How to Get All 10 Souvenirs! #PlanetaryPursuit

Want to make sure you can earn all 10 souvenirs available from Geocaching.com between March 19 and April 8? Well I'm here to help you on your stellar mission.

I've got 5 simple tips that will get you your 10 souvenirs, or my name isn't Buck Rogers!* 

#1 - Build Your Crew!

First things first - if you're going shoot for the stars (or the souvenirs) you'll need to build your team. Remember the Mary Hyde events and activities from last year? Well it's the very same system for the Friend League support to get you ship-shape and on your way.

Make sure you check in on your own Friend League page to ensure that your crew is set up by going to:
Dashboard > View Friends >  Get motivated with your friend league!

(pro-tip - just click the last "your friend league" link, and then bookmark it so you have a quick way to get there in the future!)

Do you already have a great crew amassing huge points? Awesome! If not, just click the "Add Friends" green button and send some friend requests to your geocaching buddies. 
For more tips on great Geocaching Friends etiquette, check this post from last summer!

#2 - Know the Score!

Next important thing to know is HOW to get those valuable points! This simple table from Geocaching.com explains what you most need to know.

Action	Point value
Log a Found it on any geocache (Traditional, Virtual, Webcam, Wherigo)	5
Log a Found it on a Multi-Cache or Letterbox Hybrid	10
Log a Found it on a Mystery Cache or EarthCache	15
Attend any event	15
Drop off trackable	4

#3 - Start the Countdown!

T minus 19... 18... OK, you get it. Take a look at your calendar, and message some of your friend league - see if you can't pick a time to get out caching together between March 19 and April 8. 

You can send messages individually on the My Friends page using the  "Send Message" link on each friend's "card" on the page.

But it might be even easier, if you are already all on Facebook or Twitter, to start a group chat for planning purposes.

#4 - Find Unexplored Space with Your Crew!

You've got the team, you've got the dates, but where to go? Make sure the adventure gets max points for everyone by using the Geocaching.com Search page. 

Enter an area to start your search from and you'll get the initial list. But now click on the Filters green button, and make sure to click the radio buttons for "I Haven't Found" and "I Don't Own."

That done, next thing to do is enter in the names of your space crew in the "Not Found By" box.

Now click the Search button again and you'll see the caches that will maximize your teams points!

#5 - Earn Nine for Ten!

So you know how to get points, but what are your targets? Why the planets of course! OK, the souvenirs named after planets! And to help you out here's the next great table Geocaching.com provided so we can all know the score(ing system).

Souvenirs	Points needed on the Friend League (individual)
Planetary Pursuit: Earth	5 points
Planetary Pursuit: Venus	10 points
Planetary Pursuit: Mercury	20 points
Planetary Pursuit: Mars	40 points
Planetary Pursuit: Jupiter	65 points
Planetary Pursuit: Saturn	100 points
Planetary Pursuit: Uranus	200 points
Planetary Pursuit: Neptune	300 points
Planetary Pursuit: Pluto	500 points
Official Space Explorer	Collect all planet souvenirs (500 points) and earn this meta souvenir.

Note that as like other souvenir events in the past, the tenth souvenir is "automatically" earned by achieving the prior 9. 

Pay attention that these are individual points in Friend League, so you'll have to earn those points yourself to get the souvenirs, not total points in your League.

*full disclosure - my name isn't Buck Rogers, but these are still great tips!

Most importantly - get out there and cache safely, and cache often!
The LANMonkeys

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Top 3 Things You Need to Know About Snowshoes

It's the perfect time of year to get out snowshoeing - heading out for a geocaching adventure, or just enjoying the beauty of winter.

But if you've never been before, or maybe you have been but you've got some questions, what do you need to know?

Here's the top three things you need to know about snowshoes - watch the video and get all top three in less than 3 minutes!

But for the recap of the video, here's what you need to know:

1. Anatomy of the Snowshoe

The modern snowshoe consists of 4 parts. 

The Frame - this is the structure of the snowshoe, usually made of a light sturdy metal in generally oval in shape.
The Webbing - keeps the snowshoe "aloft" in the snow and keeps you from sinking. Generally made from a vinyl-like fabric, but sometimes made from hard plastics or various other materials.
The Bindings - the bindings are how your feet stay in the shoes! There are various different binding system in modern snowshoes but they usually consist of a series of straps that hold the toes and top of your foot into the "toe" of the show, and a second elastic/rubber strap that holds your heel into the show.
The Crampons - without these metal teeth on the bottom of your shoes, you'd just slide around on the snow. Crampons provide traction and come in a variety of sizes and arrangements.

2. How Do I Put Them On?

In simplest terms, this breaks down to 

• determine left vs right (often noted on the bindings)
• loosen the bindings
• slide your foot in
• tighten the bindings

It's really that simple! The video walks you through the steps, so it's much easier than me trying to explain it - just watch and learn.

Note that the binding systems vary between manufacturers and models, so it's often best to get the person selling or renting you the show to show you how to secure the bindings properly.

3. Do I Need Poles?

I strongly recommend poles. If you are new to snowshoeing you may need the extra balance help. If you are experienced, they are handy for tackling hills. 

Getting collapsible snowshoe or hiking poles (make SURE they have snow baskets) is best so that when you don't need them, you can collapse them and store them in your pack.

Want to Know More?

So there you go - the top three things you need to know about snowshoes. 

Of course, there's many other things that are important to know, and for way more detail, check out our recent episode of Caching in the Northwest where we breakdown snowshoeing in more detail.

And most importantly, remember to "cache safely, and cache often!"



Jay Kennedy is better known as LANMonkey on geocaching podcasts and videos, and presents regularly on outdoors topics.
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