Our SLAGA board is spicing up the game of geocaching by sponsoring a TRACKABLE RACE!  The race, which will be monitored by our fellow SLAGA member and volunteer HobbitTaz (Mark Derr) once again, will run from late May 2024 till January 2025. This exciting new addition to our adventurous pastime is definitely a fun little competition that you may want to consider, but first a little explanation of what a trackable is, for those that may not be familiar. 

A trackable is a geocaching game piece owned by a geocacher that has a unique six-digit tracking code etched into it. These codes allow you to track its movement on geocaching.com, as other geocachers retrieve and drop it in different caches. They are different than the small swap items or SWAG that you might find in many cache containers, because trackables are moveable and traveling game pieces. They may appear in many shapes, sizes and styles, and owners often attach a meaningful or fun personal 'token' to the trackable, especially if it's a dog tag type 'travel bug.'  Owners often set goals for their trackables, as well, like travel to as many beaches as possible. Geocachers, who retrieve a trackable from a cache, try to help move it to another cache that helps fulfill its goal.  When a geocacher moves a trackable, the owner gets a notification. Guidelines for 'logging' trackables and protocol for moving them can be found on GC.com.  Most importantly, a geocacher should move a trackable and place it in another geocache preferably in line with its mission and within a reasonable timeframe.  Besides the dog tag travel bug, there are also trackable geocoins and other uniquely designed trackable pieces, which many geocachers send out into the world.  Trackables are popular items at events too, where cachers 'discover' each other's game pieces. 

While geocaching certainly is a favorite pastime, the owning, collecting, discovering, retrieving, moving, and racing trackables is another avenue of fun altogether!  Placing a new trackable in a race, with prizes for winners, is always an exciting adventure as cachers track their game piece over many months and places, while competing with the other trackables in the race. 

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For this year's SLAGA Trackable Race, there will be three winners, each receiving a $10 gift card prize.  There will be one winner for each of three categories.  In case of a tie, the tie is broken and winning trackable determined by the most mileage accumulated. The three race categories (with clarifications) are:

*  Greatest distance/miles the trackable has traveled during the race.

*  Most geocaches that the trackable was dropped in and remained overnight at least,

with the exception of Event caches in which case they may be retrieved the same day.

(A trackable may not be retrieved from a geocache by a cacher who dropped it in that cache.) 

*  Most unique 'Regions' visited by a trackable ('Region' as defined on GC.com).

(Example: If a trackable visits Canada it receives one point, and if that's in Ontario province,

it receives another point, but if it is moved to a geocache in Quebec,

then it receives that region's one point, but not one for Canada again.) 

Additional SLAGA Race Information:

Any style of trackable is permitted entry into this race, but must have ZERO accumulative miles, be in the hands of the owner and been activated.  ONLY ONE trackable per Geocaching account is permitted entry in this race.

All entries need to be in the SLAGA boards hands no later than May 15, 2024, where they will all be taken to a major out-of-town event and released all at once into the geocaching world.  Turning over your activated trackable to a board member at the SLAGA Spring Picnic Event on April 20th is ideal, however if you are not in attendance, but wish to enter a trackable, then you must arrange getting it to a board member by May 15th.

For convenience, SLAGA will be selling dog tag style travel bug trackables at the SLAGA Spring Picnic, but you may wish to bring an attachable token, charm or toy to personalize your racing trackable before entering it into the race. 

So let the race begin by getting your personal trackable game piece ready and entering it into the SLAGA Trackable Race this spring.  You'll be glad you did as you follow its progress and its ranking among the other competing trackables of your fellow SLAGA members.