Top 6 Reasons To Get Outside During The Winter

Icy rock formation we saw while on a road trip to claim our first out of province Geocache.
January 2018
Photo Credit: Jessie C
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It's Winter here in Canada, a magical time of year to get out and explore. Mother nature hides all sorts of gems across the country under a blanket of snow, including some Geocaches. 2018 is the first year we're attempting to find some winter Caches, follow our blog to keep seeing more winter updates as we find more Geocaches through the Winter months. Getting out of the house can be hard during the winter months, staying indoors where its warm is what many prefer, but for those that love Geocaching here are some reasons to do so in the winter. It's a lot of fun exploring when mother nature lays out a fresh blanket of snow. 

The Winter Views Are Amazing!

I love this location for a Geocache, the natural glow of snow makes the reflection on the ice beautiful. The water on the lake had frozen solid with a small amount of snow that drifted onto its surface. I've got the chance to see this lake back during the Summer months, I find winter has the ability to dramatically change the look of your favourite spots. During the winter months, the lack of humidity provides an opportunity for clear long range views. There was a Geocache hidden perfectly in the tree that rested right beside this lake looking over at an amazing view.

A New View 

You may have a trail that you prefer walking more than others, a favourite trail that holds some of your hidden treasure or favourite Geocaches. Walking those trails again during the winter gives it an entirely new look. I find that trails leading to waterfalls hold the most change during the winter with the mist of the falls freezing certain areas of the trail. Seeing the falls frozen or semi-frozen is always a beautiful sight to see. Even seeing a new trail for the first time is beautiful during the winter months, the snow makes it so magical. My favourite times to walk a trail during the winter is when a new fresh blanket of snow has fallen. When is your favourite time to walk during the winter months? 

Less Crowd In The Trails

I recently walked in a trail the day after a fresh blanket of snow had fallen, I only met up with one other hiker who was leaving the trail as I was entering, it makes for a very peaceful and quiet walk outdoors. Walking trails can be lots of fun when the weather is beautiful, it's when most people want to head out and explore. Geocaching in the winter gives you a chance to walk trails with fewer chances of being seen by Muggles. Geocaching in the winter can be a lot easier in finding certain Geocaches. Often when I arrive at a cache location I can see the previous cachers trail and footprints, it doesn't ruin the game one bit though. Some cachers know this in advance and leave a mess of footprints around the cache to keep things interesting. I would be one of those cachers that leaves a maze of footprints behind in case someone would be following in my footsteps. We never know, right? hehe. 

Double The Workout!

Walking through deep snow can give the body a great workout. Your legs will definitely be doing some double pumping by the time you finished your Geocaching Hunt. Snowshoes are always a great add-on to your winter geocaching fun. It's another great way to get out with the family and have a day filled with fun in the forest. Where I live in Canada we have some events that get other cachers out in snowshoes and skis to hunt for some winter caches that get hidden during the winter months. It keeps the game going, often the older caches freeze over and they lid becomes very difficult to remove. There are many other things to do in the meantime to keep the Geocaching spirit going, try finishing some puzzles or maybe you can work on some swag you want to leave in some Geocaches you will find when the weather warms up again. 

No bugs!!

This one is easy, who doesn't like a bug free hike in the forest? I sure know I love the bug free time of the year. 

New Challenges

Getting a Geocache out from the frozen ground Winter 2018

Winter caching requires a different type of performance than when out summer caching. Often Geocaches can be hidden well in Everygreens, under rocks, under bridges, you name it. The location chosen to hide a Geocache can vary and be very unique depending on the cache owner. Bringing a shovel and other digging tools would be a great idea to bring with you during your Geocaching hunt. Some geocaches get buried pretty far under the white blanket of snow making it difficult to locate the cache, but if you're determined and have the time you can always dig your way to the Cache making the game turn into a real-life treasure hunt during the winter months, it's a lot of fun. 

When the winter comes around often you start seeing a lot of winter friendly caches keeping the game interesting all year round. 

Geocaching in the winter can be a lot of fun, I wish everyone who played this hobby had the chance to try it out at least once. 

-33c/ This was me claiming our very first our of province Geocache for our souvenir. Winter 2018

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog! 😊

* Happy Caching *

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Famous Tobacco Container

Hello Cachers!

The Famous tobacco container!

How do you feel about Tobacco Containers being used as Geocaches? They seem to be very popular containers used as Geocaching containers in the area we Geocache. 

When I first started Geocaching I was curious about all the sorts of Geocaches I would encounter along the way. There are many common types of Geocaches out there, and many unique ones that you will only find a few times during your entire travels, however, some cache owners like to keep the game as simple as it can be. I'm always surprised when I find a new type of cache container I have not found in the past. Some cache owners are very creative and others it's more on the simple side of things. Either way, it doesn't matter, the game remains just as fun. We all love finding treasure and earning a smiley.

What are the common cache types you find in your area? Leave us a comment below! 😊

There are literally hundreds or thousands of different things you can use to hide your Geocache in. The creative side is all up to you. You would only need to make sure the container you decide to chose will survive all elements of nature, like rain, snow, wind, etc,  you want to seel everything up in waterproof ziplock too that will help keep everything dry and safe. 

Some containers make better Geocache homes than others but one Geocache container you may come across is the famous plastic Tobacco can cache container. This one seems to be very popular in the area were I Geocache. Many Cache Owners will get a hold of one of these containers, they will clean them out and use them as a cache container. They are regular in size and make great containers that hide very well in the forested areas. These containers are ideal because they have a screw on top cover, and are very easily hangable by rope or wire. 
Many of these containers are covered by a camo tape or paint to make them less visible to muggles. 
As we know Geocaching.com does has rules when it comes to hiding Geocaching in Tobacco can type Geocaching containers. The container would need to be rinsed and cleaned out very well to make sure there is not any tobacco residue left inside the container. Once that is done then you're good to go and the container can now be used. I have never hidden a Geocache yet, 2018 goal of the year when it comes to Geocaching. I doubt I would ever use a Tobacco container as when top lid would break eventually with it being open and closed so often, however, I do believe it could be an okay container to use when starting off. 

Just hanging there, Summer tobacco cache container / 2017
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This tobacco container is one that we got the chance to find during the summer of 2017. We decided to hunt for a series of Geocaches hidden along a wooded trail. Most Geocaches during this series were all placed in Tobacco containers and had been hidden during the spring of 2012. They were all dry and taking care of minus they could be re-hidden a little better but other than that they seem to be decent containers to use to hide your treasure in.
Not all were dry and perfect some that we did find were moist an damp, therefore I am unsure about this sorts of the container being used to hide Geocaches in. Where I live winter months are what we see most if the Geocache gets wet and freeze it's no fun to find during the cold months.Many Geocachers in Canada like to try to make their Geocaches winter friendly to help the game go on all year round.

Cemetery Cache Container / Summer 2017
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During a travel to the countryside during the summer months, we stopped for an easy park and grab at a very old cemetery. The cache was hiding very well inside a hole in the tree. Nothing inside the cache was wet or damaged, it was hidden very well in a hole in the tree. 
I don't think this type of container would be a container that I would pick when the time comes in hiding our first Geocache. If you do use this container as a form of home for your Geocache what are your tips for keeping it safe from the weather elements? 

A little tip I was able to get when talking with cache owners that have used this method to hide geocaches is that you want to make sure to tie the string or rope to the base of the tobacco container and not the lid. It happens sometimes that the lid pops off when wear and tear of the container and if you use the lid to tie the string to chances are if that happens you will lose everything inside the container.

What are your thoughts about Cache owners using a Tobacco container as a regular Geocaching container? 

First Tobacco container we find / Summer 2017
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Thank you for reading!
                                                             * Happy Caching *

The Geocaching Lingo- All you need to know!

The Geocaching Lingo - All you need to know!

Ever since I started to write on this blog my main focus has been Geocaching, It's my new favourite hobby I picked up a little over a year ago and fell in love with all aspects of this hobby, game or sport, whatever you want to call it it's awesome! I am so glad to have stumble on this entire another world by accident. Want to read more about how we found our very first Geocache? Click Here! I noticed that on the Geocaching side of things there is an entire vocabulary of words that may be new or strange to those like myself who had never heard of such terms before playing the game. I wanted to make this blog post to break down each of those words and give the meaning to each one. If I do forget any word please leave me a comment below as I am sure depending which part of the world you're in you may have your own version of Geo- Lingo. Feel free to share them with us as the Geo-Lingo is always changing. 😊 

Over the years the Geo-Lingo has developed quite a bit. I'll go over the more common words and term that you will see on your day to day Geocaching adventures. If you play the game for a good length of time the first words you may learn and will say very often are "Muggle" and "FTF", we will talk about those two words during this blog post. I'm going to list the most common ones I have encountered during my Geocaching adventures. 

• ALR - "additional logging requirement" There may be some extra logging required beyond finding the logbook. These are optional to the Geocacher.

• Ammo Can - These would be ammunition containers originally used for safe transport and storage of ammunition. These are a popular container for regular large Geocaches. 

• Bison - These can also be known as a Bison Tube. It's a small, metal, water-tight cylindrical container that can be used for micro caches. There are several different Bison Tubes on the market for cache owners to chose from.

• Bookmark List - This feature is only available for premium members and is one of my favourites. It allows you to group geocache listings in whatever way you like. I like this because I can save certain Geocaches I want to find a Geocaching adventure or keep a list of all my favourite Geocaches. 

• Bug - This can also be known as a Travel Bug. A trackable tag with a unique code that can be attached to an item. Once you find a Trackable it can travel with you from cache to cache, you can track its progress on Geocaching.com. Remember to never keep your Bug it must keep travelling into the hands of another Geocacher.

• BYOP - Bring your own pencil, This is very useful for the cache owners to communicate with other Geocachers to advise you that you will need to bring your own pencil to sign the cache logbook.

• Cache - the Shortened version of the word Geocache.

• Cacher - Knows as a Geocacher. One who participates in Geocaching.

• Challenge Caches - This is the type of Geocache that requires the Geocacher to meet a geocaching-related qualification or series of tasks before the challenge cache can be logged online.

• CITO - Cache In Trash Out - Click Here to read our story. 

• Collectible - This would be a status that is assigned to any trackable item that people can keep in their possession, and do not have to physically move it to another Geocache. 

• Collection - This would be a list of collectible trackable items that can be seen only by the owner. Trackables in a collection can only be discovered, they cannot be grabbed, dropped or discovered.

• Coordinates - Latitude and Longitude numbers that pinpoint an exact position on Earth.

• Dipping - When logging a trackable into a Geocache, and immediately logging it back into one's possession. Miles travelled by the trackable are registered. 

• DNF - "Did not find" This is used by Geocachers when a Geocache cannot be found.

• Geocache - A hidden container that usually includes a logbook for Geocachers to sign.

• D/T - This would stand for the difficulty of the terrain, each geocache is designated on a 5-point scale. Difficulty relates to the mental challenge of finding a Geocache, while terrain describes the physical environment. For example, a D1-T1 would be very easy compared to a D-5 T-5.

• EarthCache - This is a special place that people can visit to learn about a unique geoscience feature of our Earth.

• Event Cache - This would be when Geocachers gather together for a Geocaching organization. Check the event page on Geocaching.com to find out when the next Event cache is taking place in your area. 

• Find count - This would be the numbers of Geocaches a player has found.

• FTF - First to Find, This stands for the first person to log a particular geocache as found. Sometimes cache owners will hide am FTF prizes inside the Geocache container for the FTF Geocacher who finds the Geocache first. The special items do not require an equal trade.

• Geocacher - One who participates in Geocaching. 

• Geocaching - A real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Geocachers navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the Geocache hidden at that location.

• Geocaching HQ - World headquarters of Geocaching.com and Groundspeak. The HQ is located in Seattle, Washington, USA.

• Geocoin - A small minted coin with Track at Geocaching.com on one side and a customized impression on the other side. Just like travel bugs these can be tracked on Geocaching.com.

• GPS - Global positioning system that determines a person's location on Earth. 

• GZ - Ground Zero, the point where your GPS device shows that you have reached the Geocache location. At Ground Zero, you are zero feet or zero meters away from your destination.

• Inventory - This would be a list of non-collectible trackable items that can be seen by other Geocachers.

• Letterbox - Letterbox is another form of treasure hunting using instead of coordinates. Sometimes, the letterbox owner has made their container both a letterbox and a Geocache and posted its coordinates on Geocaching.com. If there is a stamp inside a Letterbox Hybrid, it is not an item intended for trade; the stamp is meant in the box so other Geocachers can use it to record their visit. 

• LN - This stands for Left Nothing. A common term used when a Geocacher leaves nothing in the Geocache and simply signs the logbook. 

• Locationless Cache - This is a grandfathered Geocache type that considered the opposite of a traditional cache. Geocachers needed to find a hidden container by locating a specific object and log its coordinates. 

• Log / Logbook- This would be the physical record of every Geocacher that has signed the geocache, this is also the online record of every Geocacher that has interacted with the Geocache. 

• Lock & Lock - Lock & locks are a type of container that uses four snaps on the lid to create a seal. This is used a lot as a Geocache container. 

• Micro - This would be the smallest Geocache size.

• Muggle / Muggled - When a non-Geocacher find a Geocache. When a Geocacher uses this term often it means the Geocache has been dismantled or removed by an unsuspecting non-player.

• Muggle - Each time I hear this word and say it when I'm out hunting for a Geocache I automatically think of Harry Potter, Does anyone else? Muggles are non-Geocachers, sorta like non-wizards in the Harry Potter world. Someone who is not in on the big secret of all the treasure hidden around them, those are who we like to call Muggles.

• Multi-Cache - Multi-caches usually involve two or more locations before the final location has been found which usually holds the Geocache container.

• Mystery Cache - This would be a non-traditional Geocache type that doesn't fit into any other category. Coordinates listed on the cache page are often incorrect, the final coordinates must be solved for through a series of steps or instructions. This is also known as a puzzle cache. Click Here for other Geocaching Types. 

• Nano - The tiniest of all Micos - The smallest Geocache you will ever be searching for. 

• Non-collectible - This would be a trackable item that can be easily grabbed, dropped, discovered etc. 

• Premium members - Geocachers with a paid premium membership. Premium members have more features available to them.

• Power Trail - This would be a path with a large number of caches placed within close proximity to each other. Helps Geocachers increase the find count. 

• Puzzle cache - This would be a type of mystery cache involving a puzzle that needs to be solved to determine the final coordinates. The puzzle should be able to be solved with the information provided by the cache owner.

• STF - Second to find the Geocache. 

• SL - Signed log.

• Signal - Signal the frog is the official mascot of Geocaching.

• Spoiler - This is important, often when you see this word on a Geocache there will be lots of details about the Cache location to come. If you do not want to ruin the Cache hide then stop reading, if you do not care and want to see where the cache is hidden then keep reading. 

• SWAG - This stands for "Stuff we all get" This would include the trade items left in caches by geocachers. 

• Travel Bug - This would be a trackable tag that you attach to an item. We recently found a cool one attached to the Car key of a Honda civic it holds a really neat story we will share in a later blog post. This item becomes a hitchhiker that is carried from cache to cache or person to person. You can follow it's progress on Geocaching.com, I enjoy reading the story behind the trackable and all the places it's travelled to before reaching my hands. It's always something that really fascinates me. 

• TB - This stands for Travel bug. It's a tag with a unique code that can be attached to an item. The trackable is then carried from cache to cache in the real world. You can follow your TB's journey on Geocaching.com.

• TB Hotel - Travel bug hotel. This geocaches's sole purpose is to act as an exchange point for Travel Bugs. These are normally medium to large size containers. 

• TFTC - Thanks for the cache, You will see this word often when reading the stories and experience of other Geocachers.

• TFTH - Thanks for the hide. Can only be written T4TH.

• TNLN - Took nothing left nothing, This is usually written in the cache logbook by geocachers who do not trade for material in the cache they simply find the cache and sign the logbook.

• TOTT - This stands for a tool of the trade. Another word used for any of the tools that might be used to search for/ retrieve/ find or log a Geocache. 

• Virtual Cache - This another one of the grandfathered Geocaches where Geocachers discovered locations rather than a container. The way to log a Virtual depends on the rule of the cache owner. 

• Waymarking - Waymarking.com offers another way to mark unique locations on the planet and gives them a voice. While GPS allows us to pinpoint any location on the planet, mark the location, and share it with others, Waymarking is the toolset for categorizing and adding unique information for that location.

• Waypoint - This would be a reference point to a physical place on earth. These are defined by a set of coordinates that typically include longitude, latitude and sometimes altitude. Every Geocache listed on Geocaching.com is a waypoint.

• Webcam Cache - These are grandfathered Geocaches using existing web cameras placed by individuals or agencies that monitor various areas such as parks or business complexes. To log this type of Geocache you will need to set yourself in front of the camera.Then use your smartphone or ask a friend to access the camera from the website displaying the camera shot that has you in it. 

• Wherigo Cache - Wherigo.com is a toolset for creating and playing GPS-enabled adventures in the real world. By adding a Wherigo cartridge, with find a cache, the geocaching hunt can be an even richer experience. 

There are so many terms and word in the Geocaching world, these are the ones I see the most while out there searching for treasure. If there is a term not listed here feel free to leave me a comment as Geo lingo always changes. 😊

Thank you so much for reading! 

* Happy Caching *