First Annual Pineywoods Invitational Event Cache

The members of The Pineywoods Cache Connection welcome you to the First Annual Pineywoods Invitational!

In addition to a geocaching contest of spirited fun and challenge, it’s a great chance to meet and greet fellow cachers in an area of true East Texas beauty.

The invitational will take place at Mission Tejas State Park, which is located 21 miles northeast of Crockett and 12 miles west of Alto on State Highway 21. There is a $2 entrance fee for the day, and several fantastic camping spots available. (complete with water and electricity.) There's restrooms and showers available. The new, improved kid's playground should be finished by then as well! For more information, and to make reservations, check out the park's website. We welcome everyone to camp out on Friday and Saturday at this very neat park. After eating Saturday night, we’ll gather up all the brave cachers to go night caching at one of our favorite local night hunts. After that, we’ll share crazy caching stories until everyone can’t stand it anymore!

We'll be cooking hot dogs after the "Cache Challenge", and we'll have snacks, tea, and water available throughout the day. Feel free to bring a cooler with your snacks and drinks of choice.

The Cache Challenge Awaits!

1. You can go solo or as a team (up to 3) Please note: some activities require more than one person and would be unavailable for solo teams. Don't worry about finding a team. There will be several teams to join up with if you don't have one. Each entry must have at least one GPSr.

2. Registration begins at 11:30 A.M. Coordinates will be passed out and rules explained. No one is allowed to begin hunting until the start is officially announced! Score cards must be turned in by 7:00 and no later! All activities must be completed and scored before 7:00. Please allow yourself time to get back to camp before competition ends at 7:00!

3. There will be many caches hidden that vary in type, difficulty, and terrain. The more difficult the cache, the more points its worth. The Grand Prize Winners will be the team with the most points at the end of the time limit. You'll be able to choose whether to rack up all the quick and easy ones, or focus on a few more difficult (but valuable) caches.

There are two types of caches to find in the contest.

TRADITIONAL: These caches involve good ol’ regular caching skills. (Load the cords and hunt the box) The difficulty and terrain of these caches determine the point value for them. (Harder the cache, greater the points) In order to receive points for the cache, you must take 1 (and only 1) sticker and place it beside the corresponding blank on your score card for that cache.

ACTIVITY: PERFORM DEATH DEFYING FEATS OF DEXTERITY! SHOW YOUR MENTAL PROWESS! REVEAL HIDDEN TALENTS!

While there are caches to find here, you won’t receive points automatically. Inside each of these caches you will find a slip of paper with further instructions. (Please take only one slip) Come back to base camp to complete task(s) (and receive points) at any time during the competition, but remember to leave ample time for the activities before competition ends. Stickers will be rewarded at base camp after completition of task.

Some activities are worth varying amounts, depending on your skill level. (perform well, and you can score as well on activities as the harder traditional caches.)

4. We've got a lot of room, but there will be a few muggles around- each other !!! Be smart, and use stealth when necessary.

5. All team members must find caches together. No splitting up!

6. No alternate transportation allowed. (no bikes, cars, spacecraft, skate boards, dune buggies, Segways, etc) Only good ol’ fashioned hiking.

THE GAMES WITHIN THE GAME

In addition to finding caches and enjoying activities, there are other ways to score points or win prizes.

FTF CACHE PRIZES All Traditional Caches have First To Find prizes, redeemable by bringing the 6-sided dice you find back to the scorers table. Each cache has a predetermined prize, with the hardest caches having the most valuable ones. Remember, don’t forget to take the dice! There is no limit to the amount of FTF prizes your team can win.

At the end of the day, you’ll roll all the dice you received and the high scoring team will receive a Grand FTF prize. Then the team members will roll to see who gets to take home the treasure. (Example: Team Brown finds 4 FTF dice during the day, while Team Yellow find 3 FTF dice during the day. Team Brown rolls 4 dice and Team Yellow rolls 3 dice. High score wins.)

GEOJUMBLE Each of your “found” stickers for the caches have a single letter on them. Hidden in these letters is a word or phrase for you to decipher. Bring the solution to the scorers table and earn big bonus points.

TACKY CACHES All Activity Caches have a single thumbtack. First finders may take the tack, and bring it back to the scorers table to randomly stick it in the special Mission Tejas map provided. On the back side of the map are secret bonus points available. Place your tack in the right spot and the points are yours. There is no limit to the amount of tacks your team can place.

Join us for a great geo-get together! Be prepared for a fun weekend of caching and socializing!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to send me an e-mail. Add this event to your watchlist to stay up to date with late-breaking details.

See you on July 29!

Piney Woods Cache Connection

Generated by The Selector