Quacking and Tracking : With a Dash of Puzzles Event Cache

Where: Grand Traverse Pie Company

When: 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Bring your trackable ducks and unsolved puzzles. A new puzzle will be provided for attendees to solve.

On August 30, 2001, Geocaching.com Founder Jeremy Irish activated the world’s first trackable, TB1. Jeremy says, “When we first started Travel Bugs, I released 7 Deadly Ducks in the wild.” Each of the new trackables were based on one of the deadly sins. These Deadly Ducks, with the names of Envy, Sloth, Pride, Gluttony, Lust and Wrath, headed out into the world to travel from geocache to geocache. (The Greed Deadly Duck was placed in a geocache that was never listed on Geocaching.com and may still be hidden in Virginia.) Thus began a game within a game: trackable.

Today there are more than 2,655,951 trackable traveling around the world — making friends, creating memories and patiently waiting to complete their mission.

In honor of the 15th anniversary of trackable, we’re hosting a worldwide trackable race featuring the reincarnated Deadly Ducks. You’re invited to enter! The race will begin July 20, 2016 at 12:01am PST and end on August 20, 2016 at 11:59pm PST.

How to Join the HQ Duck Dash: Get a new unactivated trackable! Enter your duck-themed trackable or any other trackable without prior travel history. Activate it. Set your trackable’s mission. (Pro Tip: Include instructions to get your trackable to a geocaching event on August 20, International Geocaching Day.)

Read the HQ Duck Dash Code of Honor! By entering a trackable into this year’s race, you agree to abide by these rules. Enter your trackable into the race by filling out this signup form by July 17, 2016. (The official Deadly Duck tags will be automatically entered into the race.) You must be 18 years or older to participate. Watch your trackable race to a geocaching event on International Geocaching Day!

Enter your trackable into the HQ Duck Dash at geocaching.com.

How Do I Win? First off, everyone’s a winner! All participating trackable owners will receive a HQ Duck Dash badge to add to their profile. To be eligible for the following recognition, trackable must end their journey at a geocaching event on International Geocaching Day, August 20, 2016.

1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in the following categories will be chosen and featured by Geocaching HQ, thus earning eternal and international bragging rights:

Best Trackable Photo Awarded to the trackable with the best photo from the race as decided by HQ. Photos can be submitted through this form (by the original photographer).

Most Story-Worthy Moment (Best Log) Awarded to the trackable with the most heartfelt, epic and/or generally entertaining log as decided by HQ. Logs must be submitted through this form (by the trackable owner or logger) to be eligible.

Furthest Distance Traveled Awarded to the trackable that travel the greatest distance between geocaches from July 20 and August 20.

Most Geocaches Involved Awarded to the trackable that drop in or visit the greatest number of different geocaches between July 20 and August 20.

Most Geocachers Involved Awarded to the trackable that are grabbed and moved by the greatest number of geocachers between July 20 and August 20.

Ready to race? Get your Deadly Duck trackable from Shop Geocaching or one of our International Retailers, or register a trackable by submitting this form (found on geocaching.com) before July 17, 2016.