Geocaching

Geocaching calendar 

We all know I’m quite fond of a challenge. 

When it comes to geocaching thanks to the multitude of stats available, there are plenty of personal challenges should you wish to take part.

I’m currently working on filling my calendar, the 366 challenge. 

To find a cache on every single day of the year. 

At the beginning of the year I had a moment of stupidity the bright idea that the earliest I could possibly finish my calendar would be February 29th 2016. 

Being still a relative newby to caching this would mean a fairly epic task. Last year I was a very casual cacher, with mostly occasional weekend finds. Filling my calendar would mean finding a cache on most days for the next year. 

I pondered the commitment and came to the conclusion it would be a ridiculous thing to start.

March 1st arrived and we were driving home after a busy day out. 

I suddenly blurted out the idea to Mr muddy who sensibly gave me ‘one of those’ looks. 

Poor long suffering husband.

I considered myself told and thought no more of it.

 (Nah, that’s a complete and utter lie.)

I spent the rest of the journey home looking for a suitable cache en route.

And there was one. Close to home, and with the smallest detour, I could begin my epic journey.

I casually mentioned our proximity to a cache. 

Casual in the sense of full on persuasive, eyelash batting, assault mode. That is.  😉

So I of course got my own way.  We stopped. I found, and my challenge began.

According to my stats at the start of my challenge I had found caches on 66 days previously. Only 300 to go then! 😳  (What on earth was I thinking) 

The spaces on my calendar vast. In fact once started I had to keep up a 110 day streak, finding a cache every single day until the day of my first geocaching anniversary.

I’ll be honest, it was a pleasure to have a break. To not have to get a cache for the sake of it.

My calendar currently looks like this;

  
The satisfaction of colouring another square green, day by day is huge but so is the effort to do so. 

I’ve run out of local caches (hint hint) so each day is clearly planned to ensure I travel somewhere where I can get a cache. Careful planning to ensure the cache is achievable. To drive miles for a cache to be missing or positioned way out of reach up in a tree is obviously pointless.

The devil really is in the detail. 

So with a find for today I still have 126 days to go. That’s a scary thought! 

I’ve wanted to give up several times, but despite his eye rolling over my antics Mr Muddy is quick to point out that we don’t start challenges because they are easy.

Pointless maybe, but easy, no.

Hopefully winter will be kind and I can still get out daily, to have got this far and then be stopped by inclement weather or illness will be a blow of disappointment.

Another concern is Christmas. My family are tolerant of my challenge but to leave them for a cache over the festive period seems a bit self centred and being as organised as I am, have run out of local caches. For now I’ll cross my fingers that a local cacher or two will place new caches before then that I can save.

Daily caching of course is no real hardship for a keen cacher but I am looking forward to caching when the mood strikes, not being dictated by the day…after day…after day. 

The end of the challenge so close now but still so far hopefully it will end in success….

and then I can move onto the next challenge! 

20 thoughts on “Geocaching calendar ”

  1. Wow, a very impressive challenge, i can completely see how satisfying it must be to turn those boxes green, although I would probably find it quite stressful too… Particularly now the local ones have been found. Ooo keep going, good luck…I do hope a fellow local cacher picks up on your hints, maybe you should try pulling out your casually persuasive powers on them too!

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    1. One of the local cachers has been fab, I whinge about lack of caches and a sprinkling appear overnight.
      I might having to start bribing cachers with chocolate cake I think!

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  2. Hehe we have very nearly finished this challenge ourselves but my husband got his days confused and so we are still one short. Perhaps this Christmas we will get it right and sign that last day.

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  3. You are utterly, tree top, muddily bonkers. I must confess to having considered doing this challenge on one or more occasion but each time I get a stern look and a sigh from the other half. We will however be getting a cache on feb 29th just in case we decide to give it a go next year…. ahem..shhh…. I didn’t say anything about it though, right 🙂

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  4. Oh dear me! I love geocaching, but with the lack of appropriate GPS equipment and a phone that seems to have issues with the geocaching app….it’s been quite a task lately. I can’t imagine me getting anywhere near that goal. That’s one a day. With my hours and such and having most of the local ones done…that would be quite the challenge.

    You go girl! You know…you could always hop onto a lil ole airplane to visit the geocaching capital
    Of the Midwest usa and check off quite a few of those babies in one day! You’d be in geocache heaven. Although most of ours aren’t as cool as yours over there!

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    1. Time to get a GPS hey? My friend has one of the new Garmin etrex touch. I love it. I want one!
      Hop on a plane, I don’t even have a passport at the moment – quite tragic really!
      It certainly is a tough challenge but hopefully I’ll do it. 🙂

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      1. Yes to a GPS!!!! Had my eye on one forever! Just have to talk hubby into it. I’ve been researching
        the etrex10 or etrex20. Nothing too pricey so hubby doesn’t feel out too bad. Otherwise it may make my Christmas list!! My passport is from 15years ago and is way expired…. If it makes you feel better!!!! 🙂

        I hope you do get it!! I’m sure if anyone can its you!!!

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  7. Woof! Thanks for visiting my blog 🙂 Thought I’d just take a quick peek at yours and am now suitably in awe.. the thought of doing a cache a day for a whole year is pretty scary. We’re more occasional cachers but if we get organised we download any possibles if we know we’re going somewhere. One day there will be more wifi hotspots or a decent 3G signal so we don’t have to do it all before we leave home.
    Good luck with your challenge!

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    1. Hi! Thanks!

      It’s a tough one to do and the toughest thing for me is the organisation. I’m terrible at organisation!
      Wouldn’t better 3/4 G make our lives so much easier?!

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      1. We’re currently working towards finding an earth cache on the 11th which we will try not to forget to do. Must also remember to do one on Feb 29 next year, that was a good idea up there… Didn’t even mention 4G because half the time we don’t even have a decent phone signal, let alone 3G – that appears in a few odd places but only briefly. The price you pay for living out in the sticks.

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      2. Ahh, enjoy the earth cache. Another souvenir for that one. 🙂
        Yes definitely do leap day, I guess a lot of cachers will be making finds on that day!
        We are pretty rural, my friends always have 3G, I don’t. I’ve come to the conclusion I possess signal jamming properties. Drat!

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  8. Good luck with your challenge! We’ve thought about it too (then thought better of it…)

    But we have already thought of a possible day’s holiday on February 29th so we can go and do some caching to fill in that vital square – other days are just being filled in ‘as and when’ and we are gradually getting there.

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