I embraced Challenges on geocaching.com from the start. I was excited about the possibilities and... they were different enough from caches that Vicki has been willing to “go someplace and do something.”

There were the worlwide challenges that we could do, climb a tree, visit a lighthouse, a haunted location, find a fountain and several more, but I was hoping for a little more local action. The cachers in our area haven’t exactly overloaded the challenges bandwagon, either in publishing or completing, but that wasn’t going to stop me from enjoying this new activity. There were things to discover and do and learn about and share with those willing to enjoy the same.

The first challenge published in Omaha was to post a photo of you at a relatively difficult terrain location, near two existing caches. We didn’t rush out to do it right away, but we did make plans for it once we had time. We’re both out of shape and we knew this going in. It wasn’t easy for me and it was tougher on Vic with her bad knee, but with hiking poles, careful path choices and perseverance, we kept at it and made the grade, literally. We had completed a challenge that was truly a physical challenge to us, but they would not all be physical.

Challenges had been referred to as the replacement for virtuals and there was a nearby location I wanted to make a virtual. A group of sculptures, including a mime, a stilt walker, juggler and jazz band performing in front of the convention center/arena. Far too many muggles for a traditional cache and one nearby precluded it anyway. It wouldn’t be much of a challenge to just post a photo, so I hit upon the idea of interacting with the bronze performers. Show up at this busy area and pull out an instrument to jam along with the band or show off your juggling skills, or even find your way out of an invisible box. Kind of a ‘do you have the chutzpah to look silly in public, but in a related sort of way’ challenge. The people who have completed it enjoyed the interaction and one group went full out, with electric guitars and drum set, which was really gratifying.

I wrote a few more challenges, some activity types, like flying paper airplanes or to go both up, and down, a very long set of stone steps, while counting your steps each way. A few are historical locations and even a living history experience. Another has you experience an acoustic oddity.

About this time I discovered an android app that the local university put out about public art in Omaha. It provided photos, locations, information and would even identify art you took a picture of, if it was in the database. I was fascinated and wanted to share these discoveries through challenges.

Most of my photo challenges, like the first, involved interacting with the public art I found using that app. Offering different foods to big black squirrels and deciding if they like it, determining if a particular set of semi abstract sculptures were rabbits or squirrels and communicate your choice by being the tail, standing tall and bushy or crouched and fluffy. Even play rock, paper, scissors without an opponent, model for a missing statue or find the Siren call of a pizza shoppe.

So far, other than the first high terrain challenge, mine have been the only ones published in the Omaha area, (see post script) with only a handful of people who accept and complete the challenges. Some have not been completed by anyone yet, but that won’t stop me from publishing more of them, Vicki and I are enjoying the discovery, research and interactions with the artworks that have been placed for all to enjoy.

When challenges first came out they were a hot button topic, with major critiscm, most basically stating this isn’t geocaching. No, it isn’t, but it can be a worthwhile activity to have you “go somewhere and do something.” I would encourage everyone to take a look at challenges with an open mind and consider completing and publishing some of your own. If you feel there are no quality challenges near you, create some that you feel are quality. Also, remember that they will evolve, just as geocaching has, soon a third type (Discover) will be available, which should prove more like the old virtuals that so many people love doing.

Peace!

Post Script: Since writing this article, another family and their canine cacher have also begun publishing challenges in the Omaha area. I’m looking forward to doing several of their challenges soon, especially the Haunted Fire Hydrant. This just got a whole lot more fun!

Thanks for the challenges!

By catsnfish

A couple of empty-nesters who caught the caching bug not realizing it was incurable. So if we’re found in the woods waltzing with Garmins, lifting lampskirts while tying our shoe or looking for “gum” underneath benches, be sure to stay away... it’s contagious and the only temporary relief can be found in finding bison’s, ammo’s, nano’s, or passing coins and spreading travel bugs!

Publisher's Note: Catsnfish write the periodic column The Adventures of Catsnfish. Subscribe (free) to The Online Geocacher to get an email alert when a new article is published.