It’s been one hell of a geocaching year. Even though, as I type this, I’m a couple of caches short of 500 finds for 2017, which is in terms of numbers, my ‘worst’ year since I started caching in August 2013. However, I’m no longer inclined to think quantity is what constitutes a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ year. And 2017 was a great year of geocaching for me.

Denmark Jasmer run

In January, the muggle and I headed to Copenhagen for a weekend of sightseeing and, more importantly, some Jasmer hunting! I had never been to Denmark before and was delighted to add another country souvenir to my stats. We hired a car on our last day and flitted around the Danish countryside filling in some of my missing hidden months. The highlight was finding Kippers in the Jungle (Denmark’s first) in a frozen wood northwest of Copenhagen.

Discovering Poland

One of the many countries on my bucket list was Poland and in March, I finally got to visit when The Mother and I went to Gdańsk for a weekend. I didn’t know much about this historical city before arriving, but its beautiful architecture and rich history both surprised and delighted me. We also found a fantastic, hidden-in-plain-sight TB hotel (Gdansk TB Hotel, GC2EC67), which was one of my most memorable finds of the year.

3k at the Bruges mega

This year I hit my 3,000th milestone cache and since I was once again attending the Brugse Beer Mega in Belgium, I decided to make the event my special milestone. Crazy caching weekends with great friends always make fond memories and this trip was no different!

GeoNord

A last minute decision to spend a very short weekend in the north of France turned out to be an unexpectedly awesome trip. Great weather, great caches, great people and a trip in a tiny bi-plane – Geonord was definitely one of the best megas I have been to!

UK Mega

This year’s annual UK mega event brought us to Devon. It was a flying visit thanks to a little non-geocaching event called my wedding which was taking place just seven days later! We made the most of our fleeting stay, finding some amazing caches and exploring a small part of the Jurassic Coast.

FTF on my Wedding Day

Obviously, getting married was the absolute highlight of my 2017, but we’re talking geocaching highlights here, so I’ll include the FTF I managed to nab while in my wedding dress. Okay, okay, I may have been handed it in the reception room before it was actually placed nearby but I’m still counting it!

Geocaching HQ

I already logged the Geocaching HQ cache on my visit in 2015. Since then, I’ve gotten to know some of the lackeys a little better so it was great to meet in person. We even managed to do a little geocaching nearby!

Project A.P.E. Cache

At the start of the year, I never imagined I’d be able to add an A.P.E. cache to my finds for 2017! Not only was it amazing to add this rare cache type to my stats, it was an unforgettable experience walking through the Snoqualmie Tunnel!

Disneyland

Another highlight of our honeymoon in the U.S.A. was a trip to Disneyland in Anaheim. Not only did we thoroughly enjoy the inimitable magic of Disney, along with the thrill rides, we found no less than four virtual caches AND an EarthCache – the Happiest EarthCache on Earth – while we were in the Magic Kingdom!

Geocoinfest

The first mega event I attended outside of Europe, Geocoinfest was a very memorable experience, not least of all because of the iconic event location. The Queen Mary was our home for the night and it was undoubtedly the most unique hotel we’ve stayed in!

Desert Jasmer Adventure 

Arguably my most memorable find of 2017, Azucar Mine Cache in California was quite the adventure! Between warnings of rattlesnakes and open mine shafts, almost getting our rental car stuck on rocks and seeing some unidentified wildlife in the brush…. I will never forget this important Jasmer find!

Christmas Vibes in Munich & Salzburg 

A new tradition was born when we visited Munich and Salzburg to enjoy the Christmas markets. It was our last holiday of the year and a fabulous way to end a fantastic year of travelling and geocaching.

I have made so many geocaching memories this year and am looking forward to another great year ahead. Who knows what wonders await….!

What are your geocaching highlights of 2017?

Happy Caching!

Sarah

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