Geocaching 101 Class in Winchester, September 28, 2024

Want to learn more about geocaching? Join NoVAGO at the Handley Regional Library in Winchester on Saturday, September 28, 2024. There will be a “Geocaching 101” presentation at 12 noon hosted by NoVAGO’s president, Gina Thompson. There will be a scavenger hunt inside the library to get you in the mood. Local geocachers will be on hand from 11am-3pm to answer questions. All geocachers are invited to attend the event, whether this is your first “find” or you have thousands under your belt. We look forward to meeting you! Visit the Handley Regional Library website for more info. … Continue reading

Geocaching 101, Alexandria, June 17th

Geocaching 101, Alexandria, June 17th If you are just getting started with geocaching and want to learn more, please join us at the Martha Washington Library two weeks from today on June 17th. This Geocaching 101 class is perfect for beginners but open for all. It is also a geocache event, so you may log it as ‘attended’ when you come. The library’s page: https://librarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov/event/11900028 The geocache event page: https://coord.info/GCAR0C7 … Continue reading

Virtual Rewards 4.0

Virtual Rewards 4.0 Virtual caches do not have a physical container and are designated on the Geocaching.com maps as ghosts.  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.” Coordinates are given for an interesting or unique location, typically with a described object such as an art sculpture, historical landmark or a scenic lookout. Validation for finding a virtual cache generally requires emailing information to the cache owner, and/or to post a picture of yourself with your log.  From 2005 to 2017, the geocaching website no longer permitted the placement of new caches without a physical container, … Continue reading

Spotlighting DC Boundary Stones in Virginia

Spotlighting DC Boundary Stones in Virginia International Day For Monuments and Sites (April 18, 2024) #spotlightcache Today we are spotlighting geocaches placed along the DC Boundary Stones in Virginia. They are listed in this article from north to south. The country’s first federal monuments were stone markers placed in 1791 on the original boundary of the new capital city. These boundary stones were the brainchild of George Washington to mark out the border. There were originally 40 markers, one for each mile of the 10 x 10-mile diamond plat of land. As you go through these geocache pages, you’ll learn a little more about the unique history of these federal markers, as many of these cache owners have really done their homework. DC Cornerstone (GC6781) The most northern of Virginia’s boundary stones that is accessible to the public, “DC Cornerstone” is one of the four cornerstones. When you are in … Continue reading

DNF versus Needs Maintenance

(Originally published August 13, 2013) So what do you do when you are out in the field and cannot find a cache ?? Well, if you are out on your own or with others who have not found the cache, you should be logging the attempt as a DNF (Did not Find). The DNF is a tool that is used by the cache owner (CO) to help them to maintain their caches. Several DNFs in a row are a strong indicator that there is something amiss with a cache. Of course, the other possibility is that the cache is very well hidden and is just not being found. In either case, it is the cache owner’s responsibility to check on it and verify it is in place or fix it if it is not. So how does a Needs Maintenance Log fit into the picture ?? The requirement for a … Continue reading

Geocaching 101 Class in Winchester, September 23, 2023

Want to learn more about geocaching? Join NoVAGO at the Handley Regional Library in Winchester on Saturday, September 23, 2023. There will be a “Geocaching 101” presentation at 11am hosted by NoVAGO’s president, Gina Thompson. The presentation will also be an official geocaching event (GCACYZZ) so be sure to sign the log book! There will be a scavenger hunt inside the library to get you in the mood. Local geocachers will be on hand from 10am-4:30pm to answer questions. All geocachers are invited to attend the event, whether this is your first “find” or you have thousands under your belt. We look forward to meeting you! Visit the Handley Regional Library website for more info. To go to directly to the event page, CLICK HERE. … Continue reading

Geocaching ABCs – A Guide for Beginners

A – Attributes – know what to expect before you look for a cache. Full list of attributes on geocaching.com. B – Bison Tube – the ubiquitous little pill holder used in many micro hides. The log should be rolled up and placed in the cap, not in the bottom. C – Cache-in-Trash-Out (CITO) – this follows the geocacher’s creed of leaving a place cleaner than when you found it. Join an official CITO event for group clean ups. You can find this special kind of event on your geocaching map or by checking out the local listings on NoVAGO.org D – DNF – this means ‘Did Not Find.’ It is appropriate to log a DNF after you’ve made a good effort to find a cache. It might feel like a defeat, but it can be helpful to other geocachers and the owner to know that it might be missing. … Continue reading

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Help With Mystery Caches

Sunday, January 29th is #NationalPuzzleDay Help With Mystery Caches Do you typically avoid those blue circles with question marks on the map? You may be missing a lot of fun solving the puzzles so here are a few tips that may assist you. If you can identify the type of puzzle, then “GeocachingToolbox.com. All geocaching tools a geocacher needs in one box.” can be a big help. For example, “what3words” is common in mysteries. This tool enables users to enter the 3 words that define the co-ordinates – and it even shows the location on a map. GC8MVT7 uses this technique, but can you find the 3 words? The Toolbox can also be used if you are asked to project a waypoint given the distance and angle (but be careful to use the correct units of measure!). It’s always a good idea when looking at a Mystery page to check … Continue reading


Geocaching.com Drops Benchmarking

Geocaching.com Drops Benchmarking Geocaching HQ made an announcement on October 17, 2022 that they will be dropping Benchmarking from the website. As part of their page updates, all logs will be removed. Owners who wish to save this information should do so as soon as possible. In addition, all challenge caches that require benchmark finds will be archived. Benchmark finds will stay in user statistics, so that others can know that you logged some before they were gone. The official announcement was hidden in the release notes within the forums. You can read it it here. Geocaching HQ is recommending that users who wish to continue logging benchmarks do so by moving to their sister site, Waymarking.com So, why the change? The code is old and will be too burdensome to update to make it work with the rest of the site. Honestly, it has been on borrowed time for … Continue reading

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Getting Permissions to Place Caches: Be a Good Neighbor

Getting Permissions to Place Caches Be a Good Neighbor #NationalGoodNeighborDay (September 28) Did you know that one of the missions of the Northern Virginia Geocaching Organization is to promote local land use policies when placing their geocaches? Our local reviewers, YetAnotherReviewer and CardinalReviewer, help maintain a geocaching wiki page where you can find many of Virginia’s localities and their policies. Remember to always seek out permission when placing your caches. You can find that link here: https://wiki.groundspeak.com/display/GEO/Virginia