I've been geocaching since 2005 and, while I've mentioned it once it once or twice before, today I'm going to start a series of posts focusing on Geocaching trackables. I'll probably try to do some posts related to the subject a couple times a month, some with trackables I've found or discovered ("Just Passing Through") and others with coins and trackables from my personal collection. Today I'm checking out a trackable I discovered in a geocache about a month ago: A DutchTagZ "Delfts Blue Tulip" that began it's journey in North Holland, Netherlands in 2016.
If you are unfamiliar with Geocaching, it's basically a worldwide high-tech treasure hunt using a handheld GPS receiver or smartphone to track down containers that other geocachers have found. While there are some variations, typically you use the coordinates and GPS receiver to reach the location and then have to find the geocache, or cache itself. Caches can come in all sizes and while the classic example is an ammo box, over time most caches have become smaller. Inside is typically a paper log which you date, sign, and then log online at Geocaching.com. Some larger caches have items in them which you can trade for. Usually little trinkets like pins, keychains, minifigures, etc. Geocaches stay in place and aren't meant to move, but they can house little trinkets called trackables or travel bugs, which are intended to move.
Trackables and travel bugs are usually a metal item, like a dogtag, keychain, or coin, and they have a code on them. Typically you don't share these codes online. Instead, if you find the trackable item in person you can use the code to discover it online. You can either discover it and put it back or you can pick it up and take it with you. Some trackables and travel bugs have missions while others just go where ever anyone takes them. They can be tracked online as geocachers discover them and log their journeys. Some hang around and travel for years while others quickly disappear.
Today I'm looking at Delfts Blue Tulip trackable from DutchTagZ. This particular trackable departed from North Holland, Netherlands in 2016 and was placed in a cache in Minnesota, USA by the owner. Since then it has been travelling the United States. I've not found a cache large enough to accommodate it yet, but I'm hopeful I will tomorrow. Let's take a closer look at this trackable after the break...
I'm going to do the best I can to get a few shots of it for the owner in different places and then send it on its way. I'm not planning to travel internationally anytime soon, but I'd love to help it see a few sites in the states.
Oh, and you're probably wondering why I posed the trackable with so many figures of Jean Grey? That's because Jean Grey was played by Famke Janssen in most of the X-Men films. And guess where Ms. Janssen was born? North Holland in the Netherlands.
I hope you enjoyed my look at something a little different. I thought this might be a fun side project here. I'll alternate showing off the trackables I discover and trackable coins from my personal collection that I keep in a binder.
I hope you enjoyed my look at something a little different. I thought this might be a fun side project here. I'll alternate showing off the trackables I discover and trackable coins from my personal collection that I keep in a binder.
Very cool. I've heard of geocaching but never heard of any direct stories from anyone. Sounds like a lot of fun. Do you have to be a geocacher to help the item along on its journey? I guess it gets picked up at whatever next geocache site you drop it into?
ReplyDeleteYes, you can either leave it in another geocache or you can hand it off to another geocacher. It's a rather fun hobby and a great way to explore and learn some interesting things about an area. You'd be shocked by how many caches are probably in place right around you and at places you go or drive past on a weekly basis. Caches are rated with a 1-5 rating on both their difficulty (how hard the cache is to find, locate, etc.) and on their terrain (is it hidden in a parking lot versus a mountain hiking trail, etc.). It can be as laid back or as strenuous as you want it to be.
DeleteThe easiest way to get started is to register on the website (geocaching.com) and then download the phone app. With a free basic membership you can see basic caches and ones that are easier to find. With a paid membership ($40 a year or $7 monthly) you can see all caches on the app. When you find a trackable you log it in on your profile using the code on the back. When you drop it off at a cache you can notate that on the online log you leave when you find the cache. That way others can see it's in there and the owner of the trackable can track the progress.
Excellent. Thanks for the info.
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