A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

groundspeak

Logging rules to change in geocaching

A subtle rule change is on the horizon for geocaching.

Geocaching.com, which is the top listing service for the caching world, has notified users of a change coming in early May. And, honestly, it’s shocking that this hadn’t been in place already.

Though geocaching doesn’t necessarily have “rules,” per say, it has guidelines. The change that will take effect on May 8 is a good one, too.

  • Cache owners will no longer be able to log a Find, DNF, Webcam Photo Taken, Needs Archived, or Needs Maintenance on their owned caches. However, event owners can log an Attended or Will Attend on their own events.
  • Players will no longer be able to log more than 1 (one) Find, Attended, Webcam Photo Taken, or Will Attend per cache. Players will still be able to change a Write Note to a Find if they have not already logged a Find on the cache.

This is fantastic news. Though I’m a firm believer in players being able to play the game their own way (it’s not a competition, so what somebody else does isn’t necessarily what another will do etc.), I’m also a believer that you have to have some structure.

Find it only once with the rule changes coming in May!

People often “pad” their stats in some interesting ways, which can hurt the game as a whole.

Let me give an example – when we first started our annual summer picnic event in our area, we had some people travel to attend. We had temporary caches places as part of a “poker” run. These were not permanent caches, however. Two or three of those in attendance logged the event for each of those temp caches they had found – so I think six or seven logs for the event. I wasn’t the one who published the event, so I couldn’t delete those finds.

With the new rules, they will no longer be allowed to do that. It is also good that these rule changes are not retroactive. Past logs are not affected. That could mess with people’s find totals and milestones, which would be a shame to many.

Let’s look at each of these rule changes.

The first is not being able to long your own cache hides. I have known several people who have done this and have always wondered why. I mean, if you hid it, why would you log a find? It is good, however, that people can still log their own events because, in the end, they do attend. It would be silly if that had been taken away.

One question I hope is answered, though, is what happens with an adopted cache. A cache is often done by somebody who has found it in the past. Does that find get deleted? Or does that fall under the “past logs?” This could be quite important, just because it might be the difference between an older cache being adopted, or it being archived.

The second is a good rule, too, as it make it so people can only log something once. Some owners will allow you to log a cache more than once if you do different things. Or an “event” will be something monthly, so the date is just changed and people log the same event several times. One thing wrong with that, is people may not always see the event if it’s only a date change. New events pop up, so it allows more eyes to see it.

These changes are a good step for the game. As the game continues to grow with technology advances, it also needs to maintain some law and order so as not to disturb the game or scare more “veteran” players away.

Kudos to Geocaching.com for recognizing the need for this, but at the same time giving people time to prepare for it and to not eliminate back logs.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Geocaching history and going back to where it all started

It started with a flick of a switch, figuratively speaking.

In early May 2000, selective availability for 24 satellites around the world became open to everyday people, thus making GPS receivers that much more accurate. The government removed the selective availability, giving people the chance to pinpoint their location.

Just one day later, Dave Ulmer went out and placed the first geocache, calling the idea the “Great American GPS Stash Hunt.” His idea was to hide something in the woods, note the coordinates and get people to come find it. The rules? “Take some stuff, leave some stuff.”

The original stash plaque.

The original stash plaque.

Within three days, two people found it and told about their experiences. People then started hiding “stashes” of their own.

The game of geocaching has since grown. There are more than 2.7 million active geocaches hidden around the world as well as more than 6 million people playing this game.

That’s growth.

Unfortunately, the original “geocache” is no longer with us. It was swept up in some cleaning. One of the original items – a can of beans – was recovered and it currently appears at some Mega events and such for people to see. The history of the game – in a can form.

On top of that, an historical marker was placed at the first site to show the beginning of geocaching. It’s also a geocache, allowing people to come from all over the world to see where it started. It’s not like the baseball Hall of Fame or anything, but in the short history (15 years) of the game, it’s still pretty cool. People flock to this spot to see this marker and to nab the cache.

This cache has 2,665 favorite points and more than 9,500 finds. That’s pretty impressive and makes it one of the most found caches in the world.

The cache that goes with the plaque.

The cache that goes with the plaque.

There’s some history to this cache, for sure, so it was neat to find and see. There were some others close by that were fun to do as well.

It’s right on the side of the road, though. A small pull-off area was next to it, so people could park. When we were there, a few others were also there so it was nice to meet up with some people and such. The photos of the plaque are out there so I had seen if before, but it was still cool to check it out in person.

This is definitely something that should be on a geocacher’s list to do, even if just for the historical ramifications. Everything had to start somewhere, right? This is where geocaching began, so it’s nice to look back at the spot.

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Day Zero Project: Completed No. 35

A Day Zero Project goal of P.J.’s has been completed!

Goal completed: Visit Groundspeak  (Geocaching.com)

Date completed: August 17, 2015

Number: 35

Description: Groundspeak is the former name of Geocaching.com, and its headquarters are in Seattle. It’s a “mecca” of sorts for geocachers, who affectionately call it “HQ.” While there, one can get a hosted visit, which is bringing you inside the building and to an area that shows the history of the company and geocaching and is interactive with a couple of lackeys (the name for those who work there). Basically, it’s a bucket list spot for many geocachers.

At HQ!

At HQ!

Why I wanted to do it: I’ve geocached for several years, so having the chance to get there, see the headquarters and get to see some of the people who work there seemed like a cool thing. Plus, you get an icon for visiting, which makes it cooler.

How I did it: The company announced earlier this year that its popular Block Party event would be ending this year, after five years of holding it. It also coincided with the 15th year of geocaching, so it worked out well. With all of that in mind, I knew I’d like to go to the Block Party at some point, so now was the time. Three of us ventured out for this event and to cache in the area. I set us up for a hosted visit on that Monday (the event was Saturday) and we had the chance to spend a couple of hours there, learning the history and having the chance to meet other like-minded people. It was a fun event to be at and it was a cool “tour” of the place. Definitely worth doing if you are a geocacher.

About P.J.’s Day Zero Project: Day Zero is a project where people come up with 101 things to do over 1001 days. I started the project on August 1, 2014 with an anticipated finish date of April 28, 2017. Goals will not be revealed until they are completed. A private list is at the Day Zero website and the list will be made public upon completion of the project. It’s my thoughts that if things are kept private, should I not do them, change or find a way around it, I’d only be cheating myself.

Block Party is almost here!

For those of you who geocache, you likely know that this year’s Block Party is the final one. With that in mind, three of us are embarking on the cross-country trip to go to the event, as well as others surrounding it.

And I’m getting quite excited.

The trip is going to be five days of some serious fun, at least I hope. My true hope is that Mother Nature gives us some good weather for the time we are out there.

Anyway, the plan is to fly out on a Thursday morning and arrive mid-afternoon in Seattle. After grabbing the rental car, and checking in at the hotel, it’s into Seattle for the first event.

The pathtag I have for my Northwest trip!

The pathtag I have for my Northwest trip!

The weekend continues with some historical geocaches (on a side trip to Portland), some cool other places, and a baseball game. Unfortunately, the Mariners are on the road, so I am going to catch a minor league game.

Now, don’t get me wrong, but though this is a geocaching trip, I am hoping to see some other things. Am I going to be able to do everything possible? Probably not. But I want to be able to visit the Space Needle and the Sky View Observatory. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get to the outskirts somewhere and get a photo or two of the Seattle skyline.

I’m sure a brewery or two will be on tap (ha! See what I did there?) too, which will be fun.

That being said, there are some great geocaching items planned.

We’ll be attending the final Block Party at Geocaching.com’s headquarters. Also, there’s a trip back to HQ on the following Monday to get a hosted visit, which I think will be a lot of fun. The HQ GeoTour looks like a blast and I think we are planning on doing that on one of the other days (not Block Party day) to hopefully get a chance to do them without a game of “pass the log.”

The Friday trip to the Portland area is going to net us the original cache stash plaque, as well as some other old geocaches. I’ve been looking at a few of the caches there and I think it’s going to be pretty cool to grab some of those historical ones and know I’ve done them.

There are three webcam caches that I am hoping we can nab over the course of the weekend, too. Considering how few of these are around, it’s nice to be able to get them when you can.

On Sunday, a trip to the spot of the “Ape” cache that is no longer there. So, unfortunately, I won’t get the chance to get that icon on my profile, but the Snoqualmie Tunnel is open. This tunnel is part of the rail trail and is an old railroad tunnel. It’s very cool and is a round trip hike of a little more than 5 miles (on level ground, if I read right), so that’s pretty cool. On the other side are some historical geocaches, so that will add to the experience and the day.

There’s really not a lot more I can say about this trip, without breaking down day by day. I think in the overall scheme, it will be a fun trip. I’m looking forward to grabbing a few new states on my profile as well as finding some old caches. I’ve also created a pathtag for the trip to the Pacific Northwest, so that is cool to have and hopefully trade along the way.

I’m definitely excited about seeing a few things, getting to go to a baseball game and, of course, geocaching. It should be a heck of a fun experience and I’m looking forward to it.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

It’s time to plan to attend a block party!

Every hobby or sport has a mecca, of sorts.

If you’re a baseball fan, for example, Cooperstown is the ultimate baseball destination with the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

In golf, it’s Augusta and the Masters.

In board gaming (at least in my short time in the hobby), it’s either GenCon or Internationale Spieltage SPIEL — or as it’s affectionately known, Essen.

And in Geocaching — it’s Seattle (and a couple of spots you can get to from Seattle).

Groundspeak, the owners of geocaching.com and the biggest company in regard to the hobby, is located in Seattle. HQ, as it’s known, is a place people can visit, so it’s a rather large destination spot for geocachers.

I’ve been a geocacher since 2008, and it’s a place I’ve always wanted to go. If not just because it’s the “place” where geocaching happens, in regard to the game through geocaching.com.

That trip, though I’ve had talks with several people about doing it, has never happened. Summers are always busy, and then add in a span of 2 1/2 years where I was unemployed, and it just never worked out.

That’s going to change this summer.

Three of us have decided to make the trek for the final Block Party, an event that happens outside of HQ. It has looked like it’s a lot of fun and, earlier this year, Groundspeak announced it would be the final Block Party. Sure, something will replace it, but this is the final Block Party.

Now was the time.

After figuring everything out and pricing it out, we decided that this was a possible trip. Flights are better to order now, that’s for sure, and my plan is to order mine this week.

Hotels are already reserved.

Soon, I’ll start my work with Priceline to get a rental car for the time out there.

Then, of course, comes the work for the geocaching aspect of the trip. We’re going to hit some historic caches, and some fun ones as well. I’m sure there will be some great views. I’m looking forward to the events that are going on during this timeframe, including the Block Party, the International Geocaching Film Festival, the event near the old APE cache, and the meet-and-greet with some Groundspeak employees. Between now and then, it wouldn’t even shock me to see another one or two pop up.

I have a few more fun things planned this summer — from softball, to a few geocaching (mainly day) trips, and some baseball, too. Hopefully I’ll even get to play a few rounds of disc golf.

But this trip is really at the top.

Unfortunately, the Mariners are on the road during the time I’ll be out there, so no chance to see them. But on the final night of being there, I’m going to check out a minor league game.

I look forward to all the planning and discussion with the others to see what kind of caches and what we will be doing. Looking for places to eat and other little things will be a lot of fun, too.

And, of course, we know it will move fast. It’s a little more than 100 days away, so time will go by. Though I can’t wait, it can take it’s time coming as there will be some fun things between now and then … and it gives me more time to save some coin!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!