I won this fully stocked cache in a raffle at a Leap Day Event in North Tonawanda, hosted by the one and only Barbershop Dru.
It was so nice to see her again, as it had been many years, and she is one of the few cachers who always made me feel welcomed, even though I was a stranger in a strange land.
Barbershop Dru has been caching since June 22nd, 2002, and she has amassed over 13000 finds in that time, and placed over 280 caches, which has helped geocaching to prosper in North Tonawanda and the surrounding area.
If you are ever so lucky as to meet up with her on the trail, or at an event, you are likely to encounter her alter ego, BS Dru. I was even entrusted with taking BS Dru with me to the GPS Adventure Maze in Rochester, New York. Now that was an honour.
So I have decided to place this cache in her honour.
A cache which shows qualities of a cache I am hoping she will enjoy. A nice hike, some interesting things to learn, some field puzzles, and an excuse to get outside and enjoy nature.
So I have named this cache based on the etymology of her name. Here's to you Dru!
Now onto the cache. This is a multi-cache, with a total of 7 stages, plus the final. The posted coordinates will take you to the first plaque in the park. From here, you will need to collect some information and then continue on to all of the other informational plaques on your way to the final. Be sure to write down things correctly, and double check your math.
You will need to gather the following information and use the following formula, to find the first physical stage.
N42 AB.CDE
W79 FG.HIJ
Now, here we are at the plaque entitled:
Geology
How many millions of years ago, did a shallow sea cover this area? Add the numbers together, then add those two numbers to get G
Eastern Bluebirds In what year, was the Eastern Bluebird delisted as a rare species? Add those four numbers together and then add those two numbers to get E
Chimney Swifts
How many acres, exactly, were donated by Ed Lenchyshyn, George Parazader, and the Ridgeway Lions club, collectively? Use the digit in in the tenths column. This number is C
How many inches in length, is the short body of a Chimney Swift? This number is A
What fraction of their body weight, do Chimney Swifts eat in one day? 1/B
In what year, was Anna Jameson's quote taken from? Use the third number in that year. xxDx
With the three photos titled, "A Closer Look Inside A Chimney Swift Tower", how many eggs are shown in the first photo? This number is H
Shagbark Nature Park is dominated by many deciduous tree species. How many are named? This number is I
Poison Ivy
In what year, was the Thoreau quote attributed? Use the last number in the year xxxJ
Take that same year, and add the first two digits together, and then subtract them from the sum of the last two digits. This number is F
Now that you have done all of that math, you now have the coordinates for Stage 1.
Once there, that cache will contain the coordinates for Stage 2 and so on until the find the final cache.
Have fun and happy caching!