2020 Leap Day Flash Mob
SLAGA at Ted Drewes - 2021
Summer Picnic 2022
Rich & Charlotte - a couple of the founding members
Grilling Meat for the 2022 Fall Picnic
2022 Fall Picnic
Checking for new cache notifications
Bellefontaine CITO November 2022
2022 SLAGA Christmas Party
Cachemas 2022 Bonus Day
SLAGA at GeoWoodstock 2023
Geocaching 101 Class at Maplewood Library
GeoGolf 2023
2024 New Years Day Hike
Choking the life out of our president
2024 SLAGA Spring Picnic
"GeoBirding"
- Details
- Written by Terri Nealon
- Hits: 886
NORTHERN CARDINAL AND RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER
If you look up "GeoBirding," you won't find it in the dictionary. It seems like an accurate term though, for combining the adventure of geocaching with the love of bird watching, and both are great ways to enjoy the outdoors. While at a recent event, the subject of seeing numerous Bluebirds while geocaching came up, and jasjaq123, Sally, mentioned that she takes great pleasure in birding and often combines both hobbies.
First a little clarification. Bird watching involves observing wild birds because they happen to be there, maybe at your feeder, on a walk, or while geocaching. But birding is a bit more intense. It's the act of seeking out and enjoying learning about these wild birds. It typically involves using binoculars, taking photos, using apps or books to identify birds by sight and sound, and keeping a journal.
OSPREY WILLET
Birds are beautiful and colorful. They streak through the sky or sit atop a tree branch or on water's edge. These feathered friends all differ from one another. They each have their unique behavior, appearance and sound. Birds can't help but fascinate us. So as outdoor adventurers, geocachers almost always see birds along a trail, and without realizing it, become at least novice bird watchers. But there are those with more of a desire to learn about these winged wonders and enjoy birding, instead of just watching birds while geocaching. Sally is one of them.
Tis the Season to CITO
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- Written by Terri Nealon
- Hits: 805
Cache In Trash Out® (CITO) events began in 2002 and are environmental initiatives that help preserve the natural beauty of cache-friendly spaces, such as parks, conservation lands, rivers and streams, forests, roadsides, cemeteries, and more. Per geocaching.com/CITO webpage, more than 363,000 people have volunteered at 18,000 CITO events worldwide since its inception. For several years now, virtual souvenirs have been awarded for attendance. Currently GC.com promotes clean-up efforts by dividing the year into two CITO seasons. For 2023, the CITO seasons run from Mar. 1 through May 31, and Sept. 1 through Nov. 30. Earn a souvenir by hosting or attending a CITO during a season.
"It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
- Details
- Written by Terri Nealon
- Hits: 1044
The Target: Proffit Mountain Cache (GCA1A3)
The Stats: D2/T4.5, ~16 mile distance, ~885 ft elevation change
The Time: September 30 through October 2, 2022
The Adventurers: Spiritwolf922 and socibutte
After many months of excruciating training, hard-core research, and detailed planning, the adventurers conquered their long-time, bucket list goal of hiking some of the most rugged terrain in Missouri along the Ozark Trail (OT) and camping overnight atop a mountain with amazing scenery, to obtain a single geocache.
While it was on her long-time to-do list, Spiritwolf 922 (Patricia) never actually thought she'd accomplish this hike and cache, as it was in the middle of nowhere and on a previous OT hike, she found she was 'woefully unprepared' for the terrain and distance. Socibutte (Melissa) on the other hand, had been waiting for years in hopes of finding someone crazy enough to attempt this much-desired adventure of hers, after hearing about the trail from her son. (Needless to say, he is now a bit jealous that mom completed it first!) So as luck and the world of geocaching would have it, these two discovered their common interest in casual passing and the rest is history. But here's a recap in hopes it might entice future Proffit Mountain geocachers.
Although Melissa often hikes, runs, caches, and travels solo, she decided an overnight backpacking trip was not the best idea for a solo venture. So she was only too glad when Patricia welcomed the idea of this new experience that would undoubtedly be a bit challenging. And while Patricia still had some concerns over accomplishing their goal, it was more comforting to have just a single friend who would understand and not be disappointed if at any point they needed to turn back. This would also be a good 'test' to see if they both enjoyed this new type of exploration. So this dynamic duo made their decision and developed their well thought-out plan to conquer Proffit Mountain by Fall 2022, and began planning six months before their trip.
The Legend. The Cache. The Architect.
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- Written by Terri Nealon
- Hits: 974
In pitch black, with walls and low ceiling of cold, damp stone, and floor wet with inches of water flowing like a stream, they question what form of mass lunacy has possessed them to venture far underground, bent over with aches and pains. But then...they spot a metal tag with an imprinted code.
Up, up, up along rustic trails, over rocky terrain and through forest undergrowth, they wonder why they follow one another, each step bringing more muscle fatigue, huffing and puffing toward some unknown. But then...they encounter a container with hidden clues.
This is the reality of what many have grown to love and 'hate' about the infamous, highly favored, D5/T5, St. Louis area, legendary geocaching adventure known as 'The Architect' (GC4CQ0V).
Published on August, 26, 2014, this Forest-Ghost (Ethan Rogers) and Curlycue109 (Julie Rogers) geocache was inspired by Ethan's love of adventure and finding hidden places. Indian Jones was another of his inspirations, but a Mississippi geocache he experienced, called '3 Degrees: BLACKOUT' (GC1KFAD), might have been the final catalyst. Upon his return, he knew he wanted to create a similar thrill in St. Louis. Ethan recalls spending the next couple years searching for tunnels around the area. "In 2014, Julie and I spent the good part of a year designing the cache (layout of stages, puzzles, story, containers, and finding the rest of the tunnels). The process was very difficult, but the final product achieved my goal of creating an epic adventure that would bring geocachers down in the tunnels of St. Louis."
Wolf Creek Bike Trail (Eagle Geo-Art) Adventure!
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- Written by Terri Nealon
- Hits: 1043
The Wolf Creek Bike Trail/Eagle Geo-Art, in the Wolf Creek area of Mark Twain National Forest near Poplar Bluff, has been out since 2014. L Frank and Denmother (John and Laurie ElFrank) have been looking for the right time to get down there and accomplish the 68 relatively high terrain traditionals in one trip, which meant they would need three days, according to their plan. While years passed with different factors preventing their trip, finally in January 2023, after Publiclandfun posted 'The Eagle has Landed' event, the Elfranks checked their calendar and the caches, and decided that with additional cars and geo-friends, this challenge could actually be done in two days (Friday afternoon, all day Saturday, Sunday till noon). So after a Facebook invite, BnDMoritz (Bill Moritz), Geokid12 (Robert Klemme), and Joebum (Drew Gourley) accepted the challenge. The following is based on L Frank's account of their epic adventure.
A Cabin Fever Favorite - Winter Potluck 2023
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- Written by Terri Nealon
- Hits: 789
Our SLAGA Winter Potluck, held at the Pavilion at Lemay in the unique and historic Jefferson Barracks Park, is the perfect cabin fever escape to enjoy good food, hear latest SLAGA news, win prizes, find caches, and meet up with friends.
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