hydnsek

With three months left, there are 69 geocoins left for those completing the entire Visit Rainier GeoTour series (4 passports, 100 caches). In fact, we have more coins than Series 3 or 4 pathtags (and they won't be reordered): 48 Series 3 and 60 Series 4 pathtags left. But tons of Series 1 and 2 pathtags remaining. The official GeoTour has ended, so the GeoTour page no longer exists, but the Visit Rainier series continues through Oct. 31, and all passports must be submitted by Nov. 10. Visit Rainier page (passports, guidelines, printable maps) Bookmark list (all 100 caches) Note the updated mailing address: Visit Rainier GeoTour 6947 Coal Creek Pkwy SE, #292 Newcastle, WA 98059 If you have a passport downloaded before mid-March, it has an outdated address that, if used, will require forwarding and thus a delay in receiving prizes.

I'd be glad to chat with you - email sent. I created and directed the Going APE mega-event for five years up at Snoqualmie Pass (2010-2014). It drew 500-1500 geocachers from around the globe (depending on year). I've also managed several other geocaching projects, e.g., Washington State Parks GeoTour (10,000+ participants over three years!), Visit Rainier Centennial GeoTour, Kokanee Quest, Cascade Farmlands GeoRomp. I'm an independent contractor and my DBA is Caching Tours.

Dang, May 11 is my birthday. Wish I could join you, but I'll be in Oregon.

Visit Rainier, the tourism bureau for the Mount Rainier area in Washington State, is offering a very cool geocoin as part of its GeoTour celebrating the (2016) centennial of the National Park Service. You can win the coin by completing all 100 geocaches on the Centennial GeoTour. Here's the trackable geocoin: The GeoTour highlights the rich history, scenic wonders, quaint communities, and hidden gems of the Mount Rainier region of Washington State. The 100 caches are divided into four series of 25, each with its own passport and prize. Plenty of prizes remain for those who turn in completed passports, as well as the "completist" geocoin for finishing the entire GeoTour (4 passports, 100 caches). Yep, you get five total prizes, including the trackable geocoin, if you complete the entire GeoTour. The GeoTour launched in 2015 and ends Oct. 31, 2017, so start making your travel plans! The branded GeoTour promotion will end June 12, so the dedicated GeoTour page will go away then, but all caches will remain active through October, and we will accept completed passports until Nov. 10. Once the GeoTour page disappears, you can use the bookmark list below to locate the cache pages, and the Visit Rainier page will continue to have the passports, guidelines, and maps. GeoTour page (caches, map, pocket query) Visit Rainier page (passports, guidelines, printable maps) Bookmark list (all 100 caches) Note: Future updates on the VR GeoTour will primarily be posted to the Caching Northwest Facebook page, so we don't have to double post, so you may want to Like or Follow it if you want the updates.

The Visit Rainier GeoTour - 100 caches to celebrate the (2016) centennial of the National Park Service - highlights the rich history, scenic wonders, quaint communities, and hidden gems of the Mount Rainier region of Washington State. The 100 caches are divided into four series of 25, each with its own passport and prize. Plenty of prizes remain for those who turn in completed passports, as well as a cool "completist" geocoin for those finishing the entire GeoTour (4 passports, 100 caches). Yep, you get five total prizes, including the trackable geocoin, if you complete the entire GeoTour. The GeoTour launched in 2015 and ends Oct. 31, 2017, so start making your travel plans! The branded GeoTour promotion will end June 12, so the dedicated GeoTour page will go away then, but all caches will remain active through October, and we will accept completed passports until Nov. 10. Once the GeoTour page disappears, you can use the bookmark list below to locate the cache pages, and the Visit Rainier page will continue to have the passports, guidelines, and maps. GeoTour page (caches, map, pocket query) Visit Rainier page (passports, guidelines, printable maps) Bookmark list (all 100 caches) Note: Future updates on the VR GeoTour will primarily be posted to the Caching Northwest Facebook page, so we don't have to double post, so you may want to Like or Follow it if you want the updates.

The Visit Rainier GeoTour - 100 caches to celebrate the (2016) centennial of the National Park Service - is in its third, and final, year. All 100 caches are active: four series of 25, each with its own prize. Plenty of prizes remain for those who turn in their completed passports, as well as the cool "completist" geocoin for those finishing the entire GeoTour (4 passports, 100 caches). The GeoTour officially ends Oct. 31, 2017, so start making your travel plans! The branded GeoTour promotion will end June 12, so the dedicated GeoTour page will go away then, but all caches will remain active through October, and we will accept completed passports until Nov. 10. Once the GeoTour page disappears, you can use the bookmark list below to locate the cache pages, and the Visit Rainier page will continue to have the passports, guidelines, and maps. (If you did the State Parks GeoTour last year, this scenario should sound familiar.) Note 1: The passports have been updated with a new mailing address. If you have an existing passport, you can mail it to the old address and it will be forwarded, so will take a little longer to get your prizes. Note 2: Future updates on the VR GeoTour will be posted to the Caching Northwest Facebook page, so I don't have to double post, so you may want to Like or Follow it if you want the updates. GeoTour page (caches, map, pocket query) Visit Rainier page (passports, guidelines, printable maps) Bookmark list (all 100 caches)

Ditto. My main concern however was also that the API is now by default serving the bookmark lists in last-updated order when it used to be alphabetical. That means any app or website using the API for the bookmark list, assuming alphabetical order, without having any other sorting method, is now displaying the lists in a seemingly random order, since last-updated was never a data point considered. The default, IMO, should be alphabetical, and the 'add to list' option on the website can request it in last-updated order (or perhaps as suggested with the API flag to use alphabetical-with-most-recent-list-first). Those 3rd party resources can then choose to build in a sorting option if they desire, while not messing up all their users because the default sort has changed with no power (yet) to customize. So THAT's what happened to my lists. It's driving me crazy that I can no longer easily find the bookmark list I'm looking for because they seem to be in a random order. I am used to scrolling alphabetically to the one I want. Yes, developers, please take these folks' suggestions!!

Yep... I've been trying to update every Friday.. I've received a few direct messages about adding events that I won't get via the PQs, but otherwise it's been pretty quiet.. -TWT You da man, Stephen! Thanks for continuing to maintain this. I'm going to give it a shout-out on the Caching Northwest Facebook page.

Oh no! So many of us rely on your wonderful bookmark lists (and GSAK macro) for the cache machines. I was just looking for it to start planning, and discovered your note. You will be sorely missed and I hope someone takes up the mantle.

It's Wednesday evening - actually, it's after midnight so it's Thursday - when will bookmark be ready? I leave in a few hours....

Travis, can you advise on location of Smokin' George's, the Friday Dinner location. All I can find is a reference to the name in this thread. Maybe I missed something.... Or I guess I can wait till the final PDF route comes out tomorrow (Monday), I'm sure it will be in there.

Hope you can join me - been a long time since we chatted.

I understand what you two are saying. I just kind of hate to see these old caches go away with their old GC numbers. I guess myself and other area cachers can try to keep them going until we too, fade away or lose interest. Yeah, but can you update the cache pages to update cache info, hints, coords (if needed), type of container (if size changes), etc.? This is one of the overlooked issues with community maintenance of abandoned caches - the posted info on them becomes outdated or wrong, which frustrates searchers. If that happens, better to let them go.

Who wants to hike to GCD, the oldest active cache in WA State? Never gotten it, want to go again? I'll be heading up to replace it in June, once snow is gone. Right now, I'm looking at Saturday, June 11, which is the day you can earn the Get Outdoors souvenir. I'm planning to leave the trailhead at 10:00 am for a leisurely hike up (not a morning person, not in as gooda shape as I used to be). If you want to join me, post here.

Thanks for asking! Yes, this series will continue through at least Sept. 30, and there are plenty of pathtags still available. I just tried the passport link on one of the cache pages, and it worked fine for me. Here it is, just in case: http://www.govlink.org/kokanee-quest/pdf/kokanee-geocache-passport.pdf

Cerberus is right. Caches don't have to live forever. Best thing in this situation (and what usually happens) is that the ailing, abandoned caches are archived. Making way for new caches with active owners. If desired, the new caches could echo the old ones, or pay tribute to the original placer.

I'm going the airbnb route this time - got three nights at a home in the historic district of Nanaimo for $165 total. Sweet! This is my third trip with airbnb. I used it for the Quincy CM (cheap place in Quincy) and also for a trip to Lopez Island last summer (not many hotels there, and none cheap). I also can do referral discounts for folks if interested.

Congrats to Travis for #4000 at GC4YEY8 on the TriCities Cache Machine III! It only took ya 15 years.

It's official: Summer 2016 is the final hurrah for Washington State Parks GeoTour. All GeoTour caches will remain active through Sept. 30, and participants will have until Oct. 10 to submit passports for prize coins. There are currently 177 Silver (50 caches) and 34 Gold (100 caches) left to award. So start making your summer travel plans! Once the branded GeoTour promotion on geocaching.com ends June 6, the dedicated GeoTour page with the cache list (the one linked above) will go away, but all the caches will remain active. Instead of the GeoTour page, you can view the cache series with our bookmark list, WaStatePks100 GeoTour caches, and you can download the passport, guidelines, and map on the State Parks Centennial GeoTour page or on WSGA's State Parks GeoTour page. As always, you can see a list of finishers here, and the GeoTour statistics here. After Sept. 30, some caches may remain at the discretion of individual parks and cache owners. But they won't be part of a GeoTour (even if the stamps are still there), and passport submissions will no longer be accepted after the Oct. 10 cutoff. I will be working with the cache owners and parks over the next months to transition the 103 caches in two phases: On June 7, remove GeoTour branding and links. On Oct. 1, transition them to "regular" caches (i.e., remaining series content removed) or archive them, depending on CO and park preferences. Some caches may be adopted to new owners if the parks want to keep them but the CO would like to retire. The State Parks GeoTour succeeded beyond all expectations over the past three years (it launched June 2013), and the State Parks deeply appreciates all the support it received from WSGA (sharing the cost of the centennial geocoins, splitting the GeoTour renewal fees, helping publicize the GeoTour), as well as the hundreds of hours volunteered by geocachers - the project manager (me), coin designer (NepoKama), and the 68 cache owners. This GeoTour literally would not have happened without WSGA's financial support and volunteer efforts. The State Parks also wants to thank as the 2,500+ cachers who have participated and shared their enthusiasm over our wonderful state park system. The State Parks is so pleased with geocaching as a visitation and education tool that they are planning new geo-adventures for Fall 2016 and beyond - so stay tuned!

What MtnMutt said. Also, a great way to find out favorite caches is to use Favorites. For Washington state, for example, sort the entire state's caches by Favorite points and you'll see which ones we like the best, including the gum wall, Tubular series, Goblindust caches, GCD, the Headquarters GeoTour, etc.

Did you read the referenced article? This was covered: "An explanation. Yes, the Oyster Dome is within the Blanchard State Forest managed by the WA DNR for recreation, wildlife and timber production. Yes, I and many conservationists support this multiple use management in this forest. We realize that funds from timber harvesting in this forest goes toward education—and we are not opposed to logging in this forest. We’re opposed to logging in a 1,600-acre core section of this forest—the section that contains the Oyster Dome, two backcountry ponds, several trails and backcountry campsites. Here, recreation should be the highest management priority. "Lily Lake surrounded by mature second growth. Will it soon be surrounded by stumps? In 2006 an agreement was reached with DNR that would prevent logging in this core...." And it explains the reason that this is now an issue.

It's perfectly fine to have a Find log on a cache you later adopt. When you found it, it wasn't your cache and you legitimately searched for it. No need to delete your find after adopting it. I have several caches that I've adopted over the years after finding them long before - including GCD, the oldest cache in Washington State. I definitely have not deleted my Find logs on those. So yes, I have finds on a few caches that I now own.

Ditto - good update, Trav. You might also want to make the relevant bits under 'what's going on before/during/after' red, as well, since they are unique to this event. Hope you'll use the new 'red is event-specific' approach going forward! Also like the cache-selection criteria, and nice that you're highlighting the 2014 geocoin challenge caches for those who need them. Surprised that there are still coins left two years later!

That is an excellent answer, irisisleuk ! Geocachers obviously get pleasure from searching for & finding caches. (Or they wouldn't bother doing it). If these same people feel that spending a minute or two to log on line, (hopefully including at least a short sentence about the search), is "too much of a bother", then I feel they simply have not understood the game. I couldn't disagree more. There's nothing wrong with not logging online. Groundspeak has made it clear from the beginning that logging online is optional (see quote below), and I know several long-time cachers who love the game but rarely log online, including one of my best friends. He enjoys exploring the great outdoors and the thrill of the hunt and find - and that's the point of this game, right? He certainly appreciates the caches and the efforts of those who created them (he owns a few himself), but logging online just isn't a key part of the game for him, as he doesn't feel the need to keep score, tell the world what he's doing, or be part of the caching community. That's his choice, and it's not wrong, lazy, or a negative reflection on the caches or owners. I'm the opposite. As a cacher and cache owner, I really appreciate and enjoy reading online logs, and I always post my finds online with unique logs (albeit sometimes late; sorry to those who dislike this, as well). My personal peeve is more with folks who write those TFTC logs or cut-and-paste the same thing for 50 caches (even for special or unique caches - talk about lazy and uninformative). Thanks for the reminder, geocat!

Interesting viewpoint, and one that speaks to me, as I also enjoy caching alone much of the time and online logs are key to my interactions. However, for most cachers here in the Pacific Northwet, it's a group activity. Lots of group outings and teams, and many folks won't even consider caching without at least one buddy. There's a strong communal culture here in the shadow of Groundspeak. Many of these folks are also into cut-and-paste logs, perhaps because they get their interactions in real life, whereas it's important to me to write unique logs, even when I have 100 caches to log (and yes, that sometimes takes me a while).