New Year's resolutions, only they are cachelutions. The most popular are milestone finds, Jasmer calendar, Fizzy grid, and the 365 day found calendar. As noted at the beginning, I have set three goals for this year. I do have a couple of others and I'm always coming up with new goals. I do have a plan on achieving my three goals for this year. That plan involves attending the North Dakota Camping and Caching event in June. This year, it's in Dickinson. I've only been to Dickinson once and that was before I started geocaching. If everything falls into place, I plan on leaving on a Thursday and getting as far as Williston. Again, this is a whole new area for me to be caching in. Friday; leave early and make a big detour to Montana for a couple of caches (new State and completes last year's goal that I never did accomplish) before heading down to Dickinson. After the events are done, head home via Bismarck/Mandan to get North Dakota's oldest cache and to see the Whispering Giant carving. I'm also looking for anything that could fill a spot in my fizzy grid or my Jasmer calendar.
(I have 125 finds so far in North Dakota and only 3 States so far. I need to increase those numbers)
(My North Dakota county map looks very sad. I hope to leave a trail of green down the left side and near the bottom of this map in June)
Another goal that I've been working on is the 365 day calendar. I have it all filled up (including leap day) three times over. I only have two more days that have three finds, both are later this month. Once that's done, I start replacing all the days that have four finds with five or more. I have 46 days with 4 finds and could increase to 48 when I knock off the two days with 3 finds.
(My finds by date found calendar. Just a few more days and it'll be complete for a 4th time)
What challenges or goals have you set for yourself this year? Have you done something you've never done before but have now because of geocaching? That's all for this week. I will keep everyone posted as to how I'm doing with all my personal challenges. Until next week, be safe, have fun, be happy and enjoy. Peace out.
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