In our effort to inspire outdoor play through Geocaching, we are often faced with decisions about what to focus on next, and what to focus on less. It is through these decisions that we explore opportunities to grow the global game of Geocaching.
Occasionally, during this process, we are faced with the reality that certain ideas don't catch on as we had hoped. In these situations we owe it to ourselves and to you to make tough decisions about the future of every project and the resources to be applied to each. Sometimes, as a result, cool features must become casualties.
In this spirit, we have decided to retire Geocaching Challenges.
This means that, effective today, we have disabled the ability to create new Challenges. We have also removed the Challenges application from all mobile application stores. In approximately 7 days, we will be removing all traces of the Challenges functionality and related content from Geocaching.com.
On an office wall here at HQ is a sign that reads, "Let's make better mistakes tomorrow." By accepting that we will sometimes get it wrong, we can allow ourselves to learn from and imagine new opportunities in the world of Geocaching. Our hope is we can take the lessons from Challenges and create better tools to guide you on your next adventure.
For me, it is a little bit disappointing. I did enjoy doing a few. But I don't feel the whole setup originally was as well thought out as it could of been, and as there has been no new development on them for a long time, it has come as no great surprise of this decision.
Because there are different cachers on each site and I just post stuff on both when it effects all cachers but I do try and write each, rather than copy 'n' paste
What's the point of us posting the same on both sites
As has already been answered, because not everyone is on both sides.
When it comes to challenges, if anyone does want to do some, you just need to log on to a different listing site. The following are among the new challenges published for the recent EAG Gallant Soldiers and Poppies event:
Scarlet Pimpernel - Across the globe, there are markers placed for latitude and longitude. However, rarely are these markers placed according to the WGS84 datum we geocachers are used to. To claim this cache, you need to first take a photo of you and/or your GPS at the latitude/longitude marker and post the co-ordinates of the marker (according to your GPSr) with your log. Then, attempt to reach that latitude/longitude with your GPSr, and take a photo of your GPSr showing that reading. If it is not possible to reach the latitude/longitude, take a photo of the GPSr reading as close as possible, and explain in your log why you were unable to get closer. Only one "find" per marker, please!
Badman - To claim this LC, you must find a village lock-up - a small building historically used for the temporary detention of people until they could be removed to a town (or, as was often the case, until they sobered up overnight). Please have a photo taken of you at the lock-up, and ensure you look either as criminal or as drunk as possible. Facial expression, pose and clothing should all in some way help you achieve this, and one final prop will round things off nicely. You must be wearing handcuffs! (No, I'm not kidding - handcuffs are compulsory to log this cache!) Please identify which village the lock-up is in, and provide co-ordinates. Only one find per lock-up please!
Stinking Chamomile - To claim this LC, you must find a statue which is both rare, and of someone now historically considered in less than glowing terms. As an example, there are only four statues of Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell, in the United Kingdom. Please have a photo taken of you with the statue, and ensure you look as villainous as possible. Facial expression, pose and clothing should all in some way show that (for the purposes of this photo, at least) you are not a nice person! You must also give a small history of the person memoralised by the statue, and why they are not well thought of; and also (if possible) the number of statues known to exist, to show the rarity. Please also provide co-ordinates. Only one find per statue!
Wallflowers (Pargeting) - Pargeting is the traditional art of decorative or ornamental plastering. Pargeting is a form of wall sculpture often seen between the studwork on the outside of half-timber houses but sometimes covers a whole wall. Theses often contain pictures of flowers or animals. Traditionally, pargeting was modelled in lime plaster and was highly fashionable from its introduction by Henry VIII in the 15th century until about 1780. The decoration, using lime plaster, can be applied to both exterior and interior walls, chimney breasts and ceilings. Designs are traditionally incised, combed, moulded, stamped or modelled freehand. Later examples can still be found throughout the country; most frequently, but not exclusively, on timber framed buildings. Today it is mainly found in the Eastern counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, although isolated examples can be seen elsewhere around the world. Famous examples are ‘The Ancient House’, Ipswich, Suffolk; ‘Bishop Bonner’s Cottage’, Dereham, Norfolk; ‘The Ancient House’, Clare, Suffolk; 'The Sun Inn’, Saffron Walden, Essex. Your task is to find a pargeted building and take a photo of yourself with GPS showing. A close up of the detail would be nice too. Post coordinates of where you found it.
Though I was referring to sites not sides, and not sites as in listing sites, sites as in the CacheWalker forum and this one, both of which had the same thread with the same people posting on
Well done to walktall for being FTF on my Mild in May locationless cache/challenge!
SoccerFanatics (who is FTF on most of my LCs) has been searching for a mild since the cache was published, but being in America his job is quite a bit harder than for cachers in the UK. SoccerFanatics has now visited several Austin Powered breweries, in the hope of finding a mild - but as yet, his quest remained unfulfilled. (And we're now halfway through the month, so he's running out of time to log the cache this year!)
SoccerFanatics (who is FTF on most of my LCs) has been searching for a mild since the cache was published, but being in America his job is quite a bit harder than for cachers in the UK.
Well it's good someone else got there first but I can well believe it's a bit of a search in America. I wonder how many blanks faces they've had asking for a mild
I see that my post somehow moved! I thought it quite appropriate to have been posted where it was, but so be it. It is a congratulory post after all! Congratulations once more!
As for the blank faces, not too many. Merritt (SoccerFanatics) thought he might well get blank faces if he went to a regular bar, so he restricted his search to "Austin Powered" breweries and brewpubs - knowing they would be far more likely to help, having had help from UK brewers. In fact, a couple of the brewers he met were British, so knew exactly what he was after - though were unable to help. The majority of craft breweries in the US appear to favour high alcohol pale ales, it seems.
(I was sort of hoping a Brit would be first to find "Austin Powered", but as soon as it was published, Merritt was letting me know he would be FTF! )
I see that my post somehow moved! I thought it quite appropriate to have been posted where it was, but so be it. It is a congratulory post after all!
Sorry, I moved the post as I thought OP "RIP Challenges" wasn't very much in relation to this, so thought it was best to make a thread of its own for it Hope you don't mind, if so, I (or walk tall/Gackt) will happily move it back