Five years is a damn long time. If someone had asked me back then where I would be then, I would hardly have been able to answer that I would have changed jobs twice in the meantime, published a book, obtained a doctorate and found myself in the aftermath of a global pandemic. But least of all could I have imagined being the creator and maintainer of a Geocaching app that would be used by at least 50,000 people across multiple platforms and countries.

What started out as a bit of fun in November 2019 developed into a really serious project within a few months. The will to develop an app for puzzles again, so soon after my several-year Geocaching break, became so strong that I even stopped working regularly for a few months for it (among other things!). 60 hours a week was the initial workload to bring the newborn #GCWizard to a level that allowed strangers to actively participate in the project. And Andy quickly volunteered as a tester and soon after Mike and Thomas joined as active developers. Symbol tables were initially shared by eager volunteers via the Geoclub forum and when Ludo finally breathed life into the internationalization with a complete French translation, this project was absolutely unstoppable in the rest of the world. Today, the team basically consists of nine lovely, great people who support and accompany the free open source app with high intensity and dedication. As developers, translators, symbol artists or simply as good souls as an interface to you out there – you many many thousands! Breathtaking, isn’t it?

Five years is a long time. A lot has changed. But the work on #GCWizard has only changed to a limited extent. Yes, the app has of course become more and more professional and bigger and bigger. But basically, the work on it and the app itself still looks the same as when I started it as a one-man project on a cold November night in my little chamber. But now it’s time to give the project the opportunity to break new ground, leave the well-known tracks, develop further and become even better with new ideas!

Five years is a long time. I myself have changed. A lot has happened, but a lot has also been left undone. The number of mysteries I have solved during this time is at most in the low double digits. Because I spent most of my time on my computer building an app for solving mysteries instead. But even away from the hobby, I’m noticing changes and the urge to reorganize my life. More time for my family – and above all, more time for my own health! That’s why I’ve decided to step back from some projects.

We met as a team over the last few days. It was only the second time ever in real-life. We had a great time together in the south of the Netherlands, where our faithful translator Henrike had once created a #GCWizard tribute round. And we talked for a long time. Together. And everyone had a deep understanding of my decision. I thank the whole team from the bottom of my heart.

But my decision is not the end of my involvement. I will just be less visible, no longer at the forefront of the fight, no longer involved in all decisions and no longer taking care of communication with Google and Apple. However, I will still be there as a point of contact for everyone, for the team and of course for you out there. And nobody will be able to take it away from me if I once again contribute some totally insane tool in a fit of childish joy.

Of course, it’s not the end of the project either. Because I had and have a great team behind me. And this team consulted and decided that there should be a successor in the role of project manager. In future, this role will be filled by two people to whom I can really entrust my baby with a clear conscience and who I am sure will lead it in the best possible way. These two are certainly no strangers to our loyal users and blog readers:

Mike will take over the technical management and lead development. He will be the master of the code, review the new features, publish the new versions and be the contact person for all other technical issues. He has in-depth knowledge of the internal structures, in large parts even more in-depth than my own.

Thomas will support him. He will primarily accompany all decisions that have something to do with the public: Manuals, texts, translations, presentations, blog, social media but also the moderation of internal team discussions. As a longtime developer and after giving countless talks he has a great feeling for how and where to tweak the app, how to use the app and of course how to add great new features.

The two of them will do an awesome job! They are two very different characters, but that is precisely why they will complement each other wonderfully. I would like to thank them both for taking on this very difficult task and wish them as much success as possible!

Last but not least, I would like to thank everyone for an exciting, instructive and incredibly intense time. To the great team, to all the people who have supported me up to this point, friends, Geocachers, my life partner and the cat. And you 50,000 users! What an engine! Thank you!

And now get ready for a new era!

– Mark ‘S-Man42’, October 2024