1. How long have you been geocaching?
I started in April 2015, so it’s two and a half years now.
2. How did you find out about it?
I read about it in the off-topic section of an online forum about chillis I’m active in. It sounded fun, I checked it out and luckily there was a geocache about 250 m away from home. It got me hooked ever since… (we all know that… 🙂 )
3. What should every geocacher try at least once?
Do something “crazy”. This depends on the individual: visit countries you’ve never seen before, try out climbing/diving, maybe go on a longer hike. The main point is: Have fun!
4. What aspect of geocaching do you like most?
Being outside. I’m not the puzzle solver, I’m more comfortable being in the woods or hiking through scenic landscapes, exploring nature. And I love Earthcaches. 🙂
5. What aspect do you really dislike?
Having to carry too much gear… 😀 there are ladders, long poles, lamps, tweezers, and so on. And if the final is located somewhere remotely all that stuff can get heavy.
6. What geocaching adventures are on your bucket list?
Oh, quite a few: Someday I want to finish my Jasmer grid (it’s filling up very slowly now), visit the US, GCHQ and at least the resurrected APE cache. Apart from that: visiting new countries and eventually completing the Fizzy grid.
7. What type were the last three caches you found?
Multi, puzzle, trad
8. What piece of geocaching kit could you not live without?
Okay, leaving pens aside: gloves and tweezers. Those two I carry around almost every time and there have been several occasions where I needed them.
9. Do you prefer to cache alone or in a group?
It is more fun in a group of cachers, but usually I’m hunting alone or my semi-muggle-wife joins me.
10. Challenge caches: love ’em or hate ’em?
Neither. I log them if I can fulfill them, and rarely I’m working on a specific one. But most of them I simply ignore.
11. What is the best geocaching gift you ever received?
Several beautiful geocoins and my stamp.
12. Who is your geocaching ‘partner in crime’?
Usually I’m out alone. If not, my wife joins me, sometimes I’m out on special trips with my parents (who I brought into the game… :D).
13. Which geocaching blogs/vlogs/podcasts do you consume?
Not that much and not very regularly. But if: The Geocaching Junkie, GeoPaul Vlogs, The Geocaching Podcast, and once in a while the Geocaching Vlogger.
14. What’s the funniest thing that has happened to you while geocaching?
It was my 2000th find. A horse trailer with a wooden built-in horse. You had to ride the horse, pull the reins in rhythm and spank it in rhythm for a while in order to get the “rodeo”-status and the safe with the cache would open. We have laughed so hard throughout the whole ride.
15. what is the one thing you wish you knew when you started geocaching?
That I don’t have to find every single box, even it is a soggy unmaintained one in a dirty location. Sure, I was excited to find as many as possible, but now I’m focusing more on quality and enjoy the walks, sights, and so on.
What do you think of Markus’ answers? Do you agree? Get in touch and be the next geocacher in the 15 Questions hot seat!
