2 Miles of Smiles
Masters Degree
The cache IS at the posted coordinates.
You can sign the log anytime, but to claim a find, you need to complete the following challenge:
2 Miles of Smiles Challenge: Masters Degree
Have a cache find in every 1000' for 2 Miles of Elevation (0'-10,560')
Welcome to the 2 Miles of Smiles Challenge Series. Some of my favorite finds have involved deliberate planning and long hours on the trail just to reach one specific location to hunt one specific cache. As an avid hiker, part-time peak-bagger, and all-out backcountry enthusiast, one of the caching statistics I began to value most was that third axis of every set of coordinates: elevation. While I am a bit of a terrain hound, I'll still log an LPC just as happily as a I will a summit register. What I've been paying closest attention to lately is exactly where my cache finds are located. That means latitude and longitude, obviously, but even more importantly, the exact elevation.
I've seen (and signed) several "Elevated" Challenges over the years. Some simply require you to grab a single cache above a single elevation mark to qualify, like the Such Great Heights Challenge I found in Atlanta. Some of my favorites take a lot more effort and a lot more homework (like Plazmo's 50 @ 8,000ft Challenge). The first elevation-based challenge I ever logged was The Professor's Elevated Challenge right here in Tahoe, and I've been hooked ever since. Through planning and persistence, I recently accomplished a personal goal I set for myself of filling a find in every 100' band of elevation from Sea Level up to 2 Miles High!
The 2 Miles of Smiles Challenge is exactly that... have a geocache smiley face (successful find) in each designated elevation band from Sea Level through Two Miles High... That's 0' through 10,560' ! Did you know that the full elevation range of El Dorado County alone is almost exactly 2 miles?!?! You could practically knock out this whole challenge in a single county! Any cache find counts. Having trouble filling a gap? Try hosting an elevation event! Project-GC has a great Top Elevation Statistics Tool where you can see how you stack up.
As with any Challenge Series, we've got DEGREES of difficulty.
(M) Masters Degree: Every 1000' (GC9PAZC)
(D) Doctorate Degree: Every 500' (GC9PAZH)
(C) Centurion Degree: Every 100' (GC9MK3A)
(L) Legendary Edition Part I (Mile 1) (GC9PAZE) and Part II (Mile 2): Every 50' (GC9PAZF)
2 Miles of Smiles Challenge: Masters Degree Qualifications:
Have a cache find in every 1000' for 2 Miles of Elevation (0'-10,560')
You can verify your totals with the checker below!
11 caches are required to qualify (the highest bracket is 10,00-11,000).
Here are my qualifying caches:
0-999: GC2ERGY: Noah's Ark Cache, 2011-06-07, King County (WA),
1000-1999: GC1MTYJ: Triangle Park, 2011-12-14, Jackson County (OR),
2000-2999: GC186ZW: A Stroll Above the Park, 2011-12-14, Jackson County (OR),
3000-3999: GC1QZVP: Only stopping for a Stretch (and a cache), 2013-04-04, Tuolumne County (CA),
4000-4999: GC1T0YG: Almost Forgotten, 2011-06-27, Douglas County (NV),
5000-5999: GCJAZK: Strawberry Picnic, 2013-10-17, El Dorado County (CA),
6000-6999: GC1DT2B: Captain Belle's Lost Treasure, 2011-06-03, El Dorado County (CA),
7000-7999: GC24AN7: NgoroNgoro - a big African caldera, 2010-12-30, Tanzania
8000-8999: GCY27A: Burnside Lake 8, 2011-09-22, Alpine County (CA),
9000-9999: GC311MH: Wayapie, 2012-09-12, Mono County (CA),
10000-11000: GCGV8Q: A Birthday to Remember, 2016-08-07, Alpine County (CA),