Jump to content

JoGPS


Recommended Posts

I just heard that we lost JoGPS.

 

So sad to hear this. What a great man.

He is who recruited me to become a Groundspeak Geocache Reviewer.

 

I had a lot of fun with him at events and camping trips all over the country.

 

One of the few men I truly respect, his advice and guidance was always spot on but never offered unless asked for.

 

One of the few men who knew how to use the word "Cool!" He was indeed a cool guy who epitomized the word.

 

Geocachers, Geocaching and Groundspeak are all better from his tireless work over the years.

 

Bummer.

Edited by TheAlabamaRambler
Link to comment

11149582_10153200548375379_3503720042740095011_n.jpg?oh=2a6e8f15384f6651c4a44ac3ec503ef3&oe=5609BD1F

 

I put this on Facebook just a bit ago, although Nate corrected me and the photo was actually in Florida:

 

Joe Armstrong with Nate Irish in Seattle. RIP Joe. You were beyond a pioneer of our sport, you were a heck of a great guy and a great friend. When you find that ultimate cache at the pearly gates "Sign my name!"

 

As a bit of background, Joe saying "sign my name!" is one of my favorite memories of him from a crazy and fun 24 hour caching run years ago and it was a long standing joke with him. He truly was a great figure in geocaching and a truly good friend. I was in Nashville just this past weekend and thought about contacting him but didn't because I was on a tight schedule. I regret not doing so now.

 

The caching community has lost an icon and a precious advocate and friend.

Link to comment

I wish I had this picture to share, because it's always the first image of him that comes to my mind - After a long day of geocaching a group of cachers are sitting around a campfire, Joe is twenty feet away, sitting on the ground at the base of a tree with his laptop, making sure that everyone who hid a cache that day got their listing in a timely manner.

 

Dedication!

 

Here's Joe caching in style on my pontoon boat at my 'Pirates at Cherokee Lake' event. 22 boat-accessible caches on islands in Cherokee Lake in Tennessee.

 

e6ee4f6d-0603-4852-a531-f73504babdda.jpg

Edited by TheAlabamaRambler
Link to comment

Though Joe and I bumped heads on "caching style" (and just about everything else) back in the day, I always knew he was sincere in his vision and wanted nothing but the best for the geocaching world. GeoWoodstock has set the bar for events from day one, and that's in large part to Joe. I can just imagine Joe in line at the pearly gates, and Joe yelling up front to where St. Peter is logging in the newcomers, "Sign my name!". RIP JoGPS

Edited by Mopar
Link to comment

Like Mopar, I had often bumped heads with Joe here in the forums in the early days. But when I finally met him in person at GWIX, he was nothing but gracious. In fact I was looking for him at Geowoodstock last week because I wanted to say hello, but unfortunately we never hooked up. I figured next time. Sadly that won't come. He will be missed by the geocaching community and all who knew him.

Edited by briansnat
Link to comment

I never met JoGPS and may have never heard his name until he passed. Can some folks please elaborate what he did? I have gotten the impression his contributions were much more than just "friendly geocacher" and I would think I'm not the only one who had no idea who he was.

Link to comment

Joe's geocaching resume is too long for a forum post, and words can't do justice to his personality and contributions. Here's a partial list:

 

1. Founder of GeoWoodstock

2. Founding Member of MTGC, one of the first geocaching organizations in the world

3. Early proponent of working with land managers (such as TN State Parks) to develop pro-geocaching policies

4. Volunteer Cache Reviewer and Forum Moderator

5. Resurrected the Project APE Cache in Brazil

6. Pioneering hider of "evil" micro-caches and custom engineered containers he built in his machine shop, never seen before but commonplace today

 

If you've organized a Mega-Event, if you enjoy being a member of a geocaching organization, if you've hidden a cache in compliance with a land manager policy, if you love hunting "lonely caches" or if you are a "Maker" of special cache containers, your lineage traces to JoGPS -- whether you realized it or not.

Edited by Keystone
Link to comment

Sad to hear this. First met Joe on the infamous "Pirates of the Cherokee" cruise - wonderful guy. Learned a lot from him, including some things I did not wish to know, but am thankful for now. Truly of the few good guys. His passing leaves a vacuum in the game.

Link to comment

0efd73f1-cbad-4955-bd14-48ecc9f7db47.jpg

Only 19 replies for one of the greatest geocachers to ever participate in this sport? I pronounce this forum dead.

 

Let me tell you about my friend Joe Armstrong.

 

He was already a legend when I started caching in 2003. I had heard about a particular cache he had hidden and I wanted to emulate it, so I contacted him and offered to credit him on the cache page. He wouldn't take the credit and those that know him would know why.

 

Over the years I was lucky enough to cache and hang out with Joe several times having attended 7 GeoWoodstocks and all the planning events for GW4 which is how Joe changed the course of my life.

 

I jumped at the opportunity to attend GW3 in Jacksonville ,Florida, after hearing all about GW2 from Mustard Devil and also having arranged a prank on CarleenP during that event that had geocachers bringing her hundreds of dirty golf balls.

 

By sheer coincidence my niece was living in Naval housing nearly across the street from the event she and her children got to count GW3 as their first find. It was shaping up to be one of the best times of my life. And it was. I made a lot of lifelong friends that day and cemented friendships that started right here in this forum.

 

At the end of the event I found myself in a circle next to Joe as we all wound down the event and talk turned to the next GeoWoodstock and where it might be. What I didn't know at the time was that most of the people in that circle were volunteer reviewers.

 

Joe turned to me and paid me a great compliment. He said, "You are the only prolific poster in the forums that I haven't wanted to strangle at some point... So how about we have the next GeoWoodstock in Texas?"

 

I accepted and handed off the event to the TXGA and took over as the host of the Trackable Station for GW4 which was the largest outcry of angst over GW3's truck bed full of trackables. I was also to host the Meet & Greet for GW4.

 

About a month after GW3 in full on planning for the what we knew would probably be the first ever Mega Event my life changed. I met The Snoogstress and I can honestly say that if I hadn't been planning that event, we never would have met. We got engaged the night befor GW4 after my One Degree of Separation meet & greet. We now have a 7.5yo Snooglet.

 

Rest in peace Joe. You are immortal as long as people remember you and you will be long remembered.

Link to comment

Snoogans, that is a beautiful tribute! We've only attended one GW - the one in our home state of IN and I don't think we've ever had the honor of meeting JoGPS. It sounds as though that is most definitely our loss. RIP, Joe.

 

Mrs. Car54

Link to comment

RIP JoGPS

 

It's a sad day when anyone dies ,and a person who has added so much to our hobby and to peoples lives will be sadly missed.

 

I never met JoGPS but it is thanks to his hard work that last week i was able to complete a dream and log the last APE cache.

 

Thank you JoGPS , your spirit lives on in this game we play.

 

God bless you and keep you.

 

Alex (Sixxdog_UK)

Link to comment

What to say? He's a legend, and will be missed. I met him around when I was just starting out - I had never met another geocacher before, and saw this guy walking away from a place where I knew there was a geocache while I was driving by, and yelled out the window - "geocaching?" He gave me a big smile and a thumbs up, so I got out and talked to him for a while. At the time he had over 100 finds, which was a Really Big Deal at the time. He showed me how to find one of his caches about a block away, and we became great friends.

 

I next met him at the first event cache I ever went to - and it was his 1K finds event., which at the time was A Huge Deal! We were all supposed to go into the woods and find his tribute cache and sign it before he did, so I ventured forth. Found the "obvious" hiding location, and was valiantly trying to find the actual cache, for quite a few minutes, and finally he clears his throat, and with a big smile points right at it - I hadn't even heard him walk up!

 

Too many other stories. Like the time he loaned me his boat to go find a bunch of river caches he had hidden, and what was just 2 of us turned into 8 people in 2 boats, both equipped only with trolling motors, and the batteries giving out and us having to paddle both boats back upstream with only 2 paddles. But we found the caches! And they were awesome!

 

He was a great friend, a true inspiration, and he will truly be missed.

Link to comment
On June 17, 2015 at 8:18 PM, Snoogans said:

Only 19 replies for one of the greatest geocachers to ever participate in this sport? I pronounce this forum dead.

 

Let me tell you about my friend Joe Armstrong.

 

He was already a legend when I started caching in 2003. I had heard about a particular cache he had hidden and I wanted to emulate it, so I contacted him and offered to credit him on the cache page. He wouldn't take the credit and those that know him would know why.

 

Over the years I was lucky enough to cache and hang out with Joe several times having attended 7 GeoWoodstocks and all the planning events for GW4 which is how Joe changed the course of my life.

 

I jumped at the opportunity to attend GW3 in Jacksonville ,Florida, after hearing all about GW2 from Mustard Devil and also having arranged a prank on CarleenP during that event that had geocachers bringing her hundreds of dirty golf balls.

 

By sheer coincidence my niece was living in Naval housing nearly across the street from the event she and her children got to count GW3 as their first find. It was shaping up to be one of the best times of my life. And it was. I made a lot of lifelong friends that day and cemented friendships that started right here in this forum.

 

At the end of the event I found myself in a circle next to Joe as we all wound down the event and talk turned to the next GeoWoodstock and where it might be. What I didn't know at the time was that most of the people in that circle were volunteer reviewers.

 

Joe turned to me and paid me a great compliment. He said, "You are the only prolific poster in the forums that I haven't wanted to strangle at some point... So how about we have the next GeoWoodstock in Texas?"

 

I accepted and handed off the event to the TXGA and took over as the host of the Trackable Station for GW4 which was the largest outcry of angst over GW3's truck bed full of trackables. I was also to host the Meet & Greet for GW4.

 

About a month after GW3 in full on planning for the what we knew would probably be the first ever Mega Event my life changed. I met The Snoogstress and I can honestly say that if I hadn't been planning that event, we never would have met. We got engaged the night befor GW4 after my One Degree of Separation meet & greet. We now have a 7.5yo Snooglet.

 

Rest in peace Joe. You are immortal as long as people remember you and you will be long remembered.

Sniff

 

Headed to my 8th GW on Friday and my first one since Joe passed. I think of Joe often and my wife and now 11.5yo son are always a reminder.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...