A group of geocachers attending the Mega-Event with a well-traveled banner (I’m third from the right, green coat, goofy smile)

The rains fell for three straight days. The rivers rose. Roads were overrun with flood waters. And yet, more than 1300 geocachers from throughout Europe (and one geocacher from Geocaching HQ in Seattle—me) chose this water-logged weekend to visit a small Austrian community.

If you’ve never heard of geocaching you might wonder why not stay home. The couch is dry, it’s warm, the TV works just fine. The series Game of Thrones is really heating up. However, if you’re a geocacher, you’re probably thinking, “well, what’s a little rain?”

The geocaching Mega-Event, Projekt 2013, delivered a geocacher’s dream line-up. Get this: more than 600 geocaches were published throughout the day of the Mega-Event. That’s more than 600 First-to-Finds hiding in fields, and even one scuba geocache waiting patiently at the bottom of a lake. The mandate for all the geocaches was one word: quality. Organizers spent months lining up the geocache hiders and mixing together just the right chemistry of events for people to enjoy, when not searching for the fresh geocaches.

Want to show off your Trackable before the Mega-Event at a CacheMobile Event? Yeah, there’s that. Itching to learn how to safely climb to find your next geocache? It’s on the agenda. How about a concert for hundreds to cap off the Mega-Event? Okay, you get the idea. But one more—how about hearing the latest news from Geocaching HQ and have a nice little question and answer? Yep, I led that discussion.

Ma Ma saves the day

The organizational team from The Upper Austrian Geocaching Society planned it all. Before the event, the mayor of the Austrian community had never heard of geocaching. After 1000+ geocachers poured into his town, he’s now one of geocaching’s biggest fans. Especially after the Mega-Event when hundreds of geocachers cleaned up during (a rainy) CITO Event. But it’s the type of people who geocache who made the event. Take one of the organizers, for example.

His name is Mattias, or rightly known by his geocaching name as ma ma. The night before the event, he gets a call. A geocacher he didn’t know was stuck in the mud. Their car wouldn’t move. Five minutes later, we’re there and pulling the car free. And here’s a little detail you shouldn’t know:  it was his birthday. Whatever you do, do not go to his profile, send him a message and wish him a happy birthday. And whatever you do, do not click this link and wish him a happy birthday. (Okay, click the link.)

Signal poses with geocaching rock stars

If you’ve never been geocaching in Austria, consider this Mega-Event an invitation. The FTF’s won’t last forever. If you’re from outside Austria here’s what you should know: there are more Multi-Caches and Puzzle Caches in Austria than Traditional geocaches. A city next door to the event, Wels, is known as The Riddle Castle because of all the Puzzle Caches. Get ready to crack some geocaching puzzles.  The Mayor of Wels would appreciate your visit, and if your car gets stuck, you know who to call.

Check out all the pictures below of the event. And tell us in comments, what’s you favorite part of a Mega-Event or what would be on your list?

Upper Austrian Geocaching Society thanking local geocaching community reviewer, Tafari. (They really do not glow in the dark)

The Log Wall could only be seen in black light

“I love geocaching because… MEGA”

Congrats Space Coast Geocachers… 9 events, More than 200 geocachers and 4300 lbs of garbage collected!

It’s takes a village to do many things, say, raise a child. It also takes a motivated village to clean up the earth. The village geocachers created with Cache In Trash Out (CITO) events has a population of 11,124. That’s the population of Fredonia, New York. That’s the exact number  CITO souvenirs that have been earned by geocachers who have logged an “Attended” for a CITO event so far.  Geocachers attended hundreds of events in dozens of countries from April 20 through April 22. If each geocacher picked up ten pounds of trash, that’s over 50 tons of garbage removed from geocaching areas worldwide.

Geocachers in Montana cleaning the roadside.

It’s the same weights as a couple army tanks or say a large metal bridge. But each piece of litter was a crumpled wrapper or an old tire or a  piece of discarded lumber. It’s 50 tons of trash that’s no longer polluting that earth. Well done geocachers, well done.

CITO weekend isn’t over yet. It continues today during Earth Day. Expect the final total number of geocachers who earned the CITO souvenir within the next couple of days.

Geocachers from around the world posted pictures of their CITO events on the Geocaching Facebook page. We chose a few of the photos posted to feature in this blog.

While the CITO weekend occurs only once a year, please CITO every time you geocache. It’s as easy as packing out a few soda bottles or a few pieces of litter. It may not seem like much, but when we all do it, it adds up quick!

45 geocachers attended GC494V1  near Suhl, Germany to clean up all this trash.

CITO is for all ages. Kids, Caching and Cleaning CITO GC48DD9 in Ontario, Canada

CITO in Costa Dorada, Spain

Celebrate the 11^th Annual CITO Weekend

Geocachers search parks, trails and forests to earn a smiley, but during a Cache In Trash Out (CITO) event they’re not looking for geocaches. They’re clearing litter and trash from geocaching-friendly areas around the world. Thousands of geocachers will walk away from their CITO events with bags of trash and a sense of pride. They’re preserving the natural beauty of our world. It’s often more than litter clean up. Some CITO events remove of invasive species, plant trees or build trails.

You can be a part of the movement. CITO events are held all year long, but you’ll have more than 140 to choose from on April 20, 21 and 22. It’s the 11^th annual International CITO Weekend coinciding with Earth Day.

This year, more than a thousand geocachers from at least 30 countries are combining in the annual worldwide environmental effort. The locations range from Croatia to Hong Kong and include more than 40 U.S. States.

Share this new CITO video and log your “Will Attend” for a CITO event near you. For a limited time, Shop Geocaching will include a free CITO trash bag in each order (U.S. orders, while supplies last).

Celebrate Geocaching by Cleaning Up at a CITO Event

Geocachers will demonstrate their commitment to the environment by the bagful in April. Thousands of geocachers will join together in picking up trash and filling garbage bags with litter. They’ll be attending Cache In Trash Out (CITO) events over the 11^th Annual International CITO Weekend. It’s scheduled for April 20, 21 and 22. Tons of trash will be removed from geocaching-friendly locations. It’s easy to join the global community by attending one of the many CITO events. With hundreds of CITO Events in dozens of countries, there’s sure to be one near you. If there isn’t a CITO event near you, there’s still time to create your own CITO event.

Those attending CITO Events on April 20, 21 or April 22 (or all three!) will earn a 2013 CITO souvenir for their Geocaching profile. Share International CITO Weekend with your friends by joining the Geocaching Facebook CITO Weekend event page.

The subject of sustainable geocaching goes under the microscope during the German geocaching event “Gecko 2012.” The Geocaching “Konferenz” (Gecko) offers three days of workshops, lectures, and events on the topic of keeping and expanding, “sustainable geocaching in harmony with the environment, nature, and in harmony with our fellow human beings.” It’s a powerful undertaking in Germany, which has the highest geocache saturation of any country in the world.

Gecko 2012: Sustainable Geocaching

Jan aka Czerkus is part of the organizational team for Gecko-2012. Jan says a majority of geocachers play in harmony with nature. “Geocachers often say that the world is their playing field. If you use nature for your hobby, it should be self-evident to protect your playing field. This is the central slogan of the conference.”

This is one of the first conferences of its kind. Jan says, “All workshops, activities and discussions are focused on environmental education and building bridges between geocachers and their critics. As well, we’ll give geocachers who are environmentally aware a platform to develop networks. At the moment we are learning a lot, because there is no experience or event like this that we can lean on [and learn from].”

The events at the conference don’t just teach people about respecting nature, they embrace the outdoors and geocaching. Some of the sessions of the conference include courses on “T5 tree climbing,” “Observing and protecting animals,” and trips to nearby EarthCaches. Jan says there’s more, “There will be workshops about planning Cache In Trash Out (CITO) Events, discussions with hunters, forest rangers, and environmental activists and nature-guides will lead the geocachers in the woods to show them their play field.”

Location of "Gecko 2012"

Jan says geocachers have a great responsibility to the environment because geocaching is a highly visible activity, “Geocaching is very transparent and leaves geocachers’ marks in the World Wide Web. Everybody can see what we do, where, and how often.”

Along with seeing geocaching, Jan also hopes the greater community sees geocachers’ environmental efforts like Gecko 2012. He says, “We have a very special responsibility” to care for the environment. It’s even more fitting then, that after Gecko 2012, a giant Cache In Trash out (CITO) is planned. Gecko 2012 begins on June 8.

Thousands of geocachers walk into parks, onto trails, and visit other geocaching-friendly areas around the world to clean up the environment each year. They walk out with bags of trash and a sense of pride. They’re taking part in Cache In Trash Out (CITO) events and helping to preserve the natural beauty of our outdoor resources through litter clean up, removal of invasive species, planting trees, and trail building.

CITO events are held all year long, but you’ll have more than 140 to choose from on April 21 and 22 — the 10^th annual International CITO weekend.

This year, more than a thousand geocachers from at least 15 countries are combining in the annual worldwide environmental effort. The locations range from Budapest to Hong Kong, and include 32 U.S. States. Odds are one of the CITO events is near you.

Still not convinced you should join? Check out geocachers in action at a couple of CITO events. Watch this Geocaching.com Presents CITO video in English or this CITO video in Czech and German.

Benefits of Adding Home Coordinates

Please enter your home coordinates so we can provide information on new geocaches and geocaching events near you.

Watch the latest Geocaching.com Presents video: CITO: Hamburg to Prague. See how geocachers from two countries unite to cleanup the environment. Dozens of geocachers from Germany and the Czech Republic attended the Hamburg to Prague CITO Event in June of 2011. They cleared trash from a Prague park, including tires, discarded cables, and bags full of litter.

CITO stands for Cache In Trash Out . It’s a Geocaching.com volunteer environmental effort repeated over and over again around the world by groups of geocachers each year. Since 2002, geocachers have been dedicated to improving parks and other cache-friendly location. These volunteer efforts help preserve the natural beauty of our outdoor resources. Find a CITO Event near you by checking out the CITO calendar.

The next Geocaching.com Presents video, “A Czech Geocaching Love Story” is scheduled for released on February 14th. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to be one of the first to see new videos. Watch the more than 50 videos produced by Geocaching.com on our video page.

"The Pinnacles" EarthCache in Malaysia (GC19A54)

The world’s first EarthCache turns eight-years-old today.  Saying “Happy Birthday!” is as easy as logging an EarthCache. Chances are there’s one close to where you’re sitting right now. There are plenty of EarthCaches, think thousands and thousands, around the globe. But that wasn’t the case back in 2004.

“Earthcache I – a simple geology tour of Wasp Head” (GCHFT2) triggered a seismic movement in geocaching. The first EarthCache was located in Australia. It was placed by geoaware on January 10, 2004. Since then more than 17,000 EarthCaches have been published, popping up on every continent on the planet.

Each EarthCache must share specific characteristics before being published. There’s no physical cache. At every EarthCache, geocachers learn about the forces that sculpted the earth. EarthCaches showcase volcanoes, seismic fault lines, salt flats, bizarre rock structures and more. Each Earthcache reveals how scientists understand our planet.

EarthCache at a green sand beach in Hawaii "Olivine" (GC1M15H)

To log an EarthCache geocachers must demonstrate to the cache owner what they learned about a specific geological feature. Geocachers might measure a rock structure or record a tidal movement. At the EarthCache “Olivine” in Hawaii, geocachers must answer questions about the unique green grains of sand.

EarthCaches are gaining in popularity as they grow older and more established in the geocaching world. Organizers are even hosting the first International EarthCache Event (GC33E6X) this year. It’ll take place in September near Portland, Maine, USA. More than 250 geocachers have already logged a “Will Attend.”

You can learn more about EarthCaching by watching the video below.

The Canadian Environment Week geocaching contest runs from April 30 to June 11, 2011. During this time, geocaches containing a password can be found in National Parks, at National Historic Sites and on National Wildlife Areas throughout Canada. It’s an opportunity for geocachers to explore these areas and even have a chance to win prizes. Adventurers wishing to participate in the contest must collect a password from the selected geocaches and submit it on the Canadian Environment Week website. Contest participation and the password are not required in order to simply log your finds on any of these great caches.

Click here to view the bookmark list of the Canadian Environment Week geocaches that are listed on Geocaching.com, thanks to the Atlantic Canada Geocaching Association. A few others can be found through Environment Canada directly.

Even without prizes, geocaching during Canadian Environment Week is a great opportunity to explore Canada’s natural beauty. Canadian National Parks, National Historic Sites and National Wildlife Areas are located on the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic coasts, across the interior mountains and plains and Great Lakes, reaching as far north and south as Canada goes!

Geocachers will enjoy the breathtaking scenery and inspiring natural surroundings of Canada. National Parks provide the perfect setting for tuning into nature, learning about it, appreciating it, respecting it and pledging to protect it. Celebrate Canadian Environment Week by doing just that, and don’t forget to CITO to help preserve the environment.

"This CITO's a Beach"

By: MissJenn

The CITO season is thick upon us. This past weekend, several Lackeys joined dozens of other geocachers at two CITO events near Groundspeak HQ.

Dani, LutherNation and myself (MissJenn) participated in “This CITO’s a Beach.”

MissJenn holding the CITO flag

Rain fell heavily as we drove towards the location and when we got there, no one else was in the designated meeting point. Oh no! Did everyone else cancel because of the weather?

Not at all. It was simply the fact that we had arrived an hour early and no one was there yet. This was a perfect opportunity to go find a nearby geocache where we enjoyed views of Puget Sound and listened to the barking of the nearby sea lions.

At the actual start time, gloves and yellow CITO garbage bags were distributed to the many people who braved our typically-wet weather. What at first looked like a very clean little park proved to be a park that really needed our help.

Larger pieces of trash cleaned off the beach

We collected a spare tire, various chunks of discarded metal, fluorescent light tubes, some bad beer that teenagers had saved for a later party, and a car seat . There were plenty of the usual discarded cans and bottles. The highlight of the day was a huge and heavy piece of bulky chain link that was actually still attached to something buried deeply in the sand. I pulled on it and it would not budge. Several more-muscled geocachers came to my aid. We joked that perhaps we ought not to yank it out in case it is the drain plug that keeps the water in Puget Sound. The team eventually managed to “encourage” a weak link to break off and we trashed that very large eyesore off the beach. The sea lions playing nearby looked at us approvingly.

We hauled the litter that we found all the way down the beach, up a steep staircase that crossed the railroad tracks, and through the park to the litter collection point. A job well done!

Trash collected during CITO

Meanwhile, a few miles away, other Lackeys joined nearly 30 other geocachers at the Bellevue Parks Arbor Day CITO.

They planted evergreen trees that towered six or more feet tall. While this was part of a larger tree-planting, there was a portion of this event that was specifically organized by geocachers and for geocachers. It was a great way to give back to Washington, also known as the Evergreen State. Another job well done!

More events like these are coming up all over the world. Please check the CITO calendar to find one near you.

Tell us about your CITO event. What was the most unique piece of garbage you threw away?