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.

  1. I am Voting for the RAVEN! We moved to AZ about 19 months ago and was truly AMAZED at some of the caches he has built….and his willingness to Help if you can’t figure his caches out! He is a Genius as far as we are concern! His caches are what geocaching is all about! Fun, excitement, learning, adventure, etc!

  2. The Raven! I have never met someone with as much love for the game as Dan. He is selflessly committed to making sure everyone has fun. He also makes sure no one is disappointed. He has a great rapport with the City of Prescott and is a tourist attraction in himself. His caches are incredible, I have given all of his that I have found a genuine favorite vote. He is very deserving of this honor.

  3. I absolutely have to vote for The Raven. His caches are so unique and have become such a “geocaching destination” that the Prescott, Arizona area has become known as “Ravenland.” The partnership he has made with the city of Prescott, where they not only provide the land but also electrical and logistic support to his caches shows that Geocaching can be as much of a draw as any other municipal park, skate park or water feature. He has set a new standard for working with a municipal government and getting caches fully supported.

    The Raven doesn’t just put out ammo cans in creative spots. His caches themselves are unique puzzles, games played on the spot and surprises that completely blow your mind.

    On top of that, the man behind the Raven, aka “Dan” is just the nicest and most humble guy in the world. When we traveled from Phoenix to Prescott, Dan was nice enough to join us for lunch then tour us around a few more of his great caches. Two months later, my children still talk about meeting “Dan the Raven” and can’t wait to return to Ravenland to hit up a few more of his caches.

    Take a look at the logs on his caches. Look at the list of his caches and how many favorite points there are. People have come from as far away as the east coast, Washington, Illinois, Canada and even abroad to visit The Raven’s caches. Word has spread about Ravenland in Arizona. There is talk about Geotourism and making Geocaching a destination for travel, The Raven has already accomplished it.GC2ED5V “Best Friends” is one of the most unique multi-stage caches I have ever heard of. And GC35BKD “The Raven’s Labyrinth” is one of the most famous puzzle caches in recent years. Even his “routine” traditional GC26ZZF “Ctenizoidea” is a unique find that will leave you walking away wondering “how does he come up with them?”

    The Raven absolutely deserves to be Geocacher of the month. In fact, although it is only January, I would put him in now for Geocacher of the year, his caches are just that good.

  4. I am voting for the RAVEN! We drive almost three hours to go caching in Prescott .. and the first thing we do it look for raven hides… they never disappoint! keep up the great work and making us smile..

  5. I would like to for Dan -Aka “The Raven”. I am new to geocaching (Less than a year) but I have already had the pleasure of visiting Ravenland. Let me tell you, I was blow away at the creativity, the thoughtfulness and sheer dedication that Dan has shown to his caches. They are amazing and inspiring. It has shown me really what a cache can be and how much fun it really is. Not only does he take you somewhere cool but he makes it an adventure too. This was a great treat for my family and me. His caches are only compliment by the fact that Dan is such a wonderful guy. My kids still have stopped talking about him and it has been at least 3 months since we visited. I promise you this family will be visiting Prescott more often. In our afternoon we there, something Dan said has stuck with me. He said he does it (his wonderful caches) because he wants others to find something cool, because he liked going to cool caches too. For a newbie like me, this was inspiring. The game is what you make it to be and The Raven makes it fun. Dan should win hands down not because he has the most finds, or the most caches placed, but because his caches are truly an experience that all Geocachers should enjoy. He takes pride in his work and seems to try to surpass his last achievement with his next, and he inspires other to improve their game. It is folks like Dan who make the game fun interesting and worth while.

  6. I vote for The Raven!! His caches are AMAZING and he’s a really nice guy! I drove from Colorado to visit a friend and found a few of his caches. I was blown away by the creativity of his caches. All of the other 6000+ caches that I’ve found pale in comparison. I’m hoping to make the trip again this summer to find more!!

  7. I concur and vote for the Raven. Look forward to flying into AZ and grab his caches in the Spring. You all cachers should visit Prescott / Prescott Valley to enjoy his creative caches.

  8. I vote for The Weasel all the way!!
    I know that if I look for his caches, they are going to be well maintained, always there, and will be fun and educational for the whole family!!

  9. The Raven!!!!
    This guy is a class act. I have been lucky enough to help him with minor parts used in the construction of some of his caches. This guy does have the BEST CACHES ANYWHERE!!! I met him at an event in Flagstaff. I was showing people the custom geocoins I built. He thought they were pretty cool and everyone around him started telling me about his caches and how cool they were. I finally made it up to Prescott this fall and found a bunch of them…not by myself-he took the day off work then personally drove me around to the caches I wanted to get and spent the entire day with me. A raven really should be the GS mascot, not the frog! Go Dan!

  10. THE RAVEN! His caches are CRAZY GENIUS! I’ve seen a lot of geocaches, and his are in a league of their own. Everybody needs to pick up and head to Prescott!

  11. Gotta be The Raven….When folks plan vacations to Ravenland like they would to Disneyland what other choice is there…Big vote for a great cacher that has brought a community together using caching as a tool to bring cachers and families together….

  12. The Weasel has my vote!! Tim is a consummate cacher with spectacular hides and superb maintenance!! He is an active member of the Iowa Geocachers Organization and extremely well respected in our geocaching community. On top of that, he’s a really great guy who is always ready, willing and able to help out in any way he can!!

  13. My vote is for The Raven! Dan has built some AMAZING caches here in AZ, and is a huge part of our Geocaching community! Having found a lot of his caches, and visited with him personally, I believe with all my heart that he deserves this award!!

    TFTC, DragonFaery (& Little Monkey Girl) *written by Faery*

  14. I am voting for the Raven, he’s a member of our local geo-facebook page even though he lives many states away, he goal was to assist with people heading down to tackle his caches, he saw a note on one of his cache pages about the intent, promptly joined our facebook group and started offering help, as well as meeting the travelers to show them around to his other caches, not many go to this length to unite caching and cachers. He deserves the recognition for his creative caches too, no LPC’s here.

  15. The Weasel is very active in our community. I have met him and he is super excited every day about finding new geocaches, helping others do the same and just brings the most positive attitude that any one can to the event.

  16. The Weasel would get my vote. he’s been an asset to Iowa’s caching community and I’m certain that he will continue to be very active in the future.

  17. The question being do I know an outstanding cacher – yes I do. His name is Dan a.k.a “The Raven” and we vote for him to be recognized as Geocacher of the Month. I would vote for Geocacher of the Year if they offered this option. It would be pretty hard to come to Prescott and not meet The Raven as he is always there to help cachers. His caches are a “MUST DO” when in the area. I know people who have come to Prescott just to do his well known “The Raven’s Labyrinth” and have become addicted to it. It is just too fun and you can do it over and over to see how far you can get. He puts such amazing thought into making each of his caches a truly fun and enjoyable experience. That is his goal to have everyone who visits his caches to walk away with “A smile on their face” and “A chuckle at what you just found” I’m lucky enough to live in the area and have done all but a couple of his caches and have NEVER been disappointed. Can’t wait to see the next one that is in the making – we hear it’s going to be another amazing creation. azgoldseekers

  18. Since I live in Prescott I have first hand knowledge of Ravenland. His caches are so elaborate that it blows me away. Once you find one of his caches you might stay at it for quite a while just thinking how does he come up with these (and now that I found it how do I solve it)? They are so clever and involved you get great satisfaction having solved it or just found it. He also is one of the most helpful cachers out there. My vote is for Dan, The Raven

  19. I am also voting for The Raven. We are in AZ right now, we came all the way from NJ to do Raven’s Labyrinth as our #8000 milestone. What an amazing cache and we got to meet CO at GZ. very nice person and his caches are state of the art. Definitely well earned nomination.

  20. My vote is for the Raven, because I owe him money and he is currently holding my family hostage. His twisted sense of humor has cost me many hours of time and a mild case of frostbite,but this is like eating cheez-its and I can’t stop.

  21. My vote is for the Weasel. He is always willing to help out fellow geocachers. He does a lot of work to help new cachers as well as old.

  22. The Weasel definitely gets our vote! He, like us all, enjoys the fun of geocaching. But it doesn’t end there with The Weasel. Tim does a lot toward the preservation of this great land and its environment. Many of his cache hides are lessons of nature such as Bugs, Amphibians, Trees, Birds and Animal Tracks to name a few.

    Tim also takes the task of cache maintenance very seriously and is quick to repair or replace his caches so other geocachers can continue to enjoy and learn from his hides.

    Having moved to this area recently, we appreciate his quiet and personable way of welcoming us into this great community. If ever we need some geocaching direction, we can always count on Tim for help and guidance.

    We have always said that you meet the nicest people in the geocaching
    world and Tim is right up there at the top!

  23. I vote for – The Weasel – he has been a help to me in so many ways since I started caching last year. I always know if I need some advise he will quickly respond and put boots on the ground for help if needed. Thank you Weasel [:)]

  24. I vote for The Weasel. I have always appreciated the thoughful log entries he posts when he finds my caches. He is even willing to climb a utilty poll to retrieve a lost container for another cacher! I am really glad you are a major part of our geocaching community!

  25. I vote for the Raven! Recently completed my best finds yet and it was of course one of the Ravens hides! So lucky to live in the area. The Ravens hides are the most creative and entertaining caches you will find anywhere. He really puts a lot of time, thought and energy into his hides. Take a look and you will have to agree!

  26. Voting for Raven of course. How could anyone not vote for him!?? The thought and creativity that he puts into his caches and the thorough enjoyment myself and every cacher gets out of his caches is matched by no words…

  27. I vote for the Raven. He has single-handedly changed “the face” of Geocaching here in Prescott AZ. His caches are not only challenging and extremely fun, by “way over the top” in inventiveness.

  28. I have to vote (again) for The Raven. Guess you can vote more than once, so I’m voting for The Raven.

  29. Hi everyone! I just wanted to drop a note, which I hope everyone reads. I’ve looked back several months concerning previous cacher of the month nominees (without wasting too much time) and have discovered that this months voting, people seem to be using the vote down button for the first time… Why? I have really enjoyed reading everyones comments for all three cachers. I have found that not one comment deserves to be voted down. As a matter of fact, I even voted up for one of my nominee’s comments because I thought is was absolutely hilarious… a kusojijii comment I think… I respectfully request that at least for my friends who are voting for me, please do not use the vote down button on the other great nominees. Maybe I’m wrong, and this is how this voting thing works… vote up, vote down… and if so, then it just doesn’t seem right to me. Cheers everyone and Happy Hunting! – The Raven

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