UNO!
By BeccaDay

When playing the game UNO it is required that you call out “uno!” when you have only one card to go before winning. So here’s me shouting out “uno!” with gusto as I am close to completing the Grandaddy of ‘em all, the Jasmer challenge.

Let’s back up…a while back geocaching.com suspended the creation of new Challenge Caches. Then a few weeks ago they sent out a survey as they undoubtedly trying to figure out what to do about that controversial issue. As I have spent plenty of time looking at challenge caches, and have even created one of my own GC3B5Z3, I thought I should give my opinion. I clicked on the link when I determined that I had the time to pour over all kinds of geocaching scenarios and began the survey.

It seemed a bit tedious at times, but I pushed on. The questions gave me the opportunity to ponder many of my finds and my motivation for caching. Certainly, all of us would answer this differently, but I can say that challenges have added to my enjoyment of the game.

Early in my geocaching days someone mentioned the D/T or Fizzy challenge (GC23R28 is one of several). This is where you find at least one cache in every of the 81 Difficulty/Terrain combinations. As I started paying attention I noticed that many of the higher-terrain caches in Wisconsin involve boats of some kind. This realization sent me paddling down memory lane and how much fun I’d had with my brother and parents paddling down rivers and across lakes. Inspiration struck! I was determined to give my own children this experience and I set about looking for an affordable canoe. Money was tight so finding one to purchase took a while but we rented canoes a few times until the right opportunity presented itself. I must say, this led to many awesome adventures with the family. Would we have had these experiences had a geocache not inspired me? Maybe. But nonetheless, it was my inspiration and we’ve had a blast on the water!

Another challenge that caught my eye was the Wisconsin Weirdness Challenge GC2M3MW. When it first published I didn’t have a single find on the bookmark list. But the odd and interesting roadside attractions listed got me excited! It took us about 3 years to complete but our family had so much fun! People are often impressed by the strange and weird things we’ve seen and I am always up for that sort of silly foolishness.

I didn’t grow up in Wisconsin, I spent most of my childhood in the west. Visiting the WI state parks all the Wisconsin counties appealed to me. In fact, my kids and I resolved to do this before we had even discovered geocaching. This year I completed the WGA State Parks Series, finding at least one cache in every WI State Park. What an experience! I feel like I have learned more about WI history and geography than I may have in elementary school classes. I could also call out “Uno” on the county challenge GC15WT3, as Burnett County has eluded me so far. I am determined to finish that one off in 2016.

I am one of those geocachers who prefer the walks in the woods to the power trails. I have especially enjoyed the older caches that I’ve encountered over the years. When I first found out about the Jasmer challenge GC2PR1X, I was intrigued. The Jasmer Challenge asks that you find a geocache placed in every month of every year since geocaching began in 2000. I ran a PQ and thought I’d check out my progress just for fun. I can’t remember exactly how many spots I had open but it wasn’t too high of a number, impressive since I didn’t start geocaching until 2010. At first I didn’t give it too much thought but kept it in the back of my mind when we were visiting new places. Eventually, the desire to finish off this momentous challenge took hold. I started pouring over bookmark lists and running PQ’s around the country to find qualifying caches. Of course, those elusive 2000 and 2001 caches were the most difficult to find and required some planning. Maybe it’s silly to care when a geocache was placed, but because of this challenge I have gone to places I likely wouldn’t have and had some really cool experiences. During a visit to Colorado I hiked a trail near our cabin that brought me to such breathtaking views and eventually to an old one-room cabin foundation GC1B7. I got to introduce a bunch of family members at my reunion to geocaching on this trip and they were very intrigued. When I visited Arizona for my cousin’s wedding I was able to find 2 of the remaining 3 open spots. Both were beautiful but Geocache GC57 really made me feel like I was exploring Arizona as I hiked nearly 4 miles in the desert, surrounded by giant saguaros, without a trail, all by myself. I could go on and on because any of the old, classic caches I’ve found have been exceptional experiences. The last spot I need to fill is August 2000, which I may be able to get in Georgia over spring break.

Another aspect of challenge caches that I enjoy is the camaraderie between other geocachers and myself. By sharing my progress at events, on the WGA website or on social media, other geocachers get to hear about my goals and share their own experience. I’ve gotten encouraging messages and I’ve also cheered on others who were working on their own goals. It’s led to many great interactions and helped me build friendships, another aspect of geocaching that I treasure. I’ve even been called a Fellow Weirdo after completing the WI Weirdness Challenge, which was flattering, believe it or not!

I hope that geocaching.com can figure out what to do with them, I’ll try to roll with their decision after they’ve made it. There are plenty of challenges that don’t interest me at all so I wouldn’t mind if they go. But then again, you never know what might interest your fellow geocacher and what experiences they may get out of their journey to challenge completion.  And if you see me at an event or even on social media, feel free to cheer me on as I try and finish off the Jasmer challenge.  Maybe you have a challenge you’re working on as well and would like to share your experiences?

Happy caching!
BeccaDay