Creative Geoache YouTube Style

Kryptic — Sun, 16 May 2010 05:16:03 +0000

A creative geocache is a thing of beauty. Finding one will make you giggle with delight and provide endless fodder for geocaching stories at events or around a campfire. A creative geocache may be a hand crafted specialty item designed to match perfectly to it’s environment or a clever multi-stage puzzle that taxes a geocachers brain to distraction.

Geocachers never cease to amaze me with their creativity. I have found geocaching containers so cleverly hidden in plain site, that as a muggle, walking that same path daily, I never noticed their existance. I even photographed one once and didn’t realize that the shot contained a geocahe until many moons later.

Geocaching containers are not the only way to be creative with your geocache. The cache coordinates can be skillfully hidden in an image on a geocaching.com listing page or woven into the fabric of a story written to disguise clues to the cache. Some caches are theme based with elaborately decorated geocache containers, filled with ornately decorated geocaching log books and geoswag all reflecting it’s theme. These are some of those extra steps taken by many geocachers to engage our imaginations and uplift our spirits while geocaching.

I have found micros in the woods hidden in hollowed out sticks. I have found ammo cans hidden behind a garden fence in an urban alley. But until today, I had never found a geocache online.

ErikaJean, a geocacher from Arizona, has introduced me to a new kind of creative geocache. She has put together an interactive introduction to geocaching on YouTube. Using a series of short videos hyperlinked to hot spots on the main video, she takes us on a tour of her backyard during our hunt for a geocache. It’s as close to geocaching as I’ve ever seen on a screen and a great way to introduce geocaching to your muggle friends when they won’t leave the computer to go outside and play. (I used to resemble that remark!) I may not be able to log a smiley on geocaching.com for this one, but the smile it brought to my face was well worth it.

Thank you ErikaJean for your splendid version of a creative geocache!

(And yes, I did giggle )

Creative Cache Cryptex Series

Kryptic — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 04:26:52 +0000

There is only one attribute that a “creative geocache” must have. The “WOW” factor. The “Wow” can come from the cache listing page, the view at the location, the devious hide, the beautifully accessorized log book, or the outstanding and unusual container. The “Maple Ridge Cryptex Caper” series by Soxter & Billini takes “WOW” to a whole new level!

If there were and awards ceremony for Geocaching this series would sweep every category. Location: Check. Devious: Check. Log: Check. Outstanding or Unusual Container: Check! Check! Check! Let’s face it folks; If Geocaching had it’s own version of the Oscars, this series would awarded the “Golden Signal” for every category!

I can’t imagine the time and effort that it took to put something like this together, but the results speak for themselves. As of the time of this writing there have only been seven finders of the final cache. Here is a sample of their logs:

What an awesome series of caches leading up to an an awesome final! The cryptex is amazing and very easy to open and close.” – High Maintenance Co-FTF	The cryptex was amazing. So well made. The cache owners are to be congratulated for this series. It was interesting, challenging, and creative.” – Puddle Duck 21 Co-FTF
This is a very well thought out and executed cache series and an awesome cryptex. We want to make one but you’ve allready done it. I guess we make one and wait a while to plant it. We recommend this series to all cachers. Thanks so much!” – WOLVERINESTacFour
I am very impressed the handy craftman work that you have put into the whole series, from the hides, to the details of the cache pages, and the cache cards, to the final puzzle. To anyone watching this is how you put a puzzle series together, Not to hard, unique, enjoyable for the whole family, and leaves you at each cache wanting more, and caching with anticipation of what twists will be in stored for you from one stop to the next. – Adroit Seeker STF

Now here is the kicker. These are the first caches they have ever placed! And they only have 55 finds! Blows every newbie guideline I’ve ever heard right out of the water!

Here are the links to the caches in the series and to the instructional drawing for making your own cryptex.

Maple Ridge Cryptex Caper Series

Maple Ridge Cryptex Caper (Stage 1 of 4) – GC237VW
Maple Ridge Cryptex Caper (Stage 2 of 4) – GC23RJ7
Maple Ridge Cryptex Caper (Stage 3 of 4) – GC23WYG
Maple Ridge Cryptex Caper (Stage 4 of 4) – GC23WYH
Maple Ridge Cryptex Caper (Final) – GC23WZ0

Go check these out and be inspiried!

I’ll be in line at the Passport Office. I think it is high time this So.Cal. native takes a trip “North of the Border”!

CoastCacher.com - Geocaching the West Coast » Creative Cache

Creative Geoache YouTube Style

Creative Cache Cryptex Series

Maple Ridge Cryptex Caper Series

Instruction Drawings Links