While some folks celebrate Pi Day on March 14 (3.14) with a slice of pi pie, we’re celebrating this year’s Pi Day with two new souvenirs. The first souvenir is inspired by the groups of people who have an irrational love for irrational numbers. Just attend an event, including CITO or a Mega-Event on Pi Day and you’ll earn this souvenir. The second souvenir celebrates the mystery of pi—to earn it, log a “Found It” on a Mystery Cache on March 14.
Finally, if you’re on the lookout for even MORE souvenirs, be sure to earn the CITO souvenir on April 25 and 26, and be on the lookout for a special souvenirs you can earn to celebrate 15 Years of Geocaching beginning on May 2.
CITO weekend will be here before you know it. In case you haven’t heard, CITO stands for Cache In Trash Out. It’s the geocacher’s approach to keeping our game board (i.e. the entire planet) in great shape. On the weekend of April 24 – April 27, geocachers around the globe will gather together, pick up trash, remove invasive species, repair trails and more—plus earn a pretty sweet new souvenir.
Pick up a CITO Event Kit from Shop Geocaching and start planning your CITO weekend event now. All events must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the event date—but earlier is always better. Check out the CITO FAQ to learn more. You can also see a list of CITO events already happening around you.
Head over to the Geocaching Facebook page and let us know what your CITO 2015 plans are. Happy Geocaching!
The geocaching community is about giving back by getting a little dirty and clearing a lot of trash. Cache In Trash Out, or CITO, helps preserve the natural beauty of the geocaching world by cleaning up litter, removing invasive species, planting trees and building trails.CITO events are held all year long, especially during the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere. Check out the CITO calendar for events and join one near you. And who says good deeds go unrewarded? Earn The Nature Lover souvenir during the 7 Souvenirs of August by attending a CITO event in, you guessed it, the month of August.
You’re part of a worldwide geocaching clean-machine this weekend.
One weekend a year, geocachers around the world join together to help remove trash from geocaching-friendly locations. Cache In Trash Out is simple: you geocache in an area and then take trash out. There are hundreds of events to choose from around the globe, from Bahrain to Brazil, you have choices.
Each person who logs an “Attended” for a CITO event on April 26 or April 27 this year earns a 2014 CITO souvenir for their Geocaching profile. They also earn a sense of accomplishment and probably a few finds along the way. Find or host a CITO event near you and help make this year even more successful.
Last year, geocachers around the globe created the most successful CITO year ever. Over 640 CITO events helped clear more than 50 tons of trash from parks and wild places around the world. That’s a staggering 100,000 pounds (45359.2 kg). This year we hope to cleanup 50% more! Here’s the math.
Worldwide CITO Events: 776
Expected Attendance: ~ 15,000
Individual Geocacher Goal: 1 pound (.5 kilogram) of litter cleanup
Total Cleanup Goal: 75 tons (68,000 kilograms)
But CITO isn’t just removing trash. CITO is also about working together to clear invasive species from parks or plant native trees. And CITO is 365 days a year. Even after CITO weekend is over, it doesn’t mean that CITO has stopped. We encourage every geocacher to practice Cache In Trash Out every time they go geocaching. There are also plenty of CITO events that happen throughout the year. You can look for CITO events in your area or host your own.
Editor’s Note: Staff from Geocaching HQ in Seattle are visiting more than 30 Mega-Events around the globe this year to shake hands, share stories and hear what you think is next for geocaching.
Geocacher “Dark Star” and Katie meet a new friend at the Mega-Event (okay, it’s a squirrel)
By: Katie Barker
It was my first time traveling to Texas and it definitely lived up to my expectations! Known as the “friendship state”, Texans showed me that geocaching friendship we all know and love the moment I arrived at the Friday Night Meet & Greet in the small town of Bastrop. Geocachers from near and far traveled many miles to attend the weekend’s festivities and I was feeling lucky to spend my time with such a great group of people. Here’s a little re-cap about my weekend in Texas. If you’ve never attended a Mega-Event, here’s what you can expect.
I was up bright and early on Saturday on a mission to complete the Lab Caches. Jana Fite, (cybercat) a long time geocacher and event organizer, created a series of 7 Lab Cache locations from the historic district of Bastrop to Smithville highlighting the most interesting businesses in the area. Each location had a unique experience like exploring the largest bronze foundry in the state of Texas or sampling bottled Texas rainwater at Texas Rain. I couldn’t help but giggle when we ended up at Berdoll Pecan Farms where we found a giant squirrel! A big special thanks to TxDiva and Dark Star for showing me around.
Halfway through the Lab Caches I made a quick stop at the Bridge Spittin’ Ceremony! Who knew that spitting over a bridge was a long time tradition in Bastrop? I do now! The kayakers in the river below had to stay back a little ways as the 200+ geocachers leaned over to spit all at the same time. It was an experience I will never forget to say the least.
PPanther and grumpoldtexan at the CITO
I headed back to the 12th Annual Texas Challenge after lunch to watch the challengers come racing in with their completed score cards. The competition was fierce and I must congratulate North Texas on taking home the win! I also got to meet Jenny Mills, the host of the Birthplace of Texas GeoTour. (Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try any Blue Bell ice-cream, next time!) I was overwhelmed with joy from all the compliments and positive feedback geocachers gave about the GeoTour. Keep up the good work in Washington County.
The weekend was packed with fun activities, but it wouldn’t be complete without a quick Texas Challenge CITO on Sunday along the Colorado River before heading to the airport (with a stop at Buc-ee’s, of course). Thanks to all the organizers for hosting a great fun-filled geocaching experience.
My favorite part of the weekend was hearing everyone’s stories, from PPanther’s prank (check out her profile page, it’s quite impressive) to the 254 county challenge. Thanks for making me feel at home Texas geocachers!
