Geocachers' Creed

1. Not endanger myself or others
2. Observe all laws & rules of the area
3. Respect property rights and seek permission where appropriate
4. Avoid causing disruptions or public alarm
5. Minimize my and others' impact on the environment
6. Be considerate of others
7. Protect the integrity of the game pieces

• Be aware of criminal elements, and avoid areas where your instincts tell you that it is unsafe.

• When engaging with officials representing the land owners, show respect. There are incidents in the past which have been racist of nature or dismissal of authority, disrupting the peaceful nature of the rest of the geocaching community causing a tarnishing of the game in South Africa.

• Do not claim a “First to Find” unless you did all the necessary work to find the geocache after it was hidden, and be sure that you were really first. Being there first is a challenge that people enjoy, so be honest about it.
• Because of the sensitivity of “First to Find” it is also reasonable for a geocacher to log a short online found log or written note to be transparent to others that they have been to the cache and found it.

• As the Cache Owner, be vigilant regarding any changes to the difficulty of the geocache. The listed values for the difficulty and terrain should reflect the reality of the geocache – and preferably should not change. For example, changing the puzzle in a mystery cache changes the experience that subsequent geocachers would have when trying to solve the puzzle.
• Log the geocache and trackable with the correct date.
• Do not share answers to puzzle caches. Some geocachers don’t want any help, and some may ask for small hints. Very few will want to find a cache without being able to follow the listed instructions in the description.
• If one can not find the cache, that does not mean that it is missing. Rather do not just replace the cache without the owner’s permission.

Virtual Rewards

We ended August with the exciting news that Geocaching HQ announced the release of Virtual Rewards, a project to reward some of geocaching’s great contributors, while also introducing a limited number of new Virtual Caches for the enjoyment of the entire geocaching community.  Read all about the details here.

Given that we haven't got many of the little smiley ghost icons that represent virtual caches in South Africa at the moment, this was very exciting news.  We are waiting in great anticipation to see who earned a reward and where they will use them.  There are already (at time of going to publication) 3 new virtual geocaches in South Africa, and hopefully many more on the way.  Catch the full list here...

Tripod the GeoDog

Tripod is a Miniature Japanese Fox terrier. Tripod as a tiny puppy of only a few days old was brought to our local vet to be euthanized after his mother chewed off most of his left lower hind leg. Instead of putting it down the vet decided to try for an amputation, not knowing if it would be successful on a tiny and young puppy as Tripod.

The day after the operation dolosC was at the vet picking up one of our own dogs. Hearing the vet talking about the tiny little puppy, dolosC wanted to know more and when she saw the tiny creature, there and then adopted the tiny puppy and brought it home. At home the puppy promptly became TRIPOD.

For the first week or so Tripod had to be fed both food and water from a syringe every two hours (day and night) and then every four hours etc. That meant that Tripod also had to go to work with dolos during the day and “pajama drills” at night. In the beginning it was touch and go to keep him alive, but the little guy showed great fighting spirit and every day he grew stronger and his little eyes showed a keenness to live.

Tripod grew up with his two Jack Russell friends Ruby and Buks which are only about eight months older than him. They play very rough with him and he has to stand his ground, which he does with a sharp little growl. Tripod is a little more careful around Jubal our older Jack Russell and very “catfoot” around Miloh our three legged (another tri-paw) cat.

Tripod functions as any normal dog would and he does not know that he is different. He plays fetch with his ball and runs very fast and can even keep up with Buks! He can swim the doggie paddle and has been knocked rolling by the waves at Kleinzee.

Tripod became a caching dog with his own Travel Tag (TB TRIPOD) and has travelled to Kimberley, Jan Kempdorp, Kleinzee, Port Nolloth, Ottosdal and Rustenburg and has cached with dolos all along the way. Tripod has become a regular at geocaching events and even shares the rooftop tent with dolos at sleepovers. Tripod has attended the Tswaing Crater Sleepover event and trotted most of the way during the hike. When Tripod gets tired dolosC puts him in her rucksack. His favorite spot remains on dolosC’s lap where he can give soft kisses to dolos.

Tripod also knows when it is time to jump in the car for a ride when we call him by his nicknames “Tri-Tri” or “Tritjie”, but he does not like his walking harness and prefers to be free to run around unobstructed. Tripod is definitely the most spoiled member of the dolos household and reminds dolos that one can overcome most anything with a bit of love, trust and will to succeed.

Article submitted by dolos

CITO Weeks 2016

Mega 2016

Cape Town 2016 (GC5YRDE) is the next South African Mega-Event. For the latest news and updates about this exciting event, you can:

• like the SA Geocaching Events Facebook group
• follow their Twitter Feed at @GeocacheEventZA
• visit the www.capetown2016.co.za website to register to attend the event and to get the full activity program. Early bird tickets and various items of Mega gear are already on sale and the Mega Geocoin will be shortly.

Film Festival 2016

The Geocaching International Film Festival is back for the fourth year in a row.

The GIFF 2016 theme is Story Worthy Moments. Groundspeak are asking you to think of your most noteworthy, most exceptional geocaching stories...and get them on camera.

Submit your film by August 1, 2016 for the chance to have it viewed by a worldwide geocaching audience.  Find out more.