The Pennsylvania DeLorme
Challenge

Cachers who have completed
The Pennsylvania DeLorme Challenge:
>
| Cacher |
Page Completion Date |
Cache Logged Date |
| carels |
September 21, 2006 |
September 24, 2006 |
| lightman&lulu |
September 28, 2006 |
September 30, 2006 |
| Blue Blazes |
October 1, 2006 |
October 4, 2006 |
| Junique |
October 1, 2006 |
October 4, 2006 |
| scoof |
October 14, 2006 |
October 22, 2006 |
| tird21 |
October 14, 2006 |
October 22, 2006 |
| 2 Guys Named Moe |
December 23, 2006 |
January 6, 2007 |
| Olf D'Coors |
February 4, 2007 |
March 22, 2007 |
| DocDiTTo |
May 1, 2007 |
June 2, 2007 |
| CCCooperAgency |
July 6, 2007 |
July 8, 2007 |
| HolyCowboys |
August 5, 2007 |
September 2, 2007 |
| geofun2007 |
August 10, 2007 |
September 1, 2007 |
| m_and_w |
August 25, 2007 |
September 2, 2007 |
| Angrist |
October 15, 2007 |
November 17, 2007 |
| Geo13 |
October 25, 2007 |
October 28, 2007 |
| Ima Lost |
April 28, 2008 |
July 9, 2009 |
| Gosffo |
June 25, 2008 |
October 19, 2008 |
| mrteb |
July 16, 2008 |
August 30, 2008 |
| andGuest |
July 17, 2008 |
October 5, 2008 |
| r.e.s.t.seekers |
July 23, 2008 |
July 26, 2008 |
| Run Amok |
April 30, 2009 |
? |
| UnNamed |
June 4, 2009 |
June 26, 2009 |
| dlfenster |
June 9, 2009 |
August 8, 2009 |
What is the DeLorme Challenge?
In 2004, Haicoole unveiled the California DeLorme Challenge
cache. This popular challenge cache has since been repeated in many
other states. Your Pennsylvania volunteer cache reviewers thought
that we should join in the fun! This cache is owned jointly by
Keystone, OReviewer, skeetsurfer, Mr. Ollivander, and our special
emeritus reviewer, MissPlaced.
The DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer is published for all 50
states. These maps are a favorite among travelers and outdoors
enthusiasts, and are available at many locations, including online
directly from DeLorme. The goal of this cache is simple: to find a
cache on each and every page of the Pennsylvania State DeLorme
Atlas & Gazetteer.
The image above shows the geographical extents of each of the
pages of the Pennsylvania DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer. The final
cache coordinates can be obtained by successfully finding a cache
on each page of the Atlas.
In order to claim this cache, you must first let us know which
caches you found to meet the requirements for each Atlas page. See
details below.
Here are some specific guidelines for this Challenge:
- As mentioned above, the posted coordinates are
not the actual coordinates for the cache. The
physical cache may actually be quite some distance from these
coordinates! It was hidden sometime in the summer of 2006 by one of
the volunteer cache reviewers. The terrain rating and attributes
apply to the final cache location, and more details will be
provided when you become eligible to seek the final cache. We
guarantee you that it will be a strenuous hike. Early finders
report hiking for 5 or 6 hours to find the cache and return to
their car. If you have concerns about your physical ability to
complete this hike, please contact us with details and we will
provide hints on the relative difficulty of the different approach
routes. We would like for any geocacher to be able to complete the
Challenge!
- Generally accepted rules, guidelines and conditions for logging
a cache find apply. These must be bona fide caches listed on
Geocaching.com that you have personally (physically) found and
logged. You may include caches found prior to the creation of the
Pennsylvania DeLorme Challenge so long as they meet all other
Challenge requirements.
- Since the Challenge is a lot of work, we wanted to reward
finders with some good swag. The initial cache contents are listed
in a note below. All the original items were new, and have retail
prices ranging from $5.00 to $25.00. Please "trade up, trade even
or don't trade," so that every finder of the cache will have an
opportunity to trade for a quality momento of their experience.
And, please take only one geocoin per finder.
- All cache types count as finds for the DeLorme Challenge with
the exception of events (CITO included) and locationless caches.
Rule added 2/15/07: temporary event caches and grandfathered
"moving caches" are not eligible.
- Rule added 5/13/07: If you have found or are working on the
Pennsylvania All Counties Challenge, you may not use any of the
same caches to qualify for the DeLorme Challenge. You must have at
least one other reported find in a Map Grid in addition to the one
you claimed to meet the requirements for the All Counties
Challenge. And, if you've completed the Pennsylvania All Counties
Challenge, you cannot use that cache to fulfill the requirement for
the Grid where the random posted coordinates are located!
- For Pennsylvania DeLorme Atlas pages that include space not
located in Pennsylvania, only caches in the Pennsylvania portion
count. We will go off of the posted coordinates for a cache
(including multicaches and puzzles) when determining in which state
or page a given cache falls.
- Atlas page 41 is all in New York, and Atlas page 69 is all in
New Jersey. You do not need to find caches on these two
pages.
- While the various editions and versions of the DeLorme Atlas do
not seem to have changed much in terms of page boundaries, the
image above derived from the information in the cache owner's copy
(2001 Edition) will be considered definitive.
- While you may have others with you when you find the final
cache, only those who have fulfilled ALL criteria for this cache
will be allowed to log it as a find. Find logs by other cachers
will be deleted.
- The final cache is located on Pennsylvania State Gamelands.
(Gee, *that* narrows it way down, doesn't it?) Like all cache hunts
in State Gamelands, all applicable rules and regulations should be
followed. This includes wearing at least 250 square inches of blaze
orange on the head and body during the prime November-December
hunting season.
- If a Pennsylvania Volunteer Cache Reviewer chooses to complete
the Challenge under their personal account, he or she must return
to the cache location and sign the logbook after meeting the same
eligibility rules that apply to everyone else.
- When in doubt, ask — we can discuss it or even seek
guidance from others, but the final decision rests with the cache
owners.
- Remember that this is a game and is supposed to be fun!
Many thanks go out to Haicoole for the original idea for this cache
and to the owners of other DeLorme Challenge caches, especially
Moun10Bike's Washington version, from which we have borrowed
liberally.
How can I play?
It's easy! The preferred method is to create a shared
bookmark list of the caches claimed as eligible finds. Simply
send us an e-mail at PA.Reviewers@gmail.com to alert
us that you've completed all the pages. Include a link to your
bookmark list. This is the best way to share cache information in a
manner that's consistent with Groundspeak's terms of use
for pocket queries. If you don't create a bookmark list, send
us a file containing your claimed eligible finds. (.GPX or .LOC
format is highly preferred, but NOT GPX files using the proprietary
Groundspeak extensions to the GPX namespace.) This alternative is
offered for geocachers who are not premium members, or for anyone
having difficulty with managing a bookmark list. We will review
your list of finds in order to verify compliance with the cache
requirements. Please allow up to one week for the verification
process -- remember we are busy reviewing all the new caches! Finds
will be verified in the order received. Once everything checks out,
we will send you an e-mail with instructions, including the correct
coordinates to take you to the final cache, and some background
information about the cache location. The find cannot be logged
until the physical container is found and the logbook inside is
signed.
To help you figure out which caches are on which map pages, we have
the following files available. Many thanks to IV Warrior and the
Central Pennsylvania Geocachers group for hosting these
files!
The files have lines showing the borders of the Atlas pages. If you
develop a similar file for a different mapping software format,
send it to us and we will host that for everyone else's benefit as
well.
Tracking the Progress of Geocachers
Taking on the DeLorme Challenge:
We encourage everyone to make their DeLorme Challenge bookmark
lists "public" and "shared," so that everyone can see how other
geocachers are coming along. Tip: Include a bookmark to this cache
page on your list, and then everyone's lists can be accessed from
right here.
We also ask that you think of the *best* cache that you found on
each page of the Atlas, for inclusion on your DeLorme Challenge
bookmark list. That way, everyone will see how hard you worked to
complete the challenge, and we will have a very nice compiled list
of Pennsylvania's best caches. This is just a suggestion, not a
requirement. If the only cache you found on an Atlas page is a
micro at a highway rest stop, it's still eligible.
Speaking of bookmark lists, if you are looking for excellent caches
to complete a page for the DeLorme Challenge, check out a shared
bookmark list such as Pennsylvania's Favorite Caches, or the personal
"favorite caches" bookmark list owned by a geocacher in the area
you are visiting.
Those accepting the DeLorme Challenge are encouraged to post notes
here on the cache page to let everyone know they are working on it,
and to keep us informed of their progress. GOOD LUCK, AND HAVE FUN!