2024, it’s here and it’s a good time to have a look ahead. There are many plans for the year, most of it has us being active. First, let’s look at last year.
There were a lot of new Geocaches placed last year and numerous events took place. We saw a lot of new geocaching names on various logs and look forward to eventually meeting you either on the trail or at one of the many events planned for 2024.
Last year there were a lot of CITO’s (Cache In Trash Out) that picked up a lot of trash from public spaces. Coffee events have become a regular gathering at local coffee shops and ice cream events over the summer brought a lot of delicious calories into my body. Pub events and several other types of events meant that Geocachers were busy if they chose to be. With the new caches on top of those events there was a lot to keep you going.
Many people were responsible for the events last year and I would like to extend our thanks to them. They were the backbone of the activities and we probably would have had a pretty dull year without them. Thank you all.
Geocaching throughout the province is an awesome way to see areas that you otherwise would not be visiting. My wife and I use B&B’s as well as campgrounds and hotels to vacation (aka: geocaching) in Manitoba. If you plan to do that make sure you set aside enough time to get as many caches as you want, especially around some of the hotbeds located throughout the province.
This year looks to be a good year for events. January will see the 2023 Manitoba Awards Night on the 9th and the Unsolved Mysteries event on the 27th. February has plans for a Snowshoe event down the Morris river (if we ever get some snow) as well as another techno event for those who want to learn how to geocache without data on the 24th. Adventure labs without data will also be covered. The MBGA AGM also takes place in February.
June will see the return of the FortWhyte Adventure and July 20th is the date for the Hands Across the Border event at the International Peace Gardens. The annual event at the Zoo will happen in the fall and it is a must attend. Also keep an eye on Oak Hammock Marsh, there are a lot of caches there right now and it would be a nice adventure to gather those.
For those that like to make their trip a bit further there is activity in the three provinces to the west of us as well as south of us. Each provincial group has a website or Facebook page with their activity present on them. The North Dakota Geocachers Group also has a website where you can find information on their activities.
The coffee events will continue, the ice cream events are an event to bike to so you can work off those extra calories and CITO’s are a feel good time where you help keep public areas of the province clean. There are thousands of Geocachers out there and I hope to meet a lot of you in the next year.
Gary Brown is the President of the Manitoba Geocaching Association (MBGA) and can be reached at [email protected].
