My goal three-fold:

1. Stay in Michigan.
2. Visit all 100 Michigan State Park Centennial GeoTour (GT-93) geocaches.
3. Visit each of the 100 MSPCGT geocaches with a different geocacher.

I am Young Smokey Bear. It has been 75 years since the USFS created the Smokey Bear character to help raise awareness about forest fire prevention. The US Forest Service is celebrating the 75th anniversary of this iconic campaign which was created in 1944 to raise people's awareness. The campaign used a likeness of a Black Bear to help get this message across.

Smokey Says –
Care Will Prevent 9 out of 10 Forest Fires

In 1947, the slogan was changed to the more memorable slogan which lasted more than fifty years:

Remember... Only You can prevent Forest Fires

The words "Forest Fires" was changed to "Wildfires" in 2001, and is still used today.

My own story is tied very closely to this campaign. In 1950, I was caught alone in a fire in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico. I took refuge in a tree but suffered burns on my paws and hind legs. A fire fighting crew found me hurting badly. One of the fire fighting crew took me to his ranch to try to help me. A ranger from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish then took me to Sante Fe where my burns were treated. That is how I became the living face of six year old Smokey Bear campaign.

I am celebrating the 75th birthday of the Smokey Bear Campaign and the 100th anniversary of Michigan's State Parks by remembering my youth on the...

Michigan State Parks Centennial GeoTour (GT-93)

... with as many different geocachers as possible. Please don't keep me and please don't try to take me to lots of parks yourself. My goal will only be fulfilled if lots of different cachers help me. I've only got three years to complete this trip, so help me if you can. If you retrieve me, take me to another MSPC GeoTour cache and drop me off. You can look at my map but I will put my itinerary on this page so you can more easily see where I've been and with whom.

My owner is one of the people who helped create this GeoTour. He really wants to see me visit them all. How many of you GeoTour seekers are up for the added challenge of helping me make my goal? Please take and post pictures of me at the various parks. Geocaching.com really wants to see them and so does the Michigan DNR and MiGO, hosts of the GeoTour.

I am starting my trek at Interlochen State Park, the first State Park opened after the creation of the State Parks Commission, at the Centennial Celebration Kickoff Event. I wonder where I will end my trek.