Don’t forget to bring proper headwear. – Head Case (GC2TD8M) – Geocache of the Week

Geocachers wear many hats—explorer, adventurer, stealth agent, pirate, and climber, just to name just a few. Sometimes, like in the case of this week’s Geocache of the Week, the hat geocachers wear is actually the geocache itself. To earn your smiley for Head Case (GC2TD8M), located near Denver, Colorado, USA, you’ll have to make sure your head is in the game.

Geocacher 2muchsoccer33-5 tests the Head Case for any signs of mutation.

The hunt for this difficulty 2, terrain 1.5 geocache starts with a clever story told by the geocache creator Ecylram. The Head Case began as a micro container. However, due to mysterious circumstances and nearby military testing, the original container mutated into what it is now. Geocachers are tasked with ensuring that the Head Case remains locked in its container, making sure that no further mutation has occurred and signing the correct log (which is easier said than done).

When asked about what inspired this geocache, Ecylram said, “I wanted to place a geocache that offered an interactive experience for the geocacher that was unique. I took the “find the log” idea and twisted it by having a log for each day of the month. The cacher is required to sign the log that corresponds to the find date.” He went on to add, “I then wanted to add humor to the find so I decided to attach the log containers to a wearable hard hat.  I then built a large wooden container to protect the hard hat from the elements and to provide a place for swag and trackables. I then started work on writing a story for the cache description that tied together the unique cache and the location. Once I decided to go with a mutant cache theme the story wrote itself.”

Found the correct log and no new mutations to report! Photo by geocacher Grandma Nan.

Since the geocache was placed, over 200 geocachers have earned their smileys and awarded the geocache over 140 Favorite Points. However, the best part is looking through all of the amazing photos posted in the Found It logs. Geocacher Chihuahuahs-3 (C3) wrote, “We were in the area today checking on one of our nearby caches and decided to stop by this one to show our grandchildren what a cool cache this is. The two of them had a ball getting in to the cache then finding the log!!! Our grandson was the lucky winner. He also could not resist putting it on his head! Does it tingle!?!?!? Thanks so very much for adding a very special element to our wonderful Easter weekend with our grandchildren”

And the geocache creator loves reading the logs as well, “I’ve absolutely loved the response. Most cachers seem to really enjoy the experience and have written some wonderful logs. I wish I could thank each one in person for their thoughtful logs and favorite points… Also, look for my next cache “Tin Man” to be released in the end of June. It will be a 6 1/2 foot-tall ‘robot’ made out of 14 ammo cans. It will be very memorable.”

The hat you have to wear is obvious with this geocache, what other “hats” have you had to wear while geocaching? Tree climber? Scuba diver? Super Hero?  Tell us in the comments.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@geocaching.com.