Spring Announcements From the NoVAGO President

It is a genuine privilege to have the opportunity to lead this wonderful group this year. Our community of geocachers is truly special—filled with people who enjoy sharing good times and supporting one another. I believe many members have developed lasting friendships along the way. I warmly welcome all the new names in the logbook and encourage everyone to feel comfortable reaching out to seasoned geocachers for hints and assistance. Most of us simply want to share how much fun and enjoyment this hobby can bring. Our May 10th NoVAGO’s 2025 Spring Picnic & Cache Awards Community Celebration Event, held at Franklin Park in Purcellville, was a time to show appreciation for those among us who elevate the hobby for the enjoyment of all. Each year, we ask our members to nominate their favorites from the year before. The Cache Awards Committee sorts through the nominations, and then we vote. … Continue reading

2025 NoVAGO Spring Picnic Photos

2025 NoVAGO Spring Picnic Photos On May 10, 2025, we came together in Purcellville, Virginia, for the NoVAGO Spring Picnic and Awards event. Despite a breezy start, the sunshine and pleasantly mild temperatures set the stage for a perfect gathering of cachers. The event brought together a diverse crowd, spanning all experience levels and ages, from newcomers to seasoned veterans. Our masters of ceremonies, MrPsyduck and Schwandt put on their tuxes and hats to recognize the 2024 Cache Award Winners. DVC1 (Decoy Dave) provided pictures uploaded to the shared 2025 NoVAGO Spring Picnic and Awards Google Album. He took the time to rename the files with the cachers names, which may be viewed by selecting the information icon. Comments maybe added to the photos. Many dedicated volunteers helped make this event happen, but it was the attendees who truly made it a success. Thanks to all who participated! … Continue reading

The 2025 NoVAGO Pathtags are available for sale at the Spring Picnic.

Pathtag contest winner: Awesnap Thanks to the cachers who participated in the 2025 NoVAGO Pathtag Survey! Given the high demand, we will initially limit purchases to 10 pathtags per cacher, ensuring everyone has a chance to buy and support NoVAGO. The pathtags will be available for purchase, on a first come first serve basis, at the NoVAGO Spring Picnic [GCAXFZX] in Franklin Park, Purcellville on May 10th. The price will be 2 for $5.00.  Payments can be made via cash or credit card. A processing fee will apply to credit card transactions to maximize the sale. Cash Sale: 2/$5, 4/$10, 6/$15, 8/$20, 10/$25 Credit Sale: 2/$5.45, 4/$10.60, 6/$15.75, 8/$20.90, 10/$26.05 Following the picnic, officers will have pathtags available for purchase, accepting cash payments exclusively. … Continue reading

Caching in the DMV – a Discord “forum”

The NoVAGO Board has launched a Discord server, Caching in the DMV, to foster community engagement. We deeply appreciate spaberspark77 (Zack) for his role as an administrator, guiding us through its core features. This platform offers enhanced security and operates like a forum, increasing visibility and interaction within NoVAGO. Our goal is to evaluate its potential for a broader audience. While it’s not intended to replace Facebook or WhatsApp groups, it provides an alternative for those who prefer non-Meta apps. We plan to utilize this server for Geowoodstock XXI communications, ensuring everyone knows when and where to meet for a group photo. If successful, we envision it evolving into a space for sharing caching tips, collaborating on caching adventures, and recognizing standout log entries and creative cache pages. Interested in joining? Reach out to me, TrexM8s (Monica Lynch), via Geocaching or Facebook apps, and I’ll provide a private link. Feel … Continue reading

The 2025 NoVAGO Pathtags have arrived!

Pathtag contest winner: Awesnap Last year we had a Pathtag contest and several designs were submitted. The community voted for Awesnap’s cardinal design as the winner. NoVAGO is excited to announce the sale of these exclusive pathtags as a fundraiser to support our picnics, awards, and other group activities. With two highly anticipated events on the horizon—GeoWoodstock on May 24 and the DMV Block Party on September 20—we expect demand to be higher than usual. These events feature pathtag trading, making them a perfect opportunity for cachers to use the NoVAGO tags as a trading option. Please fill out this survey to help us fairly share and boost participation at these big events. You’ll see that we’ve capped it at 10 path tags per person to keep things fair. There’s also a question about your plans for using the NoVAGO pathtags at GeoWoodstock, which will help us understand how many … Continue reading

Nominees for NOVAGO’s 2024 Geocache Awards

Nominees for NOVAGO’s 2024 Geocache Awards Thanks to all those who took the time to send in nominations. While not all nominations were able to make the final cut, we were impressed with every suggestion. The hardworking awards committee have compiled the caches on this list from the very best of 2024. We invite all geocachers to go out and find as many of these wonderful caches as possible. For a geocaching friendly list, CLICK HERE. Voting has closed for the NoVAGO 2024 Geocache Awards. If you would like to change your ballot before the April 15th, deadline, email: awards@novago.org and a special link to your ballot will be provided. Winners will be announced at our NoVAGO’s 2025 Spring Picnic & Cache Awards Event on May 10th in Purcellville. Without further ado, here are the nominees: Best Traditional Cache GCAK199  – Arlington FLAG by TheUnstealthy Monkey GCAPFVZ – LPC: Inception … Continue reading

NoVAGO Board Meetings and Minutes

NOTICE: As indicated in the NoVAGO Bylaws, members are encouraged to participate in Board meetings, along with the Officers and Directors that make up the board. The Board meets virtually every month on the third Wednesday. If you would like to attend, please reach out to officers@novago.org, and you will be sent the link and the agenda.  Meeting minutes are posted to the website forum. Minutes from the 2025 NoVAGO Board meetings can be found here: Link Your involvement helps us create a stronger community! … Continue reading

Nominations for the 2024 Awards are now Open!

Nominations will be accepted until February 28th. Each year NoVAGO honors some of the best caches that were placed in Northern Virginia. Nominations are an opportunity for you to recognize the efforts of your fellow NoVAGO cachers who have placed hides that you have enjoyed. This list is meant to help you think of some of the best geocaches you found last year. Any questions about the 2024 awards should be sent to awards@novago.org Click here to submit nominations: CACHE AWARD NOMINATION FORM Further instructions are included on the form. The categories are listed below. For a description refer to the post: 2024 NoVAGO Award Categories -Printable worksheet to plan your nominations before heading to the nomination form: MyCacheNomination.pdf Cache Type: Best Traditional Cache Best Mystery/Puzzle Cache Best Multicache Best Letterbox Hybrid Cache Best Earthcache Best Virtual Best Wherigo Cache of the Year Best Theme/Series by Specialty: Best Container Best Cache … Continue reading

2024 NoVAGO Award Categories

Each year NoVAGO honors some of the best caches that were placed in Northern Virginia. Nominations are an opportunity for you to recognize the efforts of your fellow NoVAGO cachers who have placed hides that you have enjoyed. This list is meant to help you think of some of the best geocaches you found last year. For the 2024 NoVAGO Awards, nominations will be solicited for the following categories. Some changes have been introduced for some categories. Make sure that you refresh your understanding of the categories before submitting your nominations. Also, please note that none of these categories are required to be awarded each year. Cache type awards may be combined after the nomination period. -Printable worksheet to plan your nominations before heading to the nomination form: MyCacheNomination.pdf 2024 NoVAGO Cache Award Category Descriptions Cache Type: Best Traditional Cache – The familiar green box on the map, which one … Continue reading

Now in Planning… “Celebrating 25 Years of Geocaching in the DMV” event

Now in Planning… “Celebrating 25 Years of Geocaching in the DMV” event Scheduled for September 20th, 2025, this event is a combined effort of both MGS and NoVAGO. Everyone is welcome! Please log your will-attend. If there are enough people in attendance, the event may be granted Block Party status. … Continue reading