/ Adela B /

January Featured Geocacher of the Month Nominees – Add Your Comments

They put on events, they readily share geocaching tricks and tips and they challenge new and seasoned geocachers with their hides. They are the January Featured Geocacher of the Month Nominees.

December 2012 Featured Geocacher of the Month, Moneydork

Now it’s your turn to help select one of them as the Featured Geocacher of the Month for January.

Write a comment at the bottom of this blog about which of these geocachers you feel should be awarded the Featured Geocacher of the Month title.

In December, Wayne, a.k.a. Moneydork was recognized for establishing himself as one of Australasian’s most prolific geocachers. His efforts to support the community as a Geocaching volunteer reviewer and good Samaritan have not gone unnoticed. He even managed to organize New Zealand’s very first Mega-Event from 3500 km (2175 miles) away. According to fellow geocachers, Moneydork’s hides and events are legendary Down Under and he never hesitates to give his all to the sport.

Here are your nominees for the January Featured Geocacher of the Month. Some testimonials have been edited for length.

Kirret

Kirret

Mr Bluesky writes, “On November 29th, Don, [a.k.a. Kirret] will have found a geocache every single day of the year, since November 2011.  He has done this in three different countries and on two continents. This year alone he has found over 1,700 geocaches, including a grand haul of 100 on March the 27th. Don worked in Scotland in 2010 and 2011 and I got to meet him through geocaching. We immediately became firm friends. I had the pleasure of geocaching with him in Canada in July 2012 and then again on August 18th in Scotland. Don is very enthusiastic about geocaching and has, just by meeting people while out geocaching, gotten many involved in this hobby by informing them of what he was doing and how enjoyable it is. He mostly geocaches with his wife and son and is one of Guildford, England’s most prolific geocachers. He is out in all weather conditions with a smile on his face and a GPS in hand. I think his achievements this year is a remarkable feat.”

 

The Raven

The Raven

ttcm4geo writes, “If you visit Prescott, Arizona as we were one weekend, you will note something curious. Many of the geocaches you visit will have a note stating that ‘while you are in Prescott, you must find a geocache called Raven’s Labyrynth.’ So many geocacher said this that we finally decided to pursue it. The geocache itself is amazing, which I am sure took weeks to construct. Then we found out that the geocache owner has many similarly thought-out geocaches in the area. In fact, Prescott is known as ‘Ravenland.’ But, even more amazing is that if you email Dan, a.k.a. The Raven with a question, he promptly replies and tells you to call him. So we called him and got some assistance. He was very nice, and you can tell that his only goal is to help people enjoy geocaching. His geocaches are creative, well thought out and so much fun. He does all this work for people many of whom he will never meet. Therefore, I think he deserves this recognition.”

 

 

 

The Weasel

The Weasel

SuperGoober writes, “Tim, a.k.a. The Weasel is what geocaching is all about. He gives back so much more than he takes. He hosted the very first CITO in the Midwest: EIGA 2004 CEDAR RAPIDS CITO EVENT. He is an active member and Board Director for the Iowa Geocacher Organization and a volunteer for the Linn County Conservation. Tim has conducted and assisted in over 50 geocaching 101, 201 and 301 classes and workshops throughout the State of Iowa and abroad. His knowledge of the wilderness extends well beyond that of an average geocacher. He uses his extensive knowledge of the outdoors to help other geocachers by placing some very creative and educational geocaches. The Weasel has an impeccable sense as to what geocaching is all about. He realizes that cache maintenance is very necessary to ensure that geocaching is fun and that the geocache is there. He is just unstoppable.”

Comment below to tell us who you think should be the January Featured  Geocacher of the Month. A panel of Lackeys will use your comments to help decide which geocacher is awarded the honor. Each featured Geocacher of the Month will receive an exclusive special edition featured Geocacher of the Month Geocoin, along with a Geocacher of the Month hat, a Geocacher of the Month profile icon and a certificate acknowledging their contributions, signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com. We will be accepting comments for January’s award through Sunday, January 20th.

Those whose nominees were not recognized here are encouraged to submit their nominations again next month. If you know an outstanding geocacher you would like to nominate to be a featured Geocacher of the Month, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@groundspeak.com and include the following information:

  • Your name, the name of your nominee, their username
  • A picture of the nominee
  • Description (200 or more words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Geocacher of the Month

Please inform your nominee that you’ve submitted them for the award.

Nominations for the February Geocacher of the Month must be received by Friday, February 8th. 

Once we have received all of the nominations, we will choose the top candidates and post them on the blog. You will then get a chance to champion your favorite. Our goal is to involve the entire geocaching community in this process so we might learn from each other.

Adela B

  1. I’m voting for The Raven. I received a personal invitation from him to come up to Prescott and take a special tour of his caches. While that may not be overly outstanding in its own right, what IS outstanding is that he offered my family this special tour without even knowing me. Pretty cool!

  2. The Raven!!!! I have grabbed a bunch of Ravens caches and had a blast. The Raven knows the true spirit of GeoCaching! He gets my vote. I love you man…….AdventureMike

  3. Hands down The Weasel!
    Always willing to help, places GREAT caches, Does his maint…What else can you ask for!
    Geocaching is a LOT more than finding caches and placing caches, its giving back…And that is what The Weasel does.
    PLEASE vote for The Weasel!!!

  7. My vote is for The Raven. Dan is a very down to earth man and has put his heart and soul into geocaching. I live very near the area designated as “The Raven’s Land” and let me tell you, every one of his caches are an adventure. When ever some one come to the area, he is always offering to give them a grand tour of the area and does an awesome job of tell the history of the area. We are all waiting to go on his newest Adventure that he is putting together, and can not wait to see what we learn about our rich history from it.

  10. My vote goes to The
    Weasel for his innovated, challenging and novel caches. Also for his weasel
    like ability to locate a cache that has “stumped” most of the best. He is always helpful to all. Difficult caches in these parts may be known
    as a “Weasel Cache” for good reason.

  12. I wanted to vote for the Raven because he is my second cousin but I got a call from the Weasel and he said if I didn’t vote for him he would hide a cache in my rear end while I slept and make it a puzzle cache with a $1000.00 prize for everyone who completed it and I have to tell you that my hiney hasn’t seen that much unwanted attention since I was in a Turkish prison. My vote is for The WEASEL (and the health of my bottom).

  18. My vote goes for The Weasel. Definitely one of the go to guys around these parts. Great hider. Great finder. Great cacher.

  20. Looks like he’s up against some formidable opponents, but our vote is for The Weasel. We can always count on well done caches if he was involved (even if the climb is sometimes a bit… interesting) and the events he’s helped put on have been top notch. His assistance was always enthusiastically given when anyone asked questions and his caches have been one of the area standards for quality.

    All that while being one of the most active cache finders in the area to boot!

  23. The Weasel deserves this recognition for several reasons. He places quality caches that are entertaining. He helps the beginners with classes and daily assistance. He respects nature and geocaches accordingly. He is an ambassador for the sport.

  24. I certainly give credit and my vote to the Weasel who is an icon in the Geocaching community. Tim “The Weasel” has worked endlessly to promote the sport of Geocaching. Through the events he has hosted, the many workshops and lessons Tim and his caching buddy Supergoober have put on for all levels of Geocacher’s. To his many duties for the IGO (Iowa Geocacher’s Organization) which include the IGO’s COTM (Cache of the Month) contest, and of course the phenomenal caches we all get to find. One reason I like to discover Tim’s Caches is because of the knowledge he uses to develop his caches. Tim has a degree in Parks and Natural Resources which he has used to develop a series of caches know as “Outdoor Lesson’s”. These unknown caches have us all researching birds, skulls, amphibians, tracks, sounds and more, giving us all a deeper appreciation for our outdoor adventures. A second reason would be his signature style of geo hides. Tim likes to hide many geocaches high off the ground. Its a good bet that more than a few of Tim’s geocaches have a tree icon listed as an attribute. The third reason I like looking for Tim’s caches is I know that his caches will be there. Tim spends a great amount of time making sure his caches stay in place, do not go missing and are maintained for everyone’s enjoyment. Tim has created The Weasel’s Maintenance Challenge cache which has motivated many Geocacher’s to perform maintenance when finding caches that may have a wet or full log, or a broken container. I could go on but you get the picture. Tim is as deserving as any cacher could be to honored as Geocacher of the month, and I congratulate you Tim for the honor of being nominated.

    Happy Hunting,

    Aceey

  25. The Weasel

    Once I used the phone a friend option for a cache I was having trouble finding. The Weasel actually drove out to the cache to meet me and helped me make the find. Tim puts out hides are for all ages. One of the most fun I have had Geocaching was finding the Weasel’s creative caches placed up and down the Iowa, Cedar Rapids Cedar Valley Nature Trail. All of his caches
    are different from each other. You can tell hours of work go into each and every cache Tim places. Even the Geocaching listings cache page has details of fun and pictures to view.

  26. I vote for The Weasel. He is a great guy and he has helped and inpired me in our four years of GeoCaching. I really enjoy doing his “Weasel style” caches along with all of his other great caches. He deserves this award very much.

  27. The Weasel
    Once I used the phone a friend option the Weasel actually drove out to the cache
    to meet me and helped me make the find. Tim puts out hides that are for all
    ages. The most fun I have had Geocaching was finding the Weasel’s
    creative caches placed up and down the Iowa, Cedar Rapids Cedar Valley
    Nature Trail. All of his caches are different from each other. You
    can tell TIm puts hours of work into each and every cache He places. Even the
    Geocaching listings cache page have details of fun reading and pictures to view.

  28. The good thing about The Weasel Cache is…
    The will BE THERE!
    They will be FUN to FIND!
    I admire The Weasel because he’s been Caching since 2002 and
    knows how to do things RIGHT!
    He created the 1st “Power Trail” of really fun
    Caches in the Cedar Rapids,
    IA area.
    ALL of these Caches are superbly maintained, unique and
    really fun to find!
    He has taught me a LOT from his “Outdoor Lesson” Caches.
    He volunteers to conduct Geocaching classes and workshops.
    Aside from that, his Stat’s ROCK!
    His Caching “Karma” of 2.72 tells the story!
    This IS a Cacher this “Gives Back” in so many ways!
    Yes – The Weasel SHOULD be the Geocacher of the month
    for January 2013!

  29. I’m voting for The Raven because It’s the creative caches that keep me loving geocaching, not the boring micros.

  30. The Weasel is truly an outstanding individual and has made caching for me far more enjoyable. He gets my vote!

  33. I vote for the RAVEN! He has helped this young family of geocachers (Mom dad and 7 kids under 14), and guided us to many different and unique caches (not only his but others in the area). We were TOTALLY blown away by the Labyrinth in Prescott, AZ. I was lucky enough to meet him in person at a local geocache weekend a year ago and feel lucky to have talked with him in person. He is always available to anyone and helps those in need. He is what caching is truly about, making this activity fun and a bonding family experience.

  35. I have spent hours searching for some of The Raven’s caches and they always amaze me. I just don’t know how he comes up with such fantastic ideas and then produces it. I vote for The Raven.

  37. Most definitely, without any doubt, my vote is for The Weasel. Others have said it better than I could

  38. Weasel, is my choice… If/When anyone asks about Geocaching, he’ll be the first to tell you the answer to any question you may have about GeoCaching, GPS’s, etc. There was a few times that I was having a LOT of questions about my new 62 SC Garmin… His answers were always right on the money, and exactly what I needed… I can’t tell you how much of a GeoCacher’s Friend he is (to anyone).. He definately has my vote for GC’er of the Month…

  39. I am voting for the RAVEN! His caches are amazing!!!!!! He is a great guy, too! Thanks! ~ Tanya Phillips, aka: Gadget Girl

  42. My vote goes to The Raven. Dan’s contributions to the caching community and to Prescott city are truly remarkable. His creativity, his humble and giving nature and his big heart are worthy of respect and acknowledgement. There simply aren’t enough superlatives to describe Dan’s caches or the experience one has working each Raven puzzle through to the final. Dan is the ultimate geocacher!

  43. I’m voting for the Raven. His caches are all so ingenious. He obviously spends a lot of free time and hard work on each and every one. When my husband and I wanted to do something special for our three hundreth cache we decided to go to Ravenland and experience The Labirynth for ourselves. As soon as we logged The (amazing!) Labirynth the Raven sent us recommendations for other caches in the area. Reading the other logs for that day I discovered that on the very same day he helped us he also personally went out to assist another couple with a great cache of his called Best Friends. I’ve never met another person as geniunely dedicated to the fun and enjoyment of other geocachers. I hope he wins because he truly deserves it!

  44. The Raven for sure! Where else can you spend time running through a labrinth like GC35BKD, or practicing folding origami for GC2CH65. The caches he’s create are some of the most (if not the most) innovative around!

  45. The Raven deserves this honor. My caching group plans our caching adventures around his caches and he has never disappointed us in Ravenland.

  46. The Raven . . aka Dan gets my vote. He not only produces the best caches but you are guaranteed to have fun searching them out. His creativity, technical attributes, and quality construction are only a few of the reasons why his caches are top of the line. My son (Inter-Galactic Ice Weasels) & I made a special trip to Prescott to only seek out his caches after having been told by 4 other cachers at events that we had to make the trip. Now I find myself also recommending the trip to other cachers. We heard later that he had put out another great cache and we made a return trip and was in awe by the whole caching experience. He never disappoints. He is not only a great cache owner but also a great ambassador for the geocaching community.

  47. Definitely voting for The Raven. I’ve found quite a few Raven caches while visiting Prescott (live in Phoenix). His caches are always entertaining and so very creative. If you get stumped on something Dan is always willing to provide a gentle nudge, often showing personally up to watch you enjoy his creations. We take friends to find some of his caches that we have already found just to see them enjoy the experience like we did. All geocachers should try to make a trip to ‘Ravenland’ one day.

  48. I vote for the Raven!! One of my travel bugs ended up in Raven’s Labyrinth, and after reading about the cache, I knew I’d get there somehow. Well, in December, I did. My mom and I flew out from Duluth, MN, and when we arrived, I emailed The Raven with a question. He ended up being our guide for the weekend, even introducing us to Santa and Mrs Claus! His caches are amazing. He takes so much care with the details and really gives you a excellent experience with every one. Upon meeting him, you know right away that he is a genuinely great guy. He has brought caching to a whole new level, and really deserves this recognition. 🙂

  49. We vote for THE RAVEN..We have known THE RAVEN since he first got into geocaching. Some say we were the inspiration for many of his fabulous caches, but that’s like saying we lit the stove for the worlds greatest chef. He has gone so far beyond anything most cachers have ever seen. His genius, not only in imagining these wonderful creations, but his ability to make these ideas a reality is truly amazing. I personally know of no other geocacher who has created so much interest in the game that he draws people from all across the country to enjoy the genius of such a brilliant mind. The city of Prescott has benefited tremendously from the influx of these cachers, as it has from no other single source. The Raven has created a caching mecca for all who appreciate truly fantastic caches. Prescott and the area around it have become known as RAVENLAND because of all the joy they experience while they are here.
    A theme park like Disneyland has nothing over RAVENLAND…………..a truly wonderful and amazing place to visit. One you will not soon forget.

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