NEW!! We are no
longer taking orders for AJACS 3rd Annual Campout Event Cache
T-shirts. We will, however have a few for sale at the event if you
didn't get your order in before the deadline.
You can see what the
T-shirts will look like here.
PLEASE POST A "WILL ATTEND" NOTE TO THIS
PAGE ASAP IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND.
ALSO FILL OUT THE
ON-LINE "ENTRY FORM" ON OUR WEB
PAGE.
AJACS 3rd Annual Campout Event Cache Official Web Site and
ENTRY FORM
If you would like to receive an
e-mail whenever there are changes or updates to this page or major
changes in event details, please e-mail me directly at
scottsparks1@mchsi.com.
What: A Camp-Out Event for the purpose of getting to know
fellow cachers. We will serve dinner on Saturday and breakfast on
Sunday. There are 120 existing caches within a 20 miles radius of
the event. We will be hiding several new caches in the area. There
are limitless hiking possibilites. There are some excellent 4WD
trails nearby.
When: This event cache will begin on Friday, March 23rd
and continue through Sunday, March 25th. If you can't stay for the
whole three days, that's fine. In fact, if you can only attend for
a few hours, that's fine too. Just drop by and chat for awhile.
Who: Anyone and everone of all ages is welcome to attend,
whether you are a seasoned veteran cacher, a newbie cacher or just
someone who is interested in geocaching.
Where: The location is in the desert southeast of the
town of Florence. We chose this location to be equidistant from
Phoenix and Tucson. We welcome cachers from anywhere, so no matter
where you live, you're invited.
Why: Because we can! . We love to camp out and know that
many others do too and because last year's event was such a big
success.
Planned Activities:
Friday:
- Early bird set up. For those who can get here early.
We'll have a FTF prize for the first team to arrive and get their
camp set up and sign the log. (You must spend the night to be
eligible for this one.)
- Fireside chat. No camp-out would be complete without a
camp fire. We will have one centralized campfire for all attendees
to gather 'round in the evening. This will be a chance to relax,
get to know one another and swap stories about geocaching or
whatever.
- Quiet Time. Promptly at 10:00PM (until 5:00AM) all
radios and TV's should have their volume reduced to a respectable
level and any generators will be turned off. This is to allow those
who wish to sleep to do so. Keep in mind that 'Quiet Time' does not
mean 'Bed Time.' Everyone is welcome to stay up as long as they
like and visit around the campfire as long as the noise is kept to
a respectable (and respectful) level.
Saturday:
- Official log and contest signup. The log will be
available all day for any new arrivals. There will also be sign-up
sheets for some of the various contests and events. Tickets will be
distributed (one per team) at sign-up for the drawings. (You must
be present to win.)
- Contestant Packets. Packets containing descriptions of
the NEW (unlisted) caches in the area as well as contest rules and
a list of the many caches in the area will be distributed Saturday
morning.
- Cache Box Prize Drawing. A drawing will be held to give
away two fully stocked ammo cans for the winners to place as their
own cache as they see fit.
- Another ammo can will be available for attendees to
contribute 'quality' trade items. Each team that contributes a
trade item will be given a ticket for a drawing to give the cache
away. (No wet-naps, AOL CD's, rocks or other geo-trash, please.) A
limit of one item per team, please. The event hosts will have the
final word on what is an acceptable trade item.
- Impromptu Cache Hunts. This is the day to team up with
old friends and new and go looking for some of the many caches
hidden in the area.
- DO NOT LEAVE YOUR KIDS AT CAMP and take off to hunt for
caches unless you have arranged to have a designated responsible
adult watch them. None of your hosts are qualified child-care
providers. In other words, we ain't no babysitters!
- Greatest Distance Travelled. A prize will be awarded
for the team who travels the greatest distance to attend the event.
The distance will be determined "as the crow flies" from point to
point. To be eligible for this, you MUST record your home
coordinates and give them to one of the Event Hosts. Alternatively,
you can post your home coords in your "Will Attend" log by checking
"Add a waypoint to the log" when you log in to tell us how many in
your party will be attending. "Home Coordinates" will be the
coordinates of the location you came from (that day) to attend the
event. If you live in Rhode Island but spend the winter in
Quartzsite, your home coordinates will be your residence in
Quartzsite. The sign-up sheet for this will be available beginning
on Friday. The deadline for entry in this contest
is Saturday at noon.
- Poker Run. We will have a Poker Run in which
contestants select cards at random from various caches. The team
with the best poker hand wins a prize. Teams can
begin drawing their cards on Friday but the deadline for entry is
Saturday at 4:30PM.
- New Caches. There will be new caches that will be
hidden especially for the event. Event attendees will have a chance
to hunt for these before they are posted on geocaching.com. All
attendees present when we distribute the details of these new
caches will have equal chances to log a First Find on them. There
is just one ground rule; there can only be one First Finder for
each cache. This means no "Co-FTF's!" The first individual or
respresentative of an established team to sign the log book gets to
claim it as a FTF.
- Most Cache Rating Points. A prize will be awarded for
the team who has the highest total of cache rating points for the
eligible caches they have found throughout the weekend, from the
time they sign in to the event until 4:30PM on Saturday. Eligible
caches include any cache within 20 miles of the event coordinates.
For example, a cache with a 2.5 Terrain and a 1.5 Difficulty rating
would be worth 4 points. The captain of each team must be present
at all cache finds (no splitting up teams). The log book must be
signed at each cache. The caches must be logged (after the event)
on www.geocaching.com. Caches previously found (prior to Friday,
March 23rd) by a team, or member of a team, do not count.
Teams must be back at the camp site and have
their paperwork turned in to the event coordinator by 4:30PM on
Saturday. Late entries will not be accepted.
- Most Caches Found. A prize will be awarded for the team
who finds the most eligible caches throughout the weekend, from the
time they sign in to the event until 4:30PM on Saturday. Eligible
caches include any cache within 20 miles of the event coordinates.
The captain of each team must be present at all cache finds (no
splitting up teams). The log book must be signed at each cache. The
caches must be logged (after the event) on www.geocaching.com.
Caches previously found (prior to Friday, March 23rd) by a team, or
member of a team, do not count. Teams must be
back at the camp site and have their paperwork turned in to the
event coordinator by 4:30PM on Saturday. Late entries will not be
accepted.
- Prize Drawings. Drawings for prizes
will begin after dinner on Saturday. You must be present to
win and you must have your ticket stub. (Available when you sign
into the event.)
- Dinner. Dinner will begin at 4:00PM
and end at 5:30PM. We will be providing food for the evening
meal for all to partake in. We will be serving hamburgers, hot dogs
and chicken breasts. We will provide the food, condiments, plates,
cups and plastic-ware. Attendees will be responsible for providing
their own drinks. IMPORTANT: If you plan to eat
with us, please fill out the on-line Entry Form so we can get an
idea of how much food we will need.
- Fireside Chat. As before, a chance to relax around the
camp fire and relive the days events and swap stories and build
friendships.
- Quiet Time. Promptly at 10:00PM (until 5:00AM). Same
rules as before. (See Quiet Time for Friday, above.)
Sunday:
- Breakfast. Breakfast will begin at
8:00AM and end at 9:30AM. We'll supply a big pot of green
chili, scrambled eggs, tortillas and hash browns for breakfast for
any who wish to partake. Other menu items may be included (check
this page often for updates.) As before, we'll provide the main
course and condiments, plates, cups and platic-ware. Attendees will
need to provide their own drinks.
- Clean Up time. To be determined. As people pack up and
get ready to leave, we ask that everyone take time to ensure that
the entire is free of trash and other 'unnatural' items.
Throughout the Weekend:
- AJACS Team Skills Challenge. !NEW THIS YEAR! This new
event will be a multi-stage cache hunt to test your
cache-puzzle-solving skills and cooperation with your team members.
Participating teams must have a minimum of two members, with at
least one adult. You will be racing against the clock as well as
other competing teams.
- Travel Bug Swap. Bring those TB's that have been
gathering dust on your desktop next to your computer and trade them
with other geocachers.
- Goodies! We should have a limited supply of custom made
items commemorating the event. Some will be given away and some
will be stashed in the new caches as FTF prizes.
General Details:
- This is a primitive camp site.
- There is no running water.
- There is no electricity.
- There are no picnic tables. Bring your own chairs and folding
tables if you have them.
- There are no restrooms.
- There are no waste dump facilities.
- We will have a primitive toilet set up for community use.
- This is desert terrain. There are some rolling hills nearby and
some proper mountains not far away.
- Cactus and thorny plants abound.
- Many creatures that sting and bite are found in the desert. Be
cautious and be prepared.
- The desert can get very hot during the day and very cold at
night. The extremes can be far greater than are normally
experienced in the city. Dress accordingly. CARRY PLENTY OF WATER
WHEN HIKING.
- Cell phone coverage in this area can be sporadic.
NOTICE: Some people have
asked if quads and dirt bikes are allowed in this area. As far as
we know, they are allowed but they are subject to Arizona State
Land Department rules. We also have a few rules we will impose for
the group.
1) Off highway vehicle use is restricted to existing roads and
trails per ASLD.
2) Do not ride directly through the main camp.
3) Please keep quads, atv's and dirt bikes on the periphery of the
camp area.
4) Restrict your speed to an idle when within at least 1/4 mile of
the main camp area.
5) Ride respectfully and keep the dust to a
minimum.
ATTENTION: This event is being held on Arizona State
Trust Land. A Recreational Permit is required to go on State Trust
Lands. Recreational permits are available for an individual ($15)
or family ($20). These permits are valid for one year from the date
of purchase. Permits can be obtained through the mail by calling
602.364.ASLD (2753), or by visiting the Land Department office in
Phoenix, Tucson or Flagstaff, or by visiting the Arizona Public
Lands Information Center in Phoenix. You can also download the
application from the ASLD web site. State Land Permit Application