Skip to main content

Geocaching and #IHeartGCHiders

Good morning everyone. This week, the fun facts is all about those who hide geocaches.  First up is the top hiders for 2019.  Locally, here in Manitoba, that honor goes to Semb with 333 hides.  For Canada, it's bootecacher with 749.  bootecacher is actually a team of nine geocachers that hide caches in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.  Across the border, i.findit hid the most in North Dakota with 81 hides.  Nationally, JcTAZ hid 1,885 geocaches.  Now for the most hides overall.  Locally, that's Jabbywockyz with 927.  Across Canada, it's geowhacker in Prince Edward Island with 3,420.  Looking South, Tick_Magnet has hid the most in North Dakota with 292.  Across the States, it's TeamSageBrushers in Nevada with 24,004.

As you may recall last year, Joshua the Geocaching Vlogger decided to create a week where we, the geocachers, let Geocaching Headquarters know just how much we appreciate all the work they do behind the scenes so we can keep participating in this crazy hobby called geocaching.  It's that time of year again.  In conversation with GCHQ, Joshua felt it was too soon to have another week where we say thank you to GCHQ.  Although they did appreciate all the love they got and still do, Joshua decided to change things up this year.  Instead of GCHQ getting all the love, we'll be focussing on someone else that makes this hobby possible.  The hider or Cache Owner.  Without these people who go out and hide containers all over the place, we would have nothing to go looking for.  #IHeartGCHiders is for everyone who hides a container.  It doesn't matter if it's a highly favorited gadget cache, a bison tube at the top of a street sign, or just a simple pill bottle in a pine tree.  It's a container waiting to be found.

You can watch Joshua's video here > #IHeartGCHiders

Each hider has their own style.  Around this neck of the continent, we have JAB007 who puts out some amazing gadget caches.  There's Trove Chasers as well who create some very fun caches.  Across the border, Trycacheus has become famous for his gadget caches in North Dakota.

(One of JAB007's 'Riddle Me This' series of caches)

(Another one of JAB007's fun caches you can find in Southern Manitoba)

(Trove Chasers put out some very fun caches)

(Just one of many Trycacheus geocaches.  I still have to get down to Gilby, North Dakota to find more of his unique caches)


There are those that put together geo-art.  That's a challenge in itself to complete a geo-art.  Just Southwest of Winnipeg is seven geo-arts, all created by local cacher Semb.  I've been able to complete two of those geo-arts.

(That's me, signing in on one of many caches that make up one of Semb's geo-art)

Before I stopped hiding caches, I was putting out fun puzzle caches.  Some had an evil twist to them.  I'm not the only one who likes adding puzzle caches to the playing field.  Sweethearts14 have put out some very challenging puzzles.  I have solved some but there are still many more to solve.

(The last puzzle final I found by Sweethearts14)

Need a spot to fill in on your fizzy grid?  If you have a local cacher that will try to place geocaches that fit in that blank spot without having to travel far distances, then you have that person to thank.  Around here, that person would be Hakliva, who is notorious for caches hidden up in trees and therefor, adds to your fizzy grid.

(I'm not a tree climber, but I did attempt this one from Hakliva)

Everyone has a particular style.  It could be the type of container, it could be the way they hide, it could be the cache type, or it could be based on location and it's historical significance.  I'll be the first to admit that my hides were nothing special.  Pill bottles usually in a pine tree.  That's why I turned to creating fun puzzles.  I haven't hidden anything in over a year, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.  I could start hiding again.  

What should you, the finders of these awesome caches do?  Just like last year, send physical notes, gifts (I'll accept chocolate if you're sending anything my way LOL), e-mails, a message using the Geocaching Messenger Service, a video, verbally thanking them at an event, or using social media using the hashtag #IHeartGCHiders to say thank you to the people who take the time, effort, and sometimes money to hide the geocaches that we love to find.

I will conclude this week's blog by saying thank you to everyone who takes the time to hide a geocache.  This is to everyone from the seasoned hider to the first time hider.  Without your contribution to the geocaching gameboard, I wouldn't have 5,700+ finds to my credit.  That's 5,700+ thank you notes.  Until next week, have fun, be safe, enjoy life and the geocaches you find, be nice to others, and most of all, be happy.  Life is too short to be grumpy. Peace out.

(take me geocaching with you.  I can sniff out the containers)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Geocaching and July, 2022

Good morning everyone.  Last month I was a little late in getting that month's blog published, but this month I want to get this out early.  I'll explain why later. July has been an interesting month.  I've been on a few adventures, rode my bike, and I've been hosting a weekly themed event. July started off with Auntie Mo and myself going on a spur of the moment road trip into the Southeast portion of Manitoba to do an Adventure Lab that takes us to some roadside attractions.  There was other ALs to do as well. (big Buffalo in Grunthal, Manitoba) (big deer in Saint Malo, Manitoba) Later in the month, I tagged along with Auntie Mo as she did the four Adventure Labs in the East part of Winnipeg.  I had done them already, but I couldn't resist giving Auntie Mo a tour of Transcona.  This also helped set her up to be close enough to claim her 800th find while she visits family back home in Nova Scotia.  As I write this, she has reached that milest

Geocaching and April in review

Good morning everyone.  Top favorite mystery cache in Canada is Ex Libris (GC4GZGB) in British Columbia.  Active since 2013, it has been found 722 times and has been given 282 favorite points.  Top favorited mystery cache in Manitoba is Water World (GC4MA6Y).  Active since 2013, it has been found 138 times and has received 99 points.  Top American favorite mystery cache is HQGT Ode to the Golgafrinchan Phone Workers (GC32A0H) in Seattle, Washington.  Active since 2013, found 7,313 times with 2,740 favorite points.  For North Dakota, Factory Outlet (GC576Q1) by trycacheus is the top favorited mystery cache.  Active since 2014, found 114 times and has 71 favorite points. How did everyone do for finding caches in April?  I found 41 caches.  Not exactly a big number like I use to do in the past.  Having my area mostly cached out will lead to fewer finds as I rely on newer caches to be published.  Last year, I did run out when I got the notification for a newly published geocaches nearby.

Geocaching and SM66

Good morning everyone.  This week's fun fact should be a favorite.  The Canadian geocacher who has collected the most favorite points on all their caches is Tupper T. Turtle with 8,314.  The top American geocacher is WV Tim with a whopping 23,587 points. You're probably wondering who or what an SM66 is.  SM66 is a casual geocacher, a full time nurse, a full time single mom, and my girlfriend.  She knew of geocaching before I had met her, had an account, but never had a chance to find a geocache.  So I can't take credit for introducing her to this hobby.  My tales of travel, adventures and my dedication to a daily streak interested her (or she thought I was crazy) and we made plans for SM66 to experience what geocaching is all about. We decided on a day trip to Hecla Provincial Park.  This was in September of 2016.  I had never been to Hecla and neither had SM66.  We set off early with a minimum of a two hour drive ahead of us.  We arrived at our first cache location, &q