Jasmer Challenge

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Article written by: Gary [USMA77] A blog in geocaching.com titled “The Jasmer Challenge” calls it “[o]ne of the oldest and most popular geocaching challenges … To complete the challenge , you must fill your Jasmer grid by finding caches placed in every month since geocaching began in May 2000.”  This blog is an excellent summary of the Jasmer Challenge and goes into detail about how you can identify needed caches to compete missing months in your Jasmer Grid.  Check the blog out at HQ Blog: 2018-10, The Jasmer Challenge. You can find your Jasmer Grid, named  “Finds by hidden month”, in your Profile Stats in Project-GC (https://project-gc.com/Profile/ProfileStats). Here’s just a couple of observations about what makes the Jasmer Challenge so fun, interesting, … and challenging. As time marches on, there are fewer and fewer “oldies” or aged caches, placed between 2000 – 2004, still available to find.  These oldies are slowly being archived; never to … Continue reading →

Adoption of caches in National Park Service Geotours

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Help keep these iconic Geotours going! Mark Neuberger (Deepdish23) has requested NoVAGO reach out to area cachers to find volunteers to adopt caches in the Geotours. The following is a letter from him providing some background. The National Park Service in the Mid-Atlantic Region played an important part in the creating of the Geotour.  The first two Geotours that existed were the Star-Spangled Banner Geotour in 2011 and the Captain John Smith Geotour in 2012.  In 2018, the NPS along with the Chesapeake Conservancy helped in establishing the Find Your Chesapeake Geotour.  These Geotours brought geocaching to places that never allowed geocaching previously and brought geocachers from around the world to the Mid-Atlantic region. With the retirement of Cindy Chance at the National Park Service a few years ago, there has not been a replacement at the NPS that is watching over the three Geotours.  Myself and Chris (Awesnap) along … Continue reading →

NoVAGO – How to Get Started with Geocaching

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NoVAGO is excited to be part of the Handley Regional Library’s How‑To Fest! Join NoVAGO at our table for How to Get Started with Geocaching and a live presentation at 11:45 AM.📍 100 West Piccadilly St, Winchester, VA📅 Saturday, September 26🕙 Festival 10–1 | 🎤 Presentation 11:45–12:15If you’re curious about geocaching—or want to introduce a friend to the hobby—stop by and chat with us. We’d love to help you get started.2026 Handley Regional Library, How-To Fest! promoted on Facebook and Discord … Continue reading →

We challenge you to learn more about Challenge Caches!

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mcgmaraudersNoVAGO feature article writerTrevor has over 12,000 geocache finds from all around the globe. He also owns more than 140 hides, mostly in the Northern Virginia area. His favorite virtual find is the Lion Gate in Mycenae, Greece (pictured) “There was very little shade and it was 107 deg F, but the Lion Gate, erected in 1250 BC, was most definitely my favorite.” Do you enjoy Challenges caches as much as we do?! Would you like to locate these easily and determine if you already qualify? One easy-to-use tool is contained in Project-GC (https://project-gc.com/), if you have a paid membership*. On the opening page, tap on “Tools” in the top row, then find “Challenges” in the middle row of the dropdown menu, then tap on “Map of challenge caches”. The screenshot below shows filters for Fairfax County, VA but this can be set up for any location throughout the world. … Continue reading →

Mystery/Unknown/Puzzle Caches???

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Article written by: Gary [USMA77] Which is it; why so many names; and what are they?  This ‘type’ of geocache (cache) has a much wider range of uses than the other more narrowly defined ‘types’ of caches, such as Traditionals, Multicaches, Virtuals, etc. The “Your Statistics” tab in Geocaching.com identifies this cache ‘type’ as UNKNOWN Caches.  Project-GC stats labels them as MYSTERY Caches.  Geocaching.com defines MYSTERY Caches as follows: “Also called a ‘puzzle cache’, players might need to solve a puzzle or bring a special tool to reveal the next waypoint or final coordinates.  Most often, the final container is not at the posted coordinates which is noted in the cache description.” But Mystery/Unknown/Puzzle Caches can be so much more.  Here are some of the ways this ‘type’ of cache is used along the geocaching trail. Puzzles solved at home: Some final coordinates can be solved from home with puzzles … Continue reading →

NoVAGO 2026 Fall Picnic and Silent Auction

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📅 Log your will attend!🍂🐾 Join us for the NoVAGO Fall Picnic & Auction—a fun-filled day with friends, community, and our annual auction event! 📍 Bluemont Park N Manchester St & 4th St N, Arlington, VA 22203 📅 October 18, 2026 🕚 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM Published! NoVAGO’s 2026 Fall Picnic and Auction (GCBVB2M) The event page has been submitted and will published soon. Log Your Will Attend: Post your “Will Attend” log and mention what you’re planning to bring!🍁 Photography and Media Notice: By attending this event, you acknowledge that photographs, video recordings, and other media may be captured and used by NoVAGO for organizational, promotional, educational, historical, or archival purposes, including publication on websites, social media platforms, newsletters, and other communications. Silent Auction This is our biggest fundraiser of the year! To find out how to donate items, visit our other post on the topic: -> NoVAGO Fall Auction … Continue reading →

NoVAGO Fall Auction 2026

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October 12th is the date for NoVAGO’s Fall Auction at our annual picnic! From collectible geocoins to caching services or a day as your personal caching buddy, the possibilities are endless. Donations of items, services, or experiences from our members are essential to the auction’s success. Each bid directly supports our events, outreach, and resources for the geocaching community in Northern Virginia.

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NOVAGO’s 2025 Geocache Award Winners

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Winners of NOVAGO’s 2025 Geocache Awards Thanks to all those who took the time to send in nominations and also to those who voted. MrPsyduck, Schwandt and sedor18 graciously formed an awards committee and together conducted behind the scenes technical magic to make the process fair. Our very own President, hrothroc created certificates for our winners to go along with the traditional trackable tags. In addition hyperactivegirl provided laser ectched medallions. We gathered at the Hal and Berni Hanson Regional Park, Stone Ridge, Virginia for NoVAGO’s 2026 Spring Picnic & Cache Awards event (GCBJVA7). A huge thank‑you to the cachers who invested extra time and creativity into hides that stood out enough to earn nominations. And of course, cheers to this year’s winners! And the winners are… Best Traditional Cache GGCBDW57 – NoVAGO ‘25 OFTs: A Gadget Sampler  by rlobecker Best Mystery/Puzzle Cache GCBB7EQ – NoVAGO ‘25 OFTs: Electric Skateboarding … Continue reading →

NoVAGO Spring CITO – 2026

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🌱 NoVAGO Spring CITO – 2026 🌱 Join us on May 3 for an hour of giving back to the park we love to explore. 📍 Hal & Berni Hanson Regional Park Hanson Nature Center.⏰ 2:30–3:30 pm The log and bags will be available near the nature center. Bring your gloves, your geo‑crew, and your enthusiasm as we clean up the trails and help keep this beautiful space ready for future adventures. Every bit of effort makes a difference. Let’s show some NoVAGO pride and leave the park better than we found it. Log your will attend: NoVAGO Spring CITO – 2026 … Continue reading →