DGSc Challenge ( West Coast ) Mystery Cache

DGSc: Doctor of Geocaching Science

From left to right: Prof. rediguana, Prof. Moneydork, Prof beltfamily

Before you can attempt this cache, you must first have completed all the requirements for Master of Geocaching Science (http://coord.info/GC2J6AY). You need not have signed the logbook for GC2J6AY, but you must have completed all the requirements and posted the completion note.

All geocaches that you have done since the completion note has been posted against GC2J6AY are in play for this challenge cache, with the following exceptions: You may not claim any cache against this challenge cache that you have claimed or will claim against another challenge cache. Any other challenge cache. You may also claim any cache only once against this challenge.

Before you can sign the log book of this challenge cache, you must first have signed the log book of GC2J6AY. Do not sign the log book of this challenge cache until you have first completed all the course requirements and posted a note to this cache showing all your course work - your Thesis.

Unlike the trivial completions of the BGSc and MGSc final cache finds, this cache involves a substantial challenge in reaching the final container with the log book. You must be well prepared. You will not receive any additional information. It is part of this challenge to prepare for this final test with minimal information being available to start with.

To complete the DGSc challenge, you must choose 4 of the following electives and then complete them.

Please be warned. A DGSc is a serious undertaking, which may take some cachers several years of geocaching study to complete. Completion of this course requires a significant amount of time, effort and dedi”cache’n”.

1. The Altitude Elective - Find and log a combined altitude climb of 15,000m. This must include a minimum of 5 climbs of over 800m each. All remaining climbs must be over 200m each. The altitude climb for a cache is measured by subtracting the altitude of the start of the track from the altitude of the cache. Only one cache can be claimed per expedition.
   
2. The Puzzle Solving Elective - Solve and successfully log 125 puzzle caches. Of these, 50 need to be have a difficulty rating of 3.0 or higher, and of these 5 need to have a difficulty rating of 4.5 or higher. Challenge caches cannot be applied to this elective.
   
3. The Distance Elective - Find and log a combined horizontal walking journey of 500km. This must include a minimum of 10 caches of over 5km each. All remaining caches must be over 350m each. The horizontal journey for a cache is measured calculating the length of a direct line from the start of the trail to the cache to the final cache location. Only one cache can be claimed per expedition (from the one trail marker on a particular day).
   
4. The Challenging Cache Elective - Find 400 caches that have both Difficulty and Terrain ratings greater than or equal to 2.5. Of these, at least 50 must have a challenge value (Difficulty+Terrain) greater than or equal to 6.
   
5. The Bulk Finding Elective - Find and log at least 1500 caches in a single year. Of these, at least 300 need to be found in a single calendar month. On at least 8 occasions you need to have found 50 or more caches in a single day.
   
6. Night Caching Elective - Find and log 500 caches at night (between one hour after sunset and one hour before sun rise). At least 50 of these finds must have been completed in one calendar month. At least 5 of these (500) caches must have been designed as night caches by the cache owner.
   
7. Special Topic in Geocaching - Propose your own geocaching ‘research’ topic and select one of the three professors (Prof Belt, Prof Dork or Prof Iguana) to be your supervisor. Your ‘thesis’ must involve a significant geocaching undertaking, similar in complexity to the elective options listed above. As a general rule, a thesis should take an experienced and dedicated cacher 6 to 12 months to complete and involve a SERIOUS geocaching challenge. The Board of Studies (ie all three Professors and at least one Geocaching.com Volunteer Reviewer) must agree and approve your special topic before you commence your research for this paper. Your supervisor will work with you in order to ensure that you have a satisfactory proposal for submission to the Board of Studies. If accepted, your special topic will become an elective option that is available to other geocachers. Only one of the papers for your Doctorate can be a special topic. The special topic cannot be similar to the requirements of any other challenge cache.

This course has been carefully balanced to be a significant body of work while at the same time being achievable. In fact, most of the Faculty have already achieved numbers in excess of the requirements above in the past. Not only that, they will also undertake the full course themselves so you will know that these electives weren't just arbitrary large numbers. In many cases the numbers have been revised downwards to ensure this course of study isn't hard to achieve. However, like any Doctorate level of study, you are expected to spend a significant amount of time to complete the course.

Finally, your course won't be completed until you visit the West Coast Field Campus for your final act: the locating of the cache and signing of the log book. We can assure you this will be a rewarding and fitting end to your academic career!