The Cape Breton Highlands National Park and the Atlantic Geocaching Society will be hosting a geocaching day on June 5 in Cheticamp.
Geocaching is a high-tech “treasure hunt” involving the use of a GPS device to find hidden caches, usually a container holding small items or a logbook to keep track of successful geocachers. The Park has a total of 14 geocaches, which Cheticamp-based Parks Canada representative Marieve Therriault says is one of the Park’s many attractions.““Geocaching is such a good opportunity to experience the park in a different way; there ARE many different ways to experience the park.”
Therriault said that the June 5 event would be worthwhile for beginner and seasoned geocachers alike, and would appeal to anyone who enjoys hiking and the outdoors. “We hope to attract all ages and all walks of life. It’s fun for families as well as adults. So we hope to see lots of people come in and enjoy the park.”
The day will start at 10:00am with a meet and greet at the Cheticamp Visitor centre, followed by a wilderness safety presentation at 10:30am. A geocaching workshop will be held at 11:00. Finally, the coordinates of the new geocache will be released at 12:00pm and participants will set out for a hike on the new trail. The day will wrap up with prize distributions at 4:00pm. Geocachers who complete the challenge will be given a Parks Canada 125th anniversary coin.
The new Geocache will be placed at the Fishing Cove Trail, on MacKenzie Mountian. Therriault described the new site as a “traditional” cache, containing information on what makes the site significant to the highlands. Other caches throughout the Park include an eco-cache and a children’s cache, to name a couple.
Therriault expressed gratitude towards the Atlantic Geocaching Association and the Hike the Highlands festival for providing assistance to Parks staff in organizing the event.
For more information visit pc.gc.ca or contact the Parks staff at 902-224-2306
