Lets Make a Deal - April Fool 2005 Mystery Cache

Welcome to the second annual Geofellas April Fool cache. This year we decided to be a bit different and actually tell you what kind of a fool you are going to be so you are fully prepared before you set out. Unless you are very lucky you are going to be looking in places where there could be a cache, where there should be a cache - but where there isn't a cache or where you can't open the cache.

The way this cache works is like this:

There are three regular caches that were "approved" by our ever patient cache approver at around midnight at the start of April 1st, 2005. They are called "Let's Make a Deal - Box #1", "Let's Make a Deal - Box #2" and "Let's Make a Deal - Box #3". These can be sought and found just as ordinary caches in their own right. However, taped into the lid of each one will be instructions on how to find an intermediate waypoint cache container for THIS cache. These instructions are also in the front of the log book. The intermediate waypoint cache container will be a short walk (typically 200-300m and closer to where you should have parked your car) from the regular cache that has those instructions in the lid. Each of these intermediate waypoint cache containers contains an instruction sheet on how to find the final cache.

2006-01-31 Update: because some of the offset caches have gone missing this is now being simplified so that the instructions will be found in these caches themselves.

However, of the three sets of instructions for finding the final cache, only one is correct. The other two will lead you to somewhere you can spend an enjoyable time making a fool of yourself looking for a final cache that isn't there. Naturally there will be no clues or hints as to which is which.

Sound too easy, despite the decoy instructions? Yep - that's what we thought too. So, just to add to the challenge, each of the three intermediate waypoint cache containers is locked with a padlock!! Each padlock is different. Six keys (two copies of each of the three keys) were released as travel bugs into caches in the general vicinity late on March 31st, 2005 and loggged in at midnight so keeners could head out on the hunt. There are two keys for each padlock but, of course, we're not going let on which key goes with which padlock. So you could also find yourself looking quite foolish when you get to a locked container and find you have the wrong key in your hand.

2006-01-31 Update: so - no keys are now needed any more.

Nevertheless, eventually you should be able to whittle down all the options and find the final cache. The whole exercise should take you to some interesting parts of the Durham Region Forest, some of which is owned by the Region, some by the Town of Uxbridge and some by the Toronto Region Conservation Authority but all of which is open to hikers (and some to mountain bikers). In the winter (for those that are doing this cache in that season) snowshoes or x-country skis are recommended. Many of the trails you will need to traverse are relatively untravelled so this hunt will take you to some of the lesser known parts of this beautiful area of southern Ontario.

A few requests about how you approach finding this cache.

• Please do be considerate of other cachers and don't hog all of the keys so no-one else can participate.
• If you find a key that you already have (you can just hold them beside each other and see if they are the same key) please just put it back so someone else has a chance at finding it (feel free to take inventory of the tag number and log it out and back into the cache later if you are a TB number collector).
• Please put any key back into a local area (i.e., Greater Toronto Area) cache very soon after you have used it - try not to hold onto it for more than a day or so, preferably only a few hours.
• Please log your key movements carefully on the website (keeping careful track of which key you put where otherwise everyone will get confused) as soon as possible.
• Please don't put any key back into the SAME cache as another key.
• And please, obviously, don't go locking any key into the container that it unlocks (or any of the other locked containers for that matter) or putting it into any of the "Lets Make a Deal" or the the final "Lets Make a Deal - April Fools 2005" cache container.

The final cache is a large Ammo box, as are the 3 regular caches that contribute to this game. The locked containers are tin boxes painted black and wrapped in black plastic bags. Please put them back in the bags to keep the wet out as they are not watertight. We have put a supply of extra plastic bags in them in case you need to replace the outer one. Please don't litter, but take any replaced bags away and dispose of them properly.

Last and not least - have fun!!