The Hides of March Event Cache

Hear Ye, Hear Ye...!
Calling All Fourth Corner Cachers!

Yeah, that means you!

Newbies, Old Timers, FTF hounds, Defenders of the Turf, Tough Terrain Purists, Lovers of Lame Micros, and anyone else in the greater Whatcom County area who enjoys geocaching!

There are lots of local cachers out hiding caches around the county lately and we're all reaping the benefits! The competition has been heating up, and it's getting harder and harder to grab "firsties" on a new cache. Ever wondered who these folks are? Wish you could put faces to the names in the logbooks? Here's your chance to meet fellow geocachers, scope out your competition, swap geocaching stories and have some fun!

• Where: The Quarterback Pub and Eatery, 356 36th St., Bellingham (Sehome Village).
• When: Saturday, March 1, 2008 from 3-5 p.m.
• Who: Anyone in the area who loves geocaching or wants to learn more about it! This is a family and kid-friendly event, and there is no charge to attend.
• What: Meet up with other local cachers, enjoy half-priced appys and drink specials, and maybe win some cool prizes!

Are you amazed at how quickly some of the new local caches have been found after they have been published? Wish you knew where these cachers hang out in their free time that lets them beat you to the punch?

There will be a large map of Whatcom County on display at the event. If you would like to participate, you may place a numbered sticker on your home coordinate location on the map, which will give you a chance at a fabulous prize drawing! The cacher whose sticker is closest to the coordinates of a special unpublished cache placed for the event somewhere in Whatcom County by Scooter the Wonder Dog will win a great prize.

As a bonus, these numbered stickers will give the other cachers attending the event an idea of where the local cacher population lives. It will also be a good way to spot a "black hole" in the county -- a spot where there are no nearby cachers that could automatically grab an FTF on a new cache placement. Of course, you can also place your sticker in an incorrect location to attempt to throw off the competition!

Have you been thinking about hiding a cache or two yourself? Well, here's your chance! Any geocache hidden (and published on geocaching.com) between the dates of February 5, 2008, and February 26, 2008 within the limits of Whatcom County will be eligible to win fabulous prizes!

An unbiased team of three local cachers (who are not eligible for prizes) will select a winning cache from each of the following categories:

• Best first-ever cache placed by a Whatcom cacher or caching team.
• Best scenic location or easy family hike cache.
• Best "park and grab" (easy terrain) cache.
• Best puzzle or mystery cache.

Please post a "will attend" note (and indicate the size of your group) if you are planning to attend the event so we can let the Quarterback Pub know how many to expect. Again, kids and families are welcome and there is no charge to attend the event. See you all there!