Geocaching Contest - Outside Bozeman - Southwest Montana's Outdoor Journal

Results are in! Jake Zywicke and Jeanne Knox tied for first place, and Dean Center was the runner-up. Check out the table below for complete results.

Cache Money! Mountain moguls and techno-geeks alike, it's time for the Outside Bozeman Geocaching Contest. From the back-alleys of Bozeman to Hyalite's rugged hillsides, well-concealed caches await discovery by southwest Montana's strongest, fastest, and smartest treasure hunters. This contest ain't no tea party; wimps will be weeded out quickly. Loads of loot await the victors, including $250 in cash and a $500 Lowrance GPS. Navigators, start your gadgets: it's time to cache in and cash out.

Date: October 1-31, 2009
Location: Southwest Montana
# of Caches: 17

Details:
-17 caches have been placed around southwest Montana; there are everything from urban caches to riverbank caches to mountaintop caches.
-Each cache contains a log book, which will be collected at midnight on October 31st.
-Every cache is assigned a point value, based on level of difficulty (see below). Total points possible: 56
-Caches contain FTF (First To Find) goodies.
-Caches are NOT listed on geocaching.com.
-Each cache is marked with this logo:

Cache Locations

Click here for an overview map of all cache locations. Good luck!

Rules:
-All entrants must register by sending name, email, and phone number to mail @ outsidebozeman.com.
-Entrants must find and sign their own caches. Signatures will be compared!
-Standard geocaching ethics and code of conduct must be followed at all times.
-Search for O/B caches AT YOUR OWN RISK. We assume no liablity for injuries incurred.
-In the event of a tie, log entries will be compared to determine who found more caches first. If this method fails to resolve the matter, we'll have a cache-off. We're not really sure what that is, but it sounds good.

Suggestions:
-Carry a pencil, pen, or fine-point permanent marker to sign the log. We've included some in the cache but they may freeze up or get misplaced.

Prizes:
-First place (most points): $500 Lowrance GPS unit OR $250 cash (winner's choice)
-Second place (2nd most points): $500 Lowrance GPS unit OR $250 cash (remaining prize)
-Most caches found: Oboz trail shoes and Bridgedale socks
-FTF prizes for each cache: TBD

References:
-Check out geocaching.com for more info than you'll ever need on this growing sport.
-Read Alex Roots' Outside Bozeman article about geocaching in our online archives.

Notes & Modifications
-We planned for 20 caches, as our flyer & ads state; but we lost one, and then two got stolen before the contest started. Another one got stolen after the contest. Freakin' thieves!
-We planned for an underwater cache, but all the local ponds are way too murky. We tried placing one, but with visibility at about six inches, we were worried that even WE wouldn't be able to find it.

Acknowledgements
-This contest would not be possible without the expert and selfless assistance of the following local geocachers: Alex Roots, Tim Shober, Roger Roots, and Lynn Powers. Thank you all for your help!

*This page last updated 11/24/09.