| In honor of this caching
milestone, the NNJC is throwing a birthday party for
gerbiL cacHe in the Ramapo Reservation main parking lot
(complete with balloons and gerbiL caKe). |
gerbiL cacHe Birthday
Bash
|
 |
Date:
Location:
Time:
|
November 21, 2010
Ramapo Reservation
Main Parking Lot
Mahwah, NJ
12:00 - 1:00 pm
|
On May 3, 2000, Dave Ulmer hid a 5-gallon with a logbook, a
now infamous can of beans, mapping software, five dollars in cash,
and a slingshot along the side of a road in northern Oregon to test
out the accuracy of the newly available public access to the global
positioning system. Little did he know that this simple stash would
blossom and evolve into the sport of geocaching as we know it
today.
A mere 6 months after that original placement on the west
coast, New Jersey joined the growing caching craze. The date was
November 25, 2000, and a caching afficionado from New York City
known simply as "cache_ninja" went for a hike in Ramapo Reservation
that would forever change the lives of uber-geeks throughout the
Gar^den S#Tat@E.
In what has now become a typical north Jersey hide, a small
cylinder was tucked into the crevice of a rock formation and the
rest, shall we say, is history. gerbiL cacHe has become an iconic
"must-do" cache for any serious Jersey cacher and is often a
favorite milestone find.
While the original cylindrical container was replaced with an
ammo can by briansnat back in April 2004, the hiding spot and
original posted coordinates remain the same (though roughly 50 ft
off). What makes gerbiL cacHe so special though is that it still
contains the original logbooks, including the placement note
written by cache_ninja on that fateful November 2000 day and all
additional logs added over the years to accomodate the relatively
constant stream of visitors.
gerbiL
cacHe is truly a treasure of the Jersey caching community and of
geocaching in general, so the NNJC is throwing a party in honor of
its 10-year anniversary. An invitation is extended to all cachers
from far and wide to come celebrate this impressive milestone with
us and to sign the event log, which will be a special birthday card
for New Jersey's revered caching rodent. No presents please.
gerbiL's hate unwrapping things and really only like chewing on the
boxes. 
After the party, there will be a ceremonial group hike to
gerbiL cacHe to deliver the birthday wishes in person and to wish
it well on its next 10 years. All are welcome to join in, but
participation in the hike is not required to log the
event.