With the Year of the Hide fully underway, it’s time to show our appreciation to those cache owners who go above and beyond to create memorable hides for the geocaching community. One way to do this is by writing a thoughtful and kind log to achieve your smiley and let the cache owner know how much you enjoyed the experience!

Did you know that you can vote on the logs that you find especially helpful or entertaining? In 2021, we introduced a new log upvote feature that allows players to highlight the most “Helpful” logs or choose the logs they think feature a “Great story.” We wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the more thoughtful logs and the players who took the time to write them!

• Geocacher RikuVerneri recounts the story of how they accidentally found the newly-published GC9JNX1–even though it had fallen to the wrong place:

“In the words of a geo-colleague, ‘Yes, a monk did.’ We were… skiing and hiding in Kuttajärvi. At this point they stopped to admire the cliffs, and they recalled how about 40 years ago they went with a few guys to jump from the cliffs into the water.

Then he suddenly noticed something that turned out to be a cache. There wasn’t supposed to be a container here, so then there were many questions: the final container of a Multi or a Mystery? A cache that hasn’t even been published? Not when this is a just released cache! What was the abbreviation that the first finder puts? How is this cache in such a place?

At home, I then read the cache description and log, and it turned out that the cache was not in the right place. Do you accept this FTF for me, even though I found it by accident and in the wrong place?!
Thanks to the cache!”

• GeoDog74 had the best. day. ever. when finding GC9D6YQ:

“…I must say this is probably the most impressive gadget/TB Hotel that I’ve ever come across. The construction and vision that went into it is mind blowing indeed! I discovered a whole bunch of TB’s and added three more that I’ve been lugging around. Just when I thought things couldn’t be any cooler, Jason turned it up to ELEVEN! First he awarded me with an awesome Colorado geocoin that I won after one of his reveal videos, I couldn’t believe it!

I have never won anything in my life and I refused to accept it until he showed me proof of my winning comment on his video. Next he gifted me a cool Igonotus Peverell trackable. Then he topped that by sharing his impressive geocoin collection! Finally I couldn’t resist the urge to add a few new geocoins to my personal collection, that I purchased from him. All in all it was a lovely day to be alive in this great state of Colorado.

If I could give this Cache 1 MILLION Favorite points I would, but sadly I’m only allotted one. It was a real treat solving this, and I had a blast hanging out with you two plus Rino! Thanks again for all that you do for this crazy hobby, and the Geocaching community, and thanks for the best geocache I’ve found in a long time!!”

• GC9K4G1 encourages finders to share the story of their username. Player FranCo_bain shares how their name came to be:

“Today with Cache_Less the cache ‘Geocacher – what does your name mean?’ Visited at 6:19 p.m. and spotted after a short time!

The riddle was quickly solved, even without help and although none of the clubs cover any of my passions!

My name also comes from my youth. Back when the three of us founded the famous band WTF (you don’t know them!?!?), we mainly played cover songs by the rather unknown band Nirvana. This led to me getting a nickname in school similar to that of the original band’s lead singer… Fame passed, the band broke up, my nickname stuck. These two months were really intense :o)

And yes, my name is way too long for all the Nanos in town…

Thanks Abunadh61 and Jelleri for laying out and maintaining this tin, the idea is fun and I keep catching myself going through the logs in the cache and reading the name origin stories.”

• Extreme geocacher Marthijn. tells the epic story of how their team conquered the 5/5 climbing Multi, GC9JVFR:

“…Around half past eleven we gather at the parking area, from where we walk with a group towards the playing field. Soon we spot the first containers and we fly in all directions. Luckily I had 2 ropes with me, one of which quickly disappeared with a group of other climbers. Throw lines turned out to be a scarcity, as Met218 (mainly) ran back and forth with throw lines.

In this way we continued steadily, now and then we called down some info and went to the next tree.

In the end we are left with two options, one of which seems to dissipate quickly. After a lot of squinting, we climb a few more trees in the hopes of really being able to cross off one of the options, and we hear ‘I SEE IT!’. The laser pointer helps to locate it for everyone and we start trying to get the throw line in place. My own catapult doesn’t seem to make it in terms of height, but luckily there are more around! We pull the rope over a nice armpit from where the cache seems to be accessible.

Since there is no one else with as much energy (secretly I don’t anymore) I decide to start the climb. On the third branch I already start to feel the climbing from today, but halfway through, the muscles cooperate a bit again and I am at the top in no time.
To all COs: Thank you very much for this great challenge! A well-deserved Favorite point is in order :)”

• TheTreeWhisperer writes of their harrowing journey on the quest to find GC9N7NR! Their introduction alone helps to set the scene for the adventure that was about to transpire:

“After hearing many tales around campfires of a mysterious cache, long published but never found, I found myself roaming the sleepy roads near Bookham with the hope that maybe one day I would come face to face with this curious object and the blank logbook within.

After a pilgrimage lasting many minutes and with spirits running low I found myself passing under a bridge. As I entered the late afternoon shadow cast by the monolith, I felt a change in the atmosphere – maybe I had chanced upon another lonely cacher who was traversing the globe in search of blank logbooks?

Looking carefully around I saw no evidence of any living creature, then with a glance upwards I spied a remarkable sight indeed! Could this be my quarry? The fabled unfound cache that I feared was but a myth? Cruelly, the glinting beauty I had spied was hopelessly beyond my reach – high over a raging torrent of water…”

These logs are only a few of many that have brought a smile to cache owners’ faces and inspired them to continue creating inspiring hides. We give a big thank you to all the cachers who have shown their appreciation in log form and a big round of applause to those cache owners who strive to make unforgettable memories for the geocaching community. You are the reason geocaching exists, and we couldn’t do it without you!

Want to learn more about how to use log upvotes? Check out our Geocaching Blog for a full run-down on how this feature works!

*Author’s note: Many of these logs have been translated into English. Please understand that some of the content may have been slightly altered in the translation process.

Source: Geocaching