This Virtual cache will take you to the first 5 stages of The Peace Trail on the National Mall which is described here: Peace Trail on the National Mall | United States Institute of Peace (usip.org). All 5 stages must be visited and the described actions must be documented for each in order to claim a "find".
Stage 1 is at the posted co-ordinates in front of the The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) - which is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute that works internationally to resolve conflicts and build peace. Action: Post a photo in your log taken at this location showing your geocaching name and the date of your visit and including the USIP seal (which is etched into the plaza in front of the building at this location). It is not required that your face be shown in the photo but selfies are most welcome!
Stage 2 is at the United States Department of State, which is the oldest and most senior cabinet agency, playing the lead role in U.S. foreign affairs and promoting peace, security, and prosperity through its diplomatic relations with foreign governments and their people. Action: As this building is rather boring to look at, please turn your attention to the Edward Kelly Park opposite and send a message to the CO briefly describing the athletic statue there..NOTE: A constuction fence makes this one almost impossible. Until the work is completed, you may skip this step.
Stage 3 is the Memorial to Albert Einstein, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 and discovered the theory of relativity. Action: Send a message to the CO advising what is on the paper that Einstein is contemplating. Photos are welcome but not required.- it is one of the few statues for which no one will scold you if you climb in his lap!
Stage 4: The Lincoln Memorial honors the 16th president as a unifier who preserved the nation through the Civil War era, and an emancipator who played a key role in ending the institution of slavery. Action: In your message to the CO, describe what is draped over the back and sides of Lincoln's chair. Photos are welcome but not required.- but you WILL be arrested if you attempt to climb in Abe's lap!
Stage 5: The Arts of War (Memorial Bridge), sculpted by American Leo Friedlander, depicts themes of “Valor” and “Sacrifice. The Arts of Peace (Rock Creek Parkway), sculpted by American James Earle Fraser, consists of “Music and Harvest” and “Aspiration and Literature.”. The bridge itself, beyond the Arts of War, (shown in the photo below) is a physical union of the north and the south of this country, a symbol of reconciliation, and a reminder of the commitment to peace and unity here at home. Action: Getting to these monuments on foot is not easy and not necessary. Instead please take a photograph from the back of the Lincoln Memorial that clearly shows one of the pair of monuments with you, your geocaching name or your GPS'r in the foreground. Post your photo with your log.
NOTE: Construction behind the Memorial makes this one almost impossible. Until the work is completed, you may skip this step.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.