New souvenir challenge

Geocaching HQ announced a new souvenir challenge — The Science of Discovery — on Tuesday.

Beginning April 12 and running through July 11, we can earn up to four new souvenirs. This one emphasizes Adventure Labs, though all geocaches count. The goal is to get 300 points. Each Adventure Lab find gets 10 points, so if you do a five-stage AL, you’ll get 50 points and the first souvenir — Rocket Science. The others are Geology, 100 points; Environmental Science, 200 points; and Futurology, 300 points. Other breakdown for points are:

• Found cache with 10 or more favorite points, 9 points
• Found EarthCache, 8 points
• Found Mystery cache, 7 points
• Found Mult-cache, 6 points
• Found any other cache type, 5 points

So you could go out and find 60 traditional cache and get your 300 points. But, clearly, Geocaching HQ is emphasizing Adventure Labs. I also like the added emphasis to EarthCaches.

A few Sundays ago, my wife and I went to Bluffton, Indiana, and completed an Adventure Lab there. There is also an EarthCache at the courthouse in Bluffton. I’ll have to go back and complete that one.

On top of this souvenir challenge is the continuing Wonders of the World challenge. I have gotten three of the four souvenirs, and I am missing just one cache to complete it.

I like these souvenir challenges because they make you rethink your geocaching agenda. I admit, though, the final Wonders of the World souvenir will come about organically just by finding a number of caches. I specifically searched out caches that would count for the Natural souvenir, and purposely found an EarthCache to complete that one.

What about you? What do you think of these souvenir promos?