Back by popular demand, the 3rd Annual Vancouver Island Hide-&-Go Cache!

In 2005, 22 Vancouver Island cachers hid 49 caches.
In 2006, 40 Vancouver Island cachers hid 106 caches.

Will we be able to top that with the 3rd Annual Vancouver Island Hide-&-Go Cache?

There are 3 steps to this event. The Hide, The Go-Cache, The Event.

The hide date this year is Saturday February 24th.

Last year, we had a 1 micro rule, this year we are going to expand on that a bit.

As with last year, micros are allowed as part of this event only if they are ingeniously disguised in high traffic urban areas, and, each cacher can count only one micro in their total hides. We are also including a rule regarding small caches this year - each cacher may count a maximum of three small caches in their total hides. How do you determine if your cache is small or regular? Geocaching.com describes a small container as "Decon container, sandwich-sized Tupperware-style container or similar, holds trade items as well as a logbook". If after squeezing 2 slices of wonderbread and a slice of meat into the container there is no room for additional trade items, then it's a small. And remember, food items are not allowed in caches, so remove the sandwich before hiding your cache.

We would like to see the same type of caches hidden that you like to find - mind-bending puzzles, ingeniously camouflaged urban micros, Lock&Locks in the woods, caches large enough for your trade items, etc.

There is a trophy for the cacher with the most hides. D-Tour was awarded the trophy for most hides after placing 6 caches for the 1st event. Last year, sole seeker took home the trophy with 13 hides, just one more than his closest rival, spud502.

Your caches must be hidden on Saturday February 24th.

You must abide by the cache placement rules when hiding your cache. Read the geocaching.com guidelines, and remember that your cache must be at least 161 meters from another cache. When submitting a multi or puzzle cache, include the intermediate steps in a note to the approver to speed up the approval process. Be nice to mtn-man!

After submitting your caches, please post a note in the vigps.com forums to indicate the name of the cache. On the cache page, please state that this cache was hidden as part of the 3rd Annual Vancouver Island Hide-&-Go Cache.

As the caches start to appear, go out and find them.

To qualify for the Most FTF's, you must hide at least one cache. Last year, we had quite a few cases where a group wanted to be listed as FTF. To avoid confusion and squabbles, only one recognized cacher will be listed as the First finder.

Curious George took home the unique and beautiful Most FTF trophy for the 1st event after nabbing 5 First to Finds. Last year, squirrellydeath sought out 14 FTF for the opportunity to take home the trophy.

But it's not all about FTF's - just think about all the fresh air and exercise you will be getting by going out and finding all these new caches!

The Event

An event, which will be announced soon, will be held so we can get together to hand out prizes and chat about our hides and finds. You can attend the event even if you haven't hidden any caches.

But wait - there's more!

This year, we will be including Waymarking! There are far too few Waymarks listed on Vancouver Island - lets try to change that! There will be an award for the most Waymarks posted, and the most FTL (First to Log). To qualify for this event, you must include a photo of the Waymarked object when you post the Waymark, and when you log, even if photos are not a requirement for that category. We are including this rule so you cannot simply go through the phonebook and post all the McDonalds locations on the Island. We hope this new feature of the Vancouver Island Hide-&-Go Cache encourages all Island cachers to discover the exciting new world of Waymarking!

Questions?

We'll be chatting in the forums. Join us!

Other Important Notes

This event is intended to be FUN! Please be considerate of your fellow cachers.