The earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month Geocoin
Geocachers united from across the world to sing the praises of three sets of geocachers last month. Each of the nominees is already a winner, with a prize package headed their way. But only one geocaching person, or couple, can be named the Geocacher of the Month.
All the nominees add a special contribution to their local communities and inspire the global geocaching community. Each will receive special recognition for their contribution to the adventure of geocaching. Before naming the Geocacher of the Month, Geocaching HQ reviews community input and blog comments. Each comment is read.
A geocaching couple from Denmark with some of the most inspiration hides on Europe claimed this month’s prize. Siig is December’s Featured Geocacher of the Month.
One comment reads, “Hands down winner this month must be siig! There is a reason why they are by far the team in Denmark with most favourite votings (and not just 100 as hintet above….almost 2800 favourites received!). You always leave one of their hides with a silent smile or a big and noisy laugh, as they are most often very innovative and funny caches. Their caches are well kept and always an experience. It is very clear that they stay true to the notion: Would I personally like to find this cache – due to its nature or the environment surrounding it? With this in mind when you place a cache, you cannot go wrong – and Siig don’t!”
Siig will receive the earned, never for sale, collector’s edition Geocacher of the Month Geocoin, along with a Geocacher of the Month hat and a certificate acknowledging their contribution, signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com.
Siig – Winner Geocacher of the Month December 2013
The earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin (sun flare optional)
You’ll help decide the final Geocacher of the Month for 2013. It’s no small task after you read about these topnotch nominees from North America and Europe. Each is an outstanding geocache maker, with favorite points coming out of their ears they place such well received geocaches.
Each nominee is being honored for their contributions to the geocaching community. Each will receive worldwide recognition and a prize package from Geocaching HQ in Seattle, but which will be named Geocacher of the Month?
This is your opportunity to help decide who will take home the earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month Geocoin (at left). Each featured Geocacher of the Month will receive the exclusive special edition Geocoin, a hat and a profile icon. They’ll also receive a certificate acknowledging their contributions, signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com.
In November, Janizy, was named Geocacher of the Month. Janizy wrote a thank you. She says, “Woohoo!! : D
No words can express our gratitude to the community of geocachers, friends and family that overflowed leaving supportive comments for me. It’s my name that’s here, but it’s actually the of whole of Puerto Rico celebrating this honor.
I want to congratulate [fellow Geocacher of the Month nominees] BIGBROTHERBEAR & NorthWes!! I want you to know that I admire you and would love to meet you someday and go geocaching together.
Janizy – November 2013 Geocacher of the Month
I also want to extend a special thanks to Milton_fmh, who nominated me as the Geocacher of the Month. You know you’re part of my family. Thanks for being such a great geocacher and friend. THANKS!”
Now it’s your turn to help us select the next Geocacher of the Month. Write a supportive comment at the bottom of this blog for the nominated geocacher that you feel should be awarded the title. A panel of folks from Geocaching HQ will then use your comments to help guide the decision of which geocacher is awarded the Geocacher of the Month honor.
Here are your nominees for the December Geocacher of the Month. Some testimonials have been edited for length.
blazingpathways nominee for Geocacher of the Month
Thomas Noble writes, ” Not only is blazingpathways currently the most prolific geocache hider in Alaska, Victoria is one of the top 10 finders of caches in Alaska. Her repertoire of cache hides include events, multis, earth caches, traditionals, and puzzles. She has participated in all sorts of events and CITOs during her geocaching career.
Along with creating and finding caches blazingpathways believes in giving back to the caching community. Active in GeocacheAlaska! she has presented many educational programs for the club in such areas as using pocket queries, caching along a route, and using database programs to complement one’s caching experience as well as personalized bling and other geo related items.
Victoria is an inclusive cacher who sees geocaching as an activity where all participants are equally worthy of being included. She actively introduces herself to new geocachers at events and on the trail. She participates on our local forums where one of her primary interests is in seeing that local cachers receive the accolades they deserve.”
Geocaching since 2008, siig, has impacted thousands of other geocachers through hides with more than 100 favorite points and events that regularly attract new and old geocachers. A majority of siig’s finds and all their hides are in Denmark. The geocaching community in the country is growing rapidly and friends say siig is helping lead that community in a positive direction with their hides and finds.
Geocacher and prolific hider Jesper Mazanti writes, “My nominees are two geocachers siig. They have both done a lot for geocaching in this area. They have placed a lot of caches of various types and difficulty. They have made some events which all have been visited by a lot of geocachers.
All their work reflects a lot fun and they bring the entire geocaching community together socially as well.”
Marietta Davis writes, “Birdman320 is the kind of cacher every cache owner hopes for and appreciates. Dan never sets off for a find without being prepared for the worst. He is always loaded with tools such as string, a pocket knife and most importantly a LARGE supply of replacement logs equipped with Ziploc bags to keep them dry. On one caching adventure with Birdman320 I believe he went through more than 20 log books.
Another important thing to mention about Birdman320 is what he does for other people. Dan Burdick is the most the thoughtful and caring person I have ever met. Dan goes above and beyond to help anyone in need whenever possible, which extends well beyond the Geocaching community. I have witnessed Dan going out of his way to shovel sidewalks and clean off cars for the elderly, assist people jump start their cars/get into their cars when the keys were locked in, all after working a 12 hour shift. Dan has been known to help fellow cachers while in the woods on many occasions crossing creeks and up steep inclines.”
Comment below to tell us who you think should be the November Geocacher of the Month. We will be accepting comments through January 31.
If your nominee wasn’t recognized here, please submit your nominations again next month. We’re always looking for the next Geocacher of the Month. To nominate a geocacher, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@geocaching.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 have submitted them for the award. Nominations for the next Geocacher of the Month should be received by February 3.Once Geocaching HQ has received 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 that we might learn from each other.
The earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin (sun flare optional)
This blog post is perhaps the perfect way to wrap up an amazing year in the world of geocaching. We’re announcing the featured Geocacher of the Month for November. Each of the nominees is already a winner, with a prize package headed their way. The nearly 800 comments from supporters of the three nominees are a must-read for anyone feeling a little bit down, or who doubts the impact one person might have on their community. The comments are a testament to the giving nature of geocachers.
All the nominees contributed to their local communities and inspired the worldwide community. Each will receive special recognition for their contribution to the global adventure of geocaching. Before naming the Geocacher of the Month, Geocaching HQ reviews community input and blog comments. Each comment is read. This was one of the most difficult decisions for Geocacher of the Month in the history of the program.
A geocacher from an island with just 1,100 geocaches stood out. She’s found most of those geocaches on Puerto Rico and united a community to explore the world around them through geocaching, hosting Event Caches and leading by example.
Janizy has been named the 2013 November Geocacher of the Month. One geocacher who commented wrote, “Of all the events that have had the opportunity to participate, my favorite was the Geoweekend Camping in Adjuntas (GC4FPJC), organized by Janizy. She, along with her colleagues, saw to it that all who attended passed unforgettable moments. During that weekend I spent spectacular days. There was everything, varied activities for adult geocachers and for geocacher kids. They were days of doing interesting stuff and share what we like: Geocaching! My vote is for Janizy!”
Janizy – November 2013 Geocacher of the Month
Janizy will receive the earned, never for sale, collector’s edition Geocacher of the Month Geocoin, along with a Geocacher of the Month hat and a certificate acknowledging his contribution, signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com.
The earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin (sun flare optional)
From the cold winter nights in the frigid north to the warm beaches of tropical paradise, the nominees for Geocacher of the Month share (at least) one thing in common: dedication.
Each nominee is being honored for their contributions to the geocaching community. Each will receive worldwide recognition and a prize package from Geocaching HQ in Seattle, but which will be named Geocacher of the Month?
This is your opportunity to help decide who will take home the earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin (at left). Each featured Geocacher of the Month will receive the exclusive special edition Geocoin, a hat and a profile icon. They’ll also receive a certificate acknowledging their contributions, signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com.
Mic68 – October Geocacher of the Month
In October, Mic68 was named Geocacher of the Month.
One geocacher who commented wrote, “After visiting (Mic68’s)“Dragonheart” I kept referring to this cache as the best I’ve ever done. By now they have published another one which we have just finished a couple of weeks ago and I have to say that this cache definitely is a milestone in geocaching! Wow! In Germany people are willing to travel quite a bit if the cache is worth it and I see people flocking in. The mixture of storytelling, suspense, technical know-how and fun is hard to beat. Also, this team is immensely nice and helpful! All in all they are very worthy candidates and I would be happy for them to win!”
Now it’s your turn to help us select the next Geocacher of the Month. Write a supportive comment at the bottom of this blog for the nominated geocacher that you feel should be awarded the title. A panel of folks from Geocaching HQ will then use your comments to help guide the decision of which geocacher is awarded the Geocacher of the Month honor.
Here are your nominees for the November Geocacher of the Month. Some testimonials have been edited for length.
Milton Munoz writes, “Janizy has been one of most outstanding geocachers in the history of the hobby in Puerto Rico. She started 4 and half years ago, since then she is being a leader, creating events and inviting geocachers to the most beautiful places of the island. Her caches combine a wide variety of clever ideas and diabolic camouflages, which have become the most wanted (and frightful too) in the local arena. She has created one the most successful Multi-Cache in the south part of the island, inviting geocachers to do CITO in a beautiful coastal valley area.
Janizy has involved her entire family into the hobby: husband, 2 daughters, brother, sister, brother in law, niece and nephews. Janizy and her family are known as one the most successful FTF (First to Find) hunters of the island. Janizy has a great passion for the photography too and always is taking pictures and recording video of every geocaching adventure and produces excellent videos that she uploads in her YouTube and Vimeo channels. Janizy combines pretty well her profession as Special Education Teacher and her passion for the geocaching, recently she created the first Earth Cache published by a local geocacher on the island. For all the energy and interest that Janizy puts in to geocaching, she deserves to be honored as the geocacher of the month!”
BIGBROTHERBEAR – Nominee for Geocacher of the Month
Gary Goodyear writes, “I would like to submit BIGBROTHERBEAR as the Geocacher of the Month. BBB (bigbrotherbear) and his series Quest For The Holy Grail (GC3WKNB) was an inspiration for us. Jim (bigbrotherbear) spent months planning and researching the series. BBB has taken time out of his life for so many people to accompany them on this journey. If someone needs some help while out on the trail he is more than willing to do this for them, not just a nudge or hint, he will bring them water, food or whatever they need. BBB is involved with the Iowa Geocaching Organization. He has hidden many caches to help make the events successful for them.
BigBrotherBear is more than the average cacher. He contributes countless hours to the community as well. His series Quest For The Hoiy Grail won the IGO peoples choice for outstanding series of 2013.
If you look at the entire series you will see that it has been awarded more than 650 favorite points in total. BBB has hiked this series with several of the teams. 8-12 miles of rough terrain, hills, river crossings and wild life. BBB is planning a new series that involves over 161 well placed caches. It has been placed submitted and is awaiting review.
BBB will take the time to get the permission to place the caches and he also maintains them. I found one of his bike trail geocaches that was in need of repair. I called BBB and told him about this. The next day he was at the site and had repaired it.”
Darlene Fortin writes, “I would like to nominate NorthWes of Anchorage, Alaska for geocacher of the month. NorthWes is the president of Geocache Alaska. NorthWes is a man of knowledge on his state and on Geocaching. Northwes took time out of busy life to help me organize Events and Geocaching tours for 72 geocachers who were cruising from Vancouver to Alaska. Northwes organized a Meet and Greet for the Cruisers and the locals to meet each other and supplied some awesome prizes for the Event. Northwes is a very respected cacher in his area and has many caches throughout Anchorage and works hard to keep his and other caches in the area maintained. He also guided many of us on private geocaching tours through many of the parks in Anchorage. His knowledge of Alaska was amazing to help us with the many earthcaches through out Alaska.
NorthWes also helped me with all the paperwork to make Bermuda Island Geocachers a non-profit organization. His organization is well established and has members all over the world.
He is for sure one of the best ambassador for Geocaching and is well respected by his local cachers and now all the cachers that were cruising from all over the states and Bermuda. This man surely deserves to be recognized for all his hard work he has put into geocaching for Alaska!”
Comment below to tell us who you think should be the November Geocacher of the Month. We will be accepting comments through December 30.
If your nominee wasn’t recognized here, please submit your nominations again next month. We’re always looking for the next Geocacher of the Month. To nominate a geocacher, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@geocaching.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 have submitted them for the award. Nominations for the next Geocacher of the Month should be received by January 3.Once Geocaching HQ has received 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 that we might learn from each other.
The earned, never for sale, Geocacher of the Month geocoin (sun flare optional)
The geocaching community gave thanks this past month for three dedicated geocachers from three very different corners of the world. All the nominees were creative hiders who have committed themselves not only to maintaining their geocaches, but also to maintaining and growing friendships within the geocaching community. Each will receive special recognition for their contribution to the global adventure of geocaching.
Before naming the Geocacher of the Month, Geocaching HQ reviews community input and blog comments. Each comment is read.
After tallying the sentiment and reading the comments, Mic68 has been officially named the Geocacher of the Month for October 2013.
One geocacher who commented wrote, “After visiting “Dragonheart” I kept referring to this cache as the best I’ve ever done. By now they have published another one which we have just finished a couple of weeks ago and I have to say that this cache definitely is a milestone in geocaching! Wow! In Germany people are willing to travel quite a bit if the cache is worth it and I see people flocking in. The mixture of storytelling, suspense, technical know-how and fun is hard to beat. Also, this team is immensely nice and helpful! All in all they are very worthy candidates and I would be happy for them to win!”
Mic68 will receive the earned, never for sale, collector’s edition Geocacher of the Month Geocoin, along with a Geocacher of the Month hat and a certificate acknowledging his contribution, signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com. See a list of all the Geocachers of the Month here.
