Editor’s Note: Staff from Geocaching HQ in Seattle are visiting more than 30 Mega-Events around the globe this year, to shake hands, share stories and hear what you think is next for geocaching.
In February, the Southwest Arizona Geocachers hosted their signature event, S*W*A*G’s Yuma Mega #11, in sunny Yuma. Above is what it looked like at home in Seattle, where Geocaching HQ is located, that same weekend.
Christy and Signal
After arriving in Yuma and thanking the Southwest Sunshine Gods (they must exist), I found my first-ever Arizona geocaches and got started on the Mega Event’s Lab Caches.
Jeff Nicholson, you+me_makes3, with S*W*A*G created an elaborate series of 10 Lab Cache locations to show visitors a diverse range of attractions all around Yuma. Fortunately, he had suggested that I get a rental car for the trip. The Lab Caches were an excellent way to see the city’s well-known and hidden gems, ranging from the historical Sanguinetti House Museum to the Yuma Territorial Prison Cemetery. I even got to see some cute animals at the Wild World Zoo and Camel Farm, thanks to the Lab Caches.
The Yuma Warm-Up Mega Event #11 at a local restaurant was a great opportunity to meet the friendly Geocaching community and to get to thank our amazing volunteers in person. There was a nice handful of Geocachers who also had ties to the Seattle-area, and it was fun to catch-up with them. The event also featured a special screening of the Geocaching International Film Festival (GIFF), as shown at the 2013 HQ Geocaching Block Party.
Making friends at the Yuma Warm-Up Mega-Event #11
The next morning, the Mega Event was set up and ready for crowds. The West Wetlands Park was an incredible location, not too cramped and very pretty. There was a large array of fun activities to choose from; check out the impressive Activities Schedule on the cache page! I met with even more geocachers, vendors, Signal the Frog, and checked out the cool vehicles on display before completing the Lab Cache series later that afternoon.
Before heading back to the airport, I hosted a very-early-morning event cache of my own: I choo-choo-choose you! at the historic steam train near Gateway Park. I arrived early and there was already a welcoming crowd of friendly faces waiting for me as the sun came up. What an incredible group of geocachers! A great way to end an outstanding weekend of geocaching. Thanks, S*W*A*G!
A Show of Support Local Sheriff’s DepartmentAll are welcomeI choo-choo-choose you Logbook
Geocaching goes hand-in-hand with snapping a few shots of the wildlife and your adventure along the way. And sometimes combining two passions like photography and geocaching pays off. Check out some of the early winners in Minelab’s Ultimate Geocaching Hunt photo contest. Seven geocachers have already won the photo of the month award, including WherzaWiggTherzaWay and JonesPosse.
PoteauPets won the February Minelab photo contest for their sweet father-daughter portrait under the caption of “Love is in the air for this father/daughter pair.” PoteauPets enjoy geocaching as a family, and usually find caches in rural areas near where they live. “We truly LOVE geocaching and the time we spend together ‘on the hunt’ as a family,” said Dana of PoteauPets. “My husband likes the ‘evil hides’ while on the other hand, my daughter and I enjoy the cemetery caches. Our daughter loves to keep up with the trackables.”
The Adventurers in Michigan won the March contest with their snowy photo of the Minelab geocoin and a metal detector. “Winning the contest for that month was a complete surprise,” said David of the Adventurers. David and his girlfriend/best friend enjoy discovering trackables and going geocaching everywhere and in all seasons. Another winner, Gary of JonesPosse, came away with a pocketed vest. He wore it to Geowoodstock XI and during a three-day hike along the Appalachian Trail for his 6,000th find.
Adventurers – March winner
There are still nearly three months left to enter the monthly photo contests and earn a chance to win a trip to Mexico. For more information on Minelab’s Ultimate Geocaching Hunt, visit the Minelab Geocaching page. When you’re ready to enter, go to the Minelab Facebook Photo Contest page.
Monthly prizes include a $400 Minelab coupon, a Minelab hat & vest, and all monthly winners will still be eligible for the grand prize: a Mexican cruise for two!
The Minelab “Ultimate Geocaching Hunt” photo contest is solely sponsored by Minelab, Inc., a subsidiary of Codan, LTD. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and Canada who are 18 years and older at time of entry. Entry period for the contest commences at 12:01 a.m. (CST) on November 13, 2012 and expires at 11:59 PM (CST) on November 13, 2013. Void where prohibited. For details and restrictions, see the Official Contest Rules.
There is one way to ensure that your Trackable never goes missing – get a Trackable tattoo. Tattoos are not for everyone. In fact, there are fewer than 150 people who have ever earned the Trackable Tattoo icon. A geocacher can only receive the icon if they supply photographic proof of a Trackable tattoo to Geocaching.com.
User pumpkinking27 has an impressive tattoo from 2010 that reflects his username andincludes a Travel Bug called PumpkinKing27’s Trackable Tattoo. The goal of such Trackable tattoosis to be discovered by geocachers at events and during geocaching outings. Ultimately, the Trackable tattoo becomes an engaging record of personal travels. The Travel Bug map for PumpkinKing27’s trackable tattoo shows that he has made many trips along the East Coast and the northeastern United States.
Watch video of a geocacher receiving a Trackable tattoo:
Learn about CSavvy and his Travel Bug Tattoo in last year’s blog post, Become Trackable on Geocaching.com – Tattoos to Travel Bugs. An additional Travel Bug Tattoos resource can be found in the Groundspeak Help Center.
The first steps to getting a Trackable tattoo:
1) Make a decision – tattoos are a commitment, you know.
2) Purchase and activate a Travel Bug. Do not send the Travel Bug out to geocaches, as it would cause confusion.
3) Use the unique Tracking Code from your Travel Bug as part of your design. Some tattoo designs include the Travel Bug scarab image and others include a custom design along with the Tracking Code.
4) Find a trusted tattoo artist.
5) Request the custom Trackable Tattoo icon from Geocahing.com by sending an e–mail to pr@groundspeak.com and including a photo of the tattoo and the tracking number.
Es gibt eine Möglichkeit um sicherzustellen, daß Dein Trackable niemals verloren geht – laß Dir eine Trackable–Tätowierung machen. Tätowierungen sind nicht für jeden geeignet. Tatsächlich haben sich bisher weniger als 150 Leute das Trackable Tatoo–Icon verdient. Ein Geocacher kann das Symbol nur erhalten, wenn er einen fotografischen Beweis seiner Trackable–Tätowierung an Groundspeak schickt.
Der Benutzer pumpkinking27 hat eine Eindrucksvolle Tätowierung aus dem Jahr 2010, die seinen Benutzernamen darstellt und den Travel Bug mit dem Namen PumpkinKing27’s Trackable Tattoo enthält. Das Ziel solcher Trackable–Tätowierungen ist es, von Geocachern bei Events und auf Cachetouren discovert zu werden. Letztendlich wird die Trackable–Tätowierung zum persönlichen Reisetagebuch. Die Travel Bug–Karte von PumpkinKing27’s Trackable–Tätowierung zeigt, daß er viele Touren entlang der Ostküste und im Nordosten der Vereinigten Staaten gemacht hat.
Lerne CSavvy und seine Trackable–Tätowierung in seinem Blog–Artikel aus dem letzten Jahr kennen, werde ein Trackable auf Geocaching.com – Tätowierungen zu Travel Bugs. Zusätzliche Informationen über Travel Bug–Tätowierungen findest Du im Groundspeak–Hilfe–Zentrum. Der erste Schritt zur Trackable–Tätowierung:
1) Entscheide Dich – Du weißt, Tätowierungen sind verbindlich.
2) Kaufe und aktiviere einen Travel Bug. Platziere den Travel Bug nicht in einem Cache weil das zu Verwechselungen führt.
3) Benutze den Tracking–Code Deines Travel Bugs als Teil Deines Designs. Einige Tätowierungs–Designs enthalten das Bild des Travel Bug Skarabäus, andere ein individuelles Design mit dem Tracking–Code.
4) Finde einen vertrauenswürdigen Tätowierer.
5) Fordere das individuelle Trackable Tattoo–Icon bei Geocaching.com an. Schicke eine E–Mail mit einem Foto der Tätowierung und dem Tracking–Code an pr@groundspeak.com.
ADDITIONAL TRACKABLE STORIES:
Zusätzliche Trackable Geschichten:
Share your Trackable stories for a chance to win a rare and covetedMoun10bike Trackable.
Share your Trackable stories for a chance to win the rare and coveted moun10bike coin
Check out the Travel Bug that’s traveled far enough to circle the globe 8 times… and is still moving (and moving, and moving…)
Schau Dir den Travel Bug an, der so weit gereist ist, um den Globus 8 Mal zu umrunden… und er ist immer noch unterwegs (und bewegt sich und bewegt sich…)
Trackable Week highlights a new story Monday through Sunday 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 10% or more on individual orders of Travel Bugs through Shop Geocaching and our International Retailers.
Die Trackable–Woche präsentiert eine neue Geschichte jeweils von Montag bis Sonntag in dieser Woche um mehr über Trackables zu erfahren. Geocaching.com Trackables erlauben Leuten, einen Gegenstand zu markieren und diesen von Ort zu Ort zu verfolgen. Trackables kommen typischerweise in drei Varianten daher, Geocoins, Travel Bugs® oder Werbe–Trackables wie beispielsweise “Find the Gecko“, einer Kampagne von Geico. (Schau Dir ein Video über Travel Bugs an)
Am Ende dieses Artikels findest Du Platz um Deine eigenen Trackable–Geschichten zu teilen, Links zu anderen Trackable–Storys zu setzen und Du findest ein Sonderangebot für einen begrenzten Zeitraum. Spare 10% oder mehr auf deine Bestellung von Travel Bugs im Shop von Geocaching.com und bei unseren internationalen Einzelhändlern.
Steve’s Geo-Backpack
Steve’s geo-backpack Travel Bug has logged its way across the globe. [Der Travel Bug Steves Geo-Rucksack hat seinen Weg über den Globus abgebildet.]
One active Travel Bug has surpassed all others in its distance traveled.
This is the story of the most–well–traveled active TB in the world, Steve‘s geo–backpack, and its owner, Steve Kenny (clrtolnd). With 1.6 million miles, and counting, Steve‘s geo–backpack has experienced some serious traveling. Steve has the advantage of being an airline pilot who has many opportunities to see the world.
“Geocaching is perfect for pilots because during our travels, we have time to ourselves on our layovers.” The name clrtolnd stands for “clear to land,” a positive message for airline pilots, and an excellent sign for Travel Bugs that are eager to land more miles.
clrtolnd at Burj Kalifa, Dubai, one of his many worldly travels. [Clrtolnd beim Burj Kalifa, Dubai, auf einer seiner zahlreichen weltweiten Reisen.]Steve uses the technique of “dipping” his TB to track his personal mileage. This means that he logs the Travel Bug at a geocache, but then keeps it in his possession rather than leaving it inside of the cache container. Dipping can be done on Geocaching.com by logging a cache and selecting the “Dropped off Any Trackables?” option, under which the option of “Visited” can be selected. By selecting “Visited,” the TB remains in the geocacher‘s inventory and is considered “dipped.” The term “personal traveler” refers to Travel Bugs like Steve‘s geo–backpack that are used for tracking the mileage between geocaches. Alternatively, some geocachers will dip a Travel Bug just before handing it off to another person.
Steve first discovered geocaching in August 2006, when he and his colleagues were on a flight layover in Frankfurt, Germany. While waiting, the flight captain introduced clrtolnd to the hobby of geocaching. That day, they successfully found three traditional geocaches and one multicache — Steve has been an avid geocacher ever since. He has even converted his brother, Flyingbug, into a geocaching enthusiast. “We both have but hundreds of miles on our shoes as well as the thousands of miles in the air. He is my favorite caching buddy,” admits Steve.
A few months into geocaching, Steve purchased some coins and a Travel Bug in order to track how many miles he traveled in a given month. He clipped the TB to his small backpack (hence the name Steve‘s geo–backpack) and set off for adventure.
Steve does not dip his TB in every cache that he finds, but he generally dips it in one cache per outing. Sometimes he misses out on logging miles, if he forgets to dip it between trips to the same region, “If I find a cache in Dubai, fly home, and my next find is in Kuwait, I failed to log more than 13,000 miles. That happens multiple times each year, but I attempt to find at least one cache each time that I have more than 12 hours on the ground.”
With so many miles under his TB‘s belt, Steve has many geocaching stories to share. He fondly recalls a time that he made a UAL Family Travel Bug out of a McDonald‘s 747 toy–airplane and left it on Victoria Peak in Hong Kong, “The first geocacher to pick it up was an Air New Zealand 747 pilot!”
clrtolnd’s photo of his brother, Flyingbug at a find in West Virginia [Clrtolnd’s Foto von seinem Bruder, Flyingbug bei einem Fund in West Virginia]Steve and his geo–backpack Travel Bug have no plans to slow down. “I can‘t imagine retiring my geo–backpack. I take it almost everywhere that I carry my geo–essentials.” Steve’s geo–kit includes all of the geocaching necessities, except for pliers or a sharp object – even pilots aren‘t allowed to bring those on flights.
Eine aktiver Travel Bug übertrifft alle anderen in der zurückgelegten Entfernung.
Das ist die Geschichte des am weitesten gereisten aktiven TB in der Welt, Steves Geo–Rucksack und seines Eigentümers, Steve Kenny (clrtolnd). Mit (bis jetzt) 1,6 Millionen Meilen hat Steves Geo–Rucksack viel Erfahrung im Reisen. Steve hat den Vorteil, dass er Pilot bei einer Fluggesellschaft ist und somit viele Möglichkeiten hat, die Welt zu sehen.
“Geocaching ist perfekt für Piloten, da wir während unserer Reisen Zeit für Zwischenstopps haben.” Der Name clrtolnd steht für “Bereit zur Landung“, eine positive Nachricht für Piloten und ein erstklassiges Zeichen für Travel Bugs um eifrig mehr Meilen zu sammeln.
Steve nutzt für seinen TB die Technik des “Eintauchens” um seine persönliche Reisemeilen zu protokollieren. Dies bedeutet, er loggt den Besuch eines Geocaches mit seinem Travel Bug, lässt diesen jedoch in seinem Besitz, anstatt Ihn in den Geocache abzulegen. Seinen TB “eintauchen” lassen, kann man auch auf Geocaching.com wenn man einen Cache besucht. Man wählt unter dem Reiter “Trackables abgelegt?”, die Option ‘Besucht‘ aus, durch diese Auswahl bleibt der TB im Bestand des Geocachers. Der Begriff “persönliche Traveler” bezieht sich auf Travel Bugs wie Steves Geo–Rucksack, sie dienen der Nachverfolgung des Kilometerstand zwischen den besuchten Geocaches. Alternativ loggen auch einige Geocacher einen Travel Bug als “Besucht” ein, bevor Sie diesen an eine andere Person übergeben.
UAL Family Travel Bug, one of clrtolnd’s Travel Bugs.
Steve entdeckte Geocaching im August 2006, als er und seine Kollegen einen Zwischenaufenthalt in Frankfurt, Deutschland hatten. Während der Wartezeit, erklärte der Flugkapitän clrtolnd das Hobby Geocaching. An dem Tag fanden Sie gemeinsam drei Traditional– und einen Multi–Cache — seit dem wurde aus Steve ein begeisterter Geocacher. Er hat sogar aus seinem Bruder, Flyingbug, in einen Geocaching–Enthusiasten verwandelt. “Wir haben beide Hunderte von Meilen zu Fuß sowie Tausende von Meilen in der Luft zurückgelegt. Er ist mein bester Caching–Kumpel” gesteht Steve.
Nach ein paar Monate im Hobby Geocaching kaufte Steve ein paar Geocoins und einen Travel Bug um zu verfolgen, wie viele Meilen er in einem bestimmten Monat gereist ist. Er brachte den TB an seinen kleinen Rucksack (daher der Name Steves Geo–Rucksack) an und das Abenteuer begann.
Steve loggt seinen TB nicht bei jedem Cache den er findet ein, aber er loggt mit Ihm im Allgemeinen einem Cache pro Ausflug. Manchmal verpasst er das Loggen oder er vergisst es, vor allem bei Reisen in der gleichen Region. “Wenn ich einen Cache in Dubai finde, nach Hause fliege und meine nächster Fund ist in Kuwait, dann verpasse ich in etwa 13.000 Meilen. Das geschieht jedes Jahr mehrere Male, aber ich versuche zu mindestens jedes Mal einen Cache zu suchen, wenn ich für mehr als 12 Stunden auf dem Boden bin.”
Mit so vielen zurückgelegten Meilen seines TBs kann Steve viele Geocaching–Geschichten erzählen. Er erinnert sich liebevoll daran, wie er einen UAL–Familien–Travel Bug mit einem McDonald‘s 747 Spielzeug–Flugzeug erstellte und ihn im Victoria Peak in Hongkong ablegte. “Der erste Geocacher, welcher den Travel Bug aufnahm, war ein Air New Zealand 747 Pilot!”
Steve’s geo-backpack Travel Bug has logged its way across the globe. [Der Travel Bug Steves Geo-Rucksack hat seinen Weg über den Globus abgebildet.]Steve und sein Travel Bug der “Geo–Rucksack” haben keine Pläne kürzer zu treten. “Ich kann mir nicht vorstellen, meinen Geo–Rucksack in den Ruhestand zu schicken. Ich nehme Ihn fast überall mit hin, er enthält all mein Geo–Equipment.” Steves Geo–Kit enthält alles was er für das Geocaching benötigt, mit Ausnahme einer Zange oder einem scharfen Objekt – auch Piloten dürfen dies nicht auf Flügen mitnehmen.
ADDITIONAL TRACKABLE STORIES:
Zusätzliche Trackable Geschichten:
Share your Trackable stories for a chance to win this rare and coveted Moun10bike Trackable.
Share your Trackable stories for a chance to win a rare and coveted Moun10bike Trackable.
