If you know nothing else about me, I want you to know I'm a geocacher. It should not come as a surprise that I geocache frequently, and this weekend was no exception.
This past Saturday was the 5th annual Berkshire Geobash held at Bosquet Mountain in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. For any non-geocachers, it was essentially a big, geeky, geocacher get-together. For geocachers, well, it was just a lot of fun!
The Geobash is considered a mega event in geocacher terms, meaning that at least 500 people have to be present. That may seem like a lot, but believe me, there are plenty of avid geocachers throughout world. Attendees come from all over the U.S. and even outside of it! It's pretty easy to make a nice trip out of the event considering there are tons of geocaches around the area and several other smaller events during the week. For geocachers, the week leading up to the Geobash is essentially another holiday!
The main event is held at a ski resort on the mountain. One activity that happens annually is the "Cache and Dash." Only the brave (and perhaps slightly crazy) geocachers "dash" up one of the slopes in search of eight geocaches. Even with the prize incentive, I can assure you I did not run up the slope with any fellow geocachers. I much preferred to take the chairlift slowly up the mountain. It's much steeper than it looks!
My boyfriend and I volunteered to help with the "Ammo Can Toss" which ended up being exactly how it sounds. I originally imagined it as a carnival-type game with the objective of knocking down ammo cans with some sort of ball. Instead, geocachers took ammo cans and tossed them underhand (or like a discus) in an attempt to land them in a ring on the ground. It was definitely entertaining to watch, and I was surprised with how well some people did! It doesn't take long to realize that geocachers will do just about anything.
All in all, the nine-to-five day is a blast. Even if you’re new to geocaching (I met someone who happened to be attending his first ever event!) there’s always something to enjoy at the Geobash. Whether you like finding lots of caches or just socializing with other geocachers, it’s really difficult to leave the Geobash disappointed. If you’re reading this and you attended the awesome event, I’m sure you agree with me. If you haven’t had the chance, I would absolutely recommend a mega event! A lot of planning goes into them, and they’re worthwhile for sure.
