Finding Caches! A Geocaching Adventure: 4th of July Groundspeak Lost and Found Street Party, Second Post

After finding the DJDS Clan we all embarked upon a geocaching challenge. There was a beginner challenge and an advanced challenge and we all decided to go for them both. The beginner challenge involved going to various locations around Fremont St in Seattle and getting a keychain from a groundspeak worker. The advanced was going to 10 different gps locations and finding a cache. Once there you had to write down or take a picture of the container then submit your proof that you completed the challenge at the geoteaming booth.

The first easy location was to travel to the bridge. This is the bridge that we came in on, so we knew where the person with the key chains was located.

From there we located the 1st advanced location and proceeded across the river to the cache.

The container was a paint can as a tribute to the first cache, also known as the first stash, in 2001.

At each container you signed a log that will be put into a time capsule for 10 more geocaching years. Unfortunately due to the amount of people participating there was always a line at the log. Teri waiting to sign.

J and D of DJDS Clan waiting to sign.

After grabbing this cache we started on a mile trek up the hill to grab the 2nd advanced location. The container was an ammo can with a red jeep attached. Jeep did a geocaching game in the early 2003.

While trekking up we met up with another cacher and our team of five plus dogs was set.

While at the top of the hill grabbed another cache that was nearby.

What goes up must come down and we took off down the hill and got stopped by the drawbridge.

Across the bridge and we made it to the second easy location. The statues are decorated like zombies. The previous day the residence of Seattle attempted to have the most zombies in one place for the Guiness record. They had the record until last year when London beat them.

We then headed right for a mile or so to find the 3rd advanced location.

The container this time was a fake electrical box. Inside were deadly rubber ducks from 2001.
We then headed back towards Troll Street.

We had passed the 4th advanced location and went back to find it. We arrived to another group of folks and a clear/silver container with a Cache in Trash Out Sticker.

Don't remember the year of this one. This cache was at a recycling center.

Teri also snapped a pic, this was about four miles or so in.

We then made it to Troll Ave and about a third of the way up the hill

we made it to the 5th Advanced Location. I think the art was a tribute to the amazing advances in water movement.

The cache was for 2007 and the introduction of the geo maze that travels around the country spreading the geocaching word.

A little further up the hill and there was a giant troll under the bridge, and the third easy location.
Just to the left of this was the 6th Advanced Location.

The cache was a knome and celebrated the first GeoWoodstock.

I took a moment to sign the log.

The coordinates sent us up and we traversed a highway.

We went down for a minute but mostly went up.

Finally we made it to the zoo and found the 7th advanced location. The container was birdhouse but I don't remember what it was symbolizing.

We made it as far up as we could go now it was time to descend. We passed Fremont Peak Park...

and arrived at the 8th advanced location.

We found the log and quickly moved on. At this point we were getting close to the time that we needed to be done by. We had to speed up on the way down. We had been walking for over 2 hours now and not finishing was NOT an option. We had 2 more advance and 2 easy.

We continued downward and made it to the 9th Advanced location I think it was in front of a bike store. The cache was to celebrate the introduction of track-able geocoins.

Time was not on our side and in my head had given up as we only had about 20 minutes left to finish the challenge. Much of geocaching is looking at your GPS receiver and trying to figure out where to go.

We made it back to the bottom of the hill and found the final 10th Advanced Location. The container was a camo lock and lock. At this point I was so tired I forgot to write down what this one signified.

With about ten minutes to spare we jammed over to the fourth easy location to grab another key chain. It was at a rocket.

The final fifth easy location was just a few feet away at the center of the universe.

We reveled in getting all of our key chain pieces.

With all of the challenge pieces complete we had to hustle back to the event. When we arrived we had about five minutes to spare,

we proved our completion and received our traveltag rewards. In the picture is all of the things we received this day, minus the GPS. The pogs were given out and we had to trade to get a complete set. the GPS looking key chain trackable was the reward for completing the challenge along with a t shirt and bandanna(bandanna and t shirt not pictured). The Frog is all of the key chain pieces connected from the easy challenge. The HQ trackable was the reward for getting all five. The knome trackable was given out by the guy who started the geocaching website. Not sure if I am spelling Knome correctly but the guy is named Jeremy and he was really nice to meet.
Turns out that we were the 15th team to complete the challenge, only a few more completed it in the time frame. They stayed later due to those coming back late.

Just before leaving some Hash House Harriers ran through the event, they are a drinking club with a running problem. They are the ones with panties on outside of their clothes. They were not geocachers!