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Thread: Free Geocoin - Fundy National Park

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
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    ME
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    Thumbs up Free Geocoin - Fundy National Park

    Fundy National Park in Alma New Brunswick Canada has reintroduced Geocaching in the National Park. There is a passport you can download and on completing the 5 caches receive a Limited Edition Geocoin. I do imagine supplies are limited.

    For more information here is the link: http://atlanticgeocaching.com/index....nts&Itemid=172

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Cape Elizabeth, Maine
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    Default More information...

    I was up in Fundy NP for the event that introduced the coin. It was the weekend before I left for GW. I had a great time and I highly recommend the cache series.

    As for quantity they minted 250 but if those go quickly (I don't think they will) they will mint more. If the program is successful they may have a different coin and different caches next year. I guess the basic message is that if you do it, you'll most likely get a coin.

    As for the particulars: The park is 3 hours from Calais/St Stephen, traveling along the coast. It's an easy drive and the toll in St. John takes US$.

    As a bit of background, the NP service in Canada had banned all geocaches just as in NPs here in the US. The local geocaching group worked with the NP to reintroduce caches. The coin is part of that reintroduction and if it works well in Fundy NP it may be expanded to other parks in CA. In fact, the event was hosted by park rangers with the support of local cachers.

    Once in the park there are five caches that you must do to get the coin. You can download the punch sheet and see the particulars before you actually head across the border. The caches themselves and the cache descriptions are very well done.

    Traveling from the US you can't really do this in one day unless its a very, very, very long day.

    One cache is a short down a 10-minute trail and back up the hill. Another is a park-n-grab more or less.

    Another is about an hour's walk round trip down to the ocean and back with a good elevation change. Great views at the end though.

    Another is about 2 hours in a loop across relatively level terrain.

    The final is the tough one - it's listed as 3-5 hours there and back. I did it in 3.5 hours. The highpoint of the trail is about a kilometer in and it's all downhill from there. The last kilometer has most of the elevation change. I can look back on my breadcrumb trail from the GPS but it's pretty steep. I believe the total distance is about 6.5 miles round trip. The final destination - Black Hole - is quite wonderful and beautiful. I'll see if I can dig up some pictures from that location. It's well worth the hike. The park rangers do not recommend doing this in the dark or in the rain.

    The event was from 12:30 to 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon. I figured you could do all the caches during that time; after all everything is in kilometers so it doesn't look that bad - not even close.

    Lastly, in order to claim your coin you must go to the gift shop in the Visitor's Center - and that opens at 9 and closes at 4:30. Remember that this is Atlantic time, not Eastern time. So in order to this in one day (8-9 hours) you need to be in the park to start by 7:00 am at the latest.

    My journey consisted of getting up at 4:00, leaving from Cape Elizabeth at 5:00, and getting to Canada at 8:00. I figured I had 3 hours to get to Fundy and then cache a little. Well, I forgot that it was now 9:00 in CA so I high-tailed it over to Fundy arriving just after 12:00. The introductory remarks for the event (with about 50 people) had already started. I did 4 hours of caching for the first four then quickly realized I could not do the other and return by 5:00 so I ended up skipping the last and returning for the conclusion of the event.

    I had planned to be heading home but I wasn't going to leave without the coin. I had my camping gear with me but it was pouring rain so I opted for a hotel in Alma. I got an early start the next morning and was on the trail by 7:10. I finished the last hike getting back to the car about 10:40. After a change of clothes and a drink, I headed to the gift shop where I was the third person to get the coin, having been beaten there by just 30 minutes by a couple who had done the long hike the day before then they cleaned up the remaining 4 on Sunday morning. We were probably the only three who got a coin on the initial weekend. Nearly everyone else was a local and so they were all going to take their time to finish all five.

    It was a long drive back home, caching on the way. I didn't get home until 8:30 Sunday night.

    So my "free" coin is now one of my most treasured an memorable. It only cost a weekend in CA, two days of entry fees to the park ($16), a tankful of Canadian gas at $5/gallon, 850 miles of driving in two days, dinner, breakfast, and an overnight in Alma (the hotel cost less than the tank of gas as Alma was still "out-of-season"), and 12+ miles of walking.

    The coin is activated and is part of what I will take to events; however, you may only log it if you have logged or own a cache with a hike of five miles or longer.

    This was an absolutely wonderful weekend journey. I highly recommend the park and its caches to anyone. I meant to write about this before I left for GW but did not have a chance. Thanks for the post Hollora!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
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    ME
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    Default

    kayakerinme - thanks for the detail. You could be a GeoTravel Agent!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Brewer,ME
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    2,611

    Default Yippee!!

    I can qualify to log your coin Barry. I have A View of the Lake (A Rescue Rangers Cache) (GC149W5) by mainiac1957 (1.5/4) which is a six mile hike at minimum. I'll look for you at the next event we both attend.
    Happy Trails!



  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Solon, Maine
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    5,965

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    Sheesh! RULOST2? and I camped at Fundy NP a couple of years ago, and I think we have 3 of the 5 geocaches. Good reason to go back...

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Cape Elizabeth, Maine
    Posts
    391

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    Quote Originally Posted by WhereRWe? View Post
    Sheesh! RULOST2? and I camped at Fundy NP a couple of years ago, and I think we have 3 of the 5 geocaches. Good reason to go back...
    All five caches are newly published as of the event date. Apparently there were a couple of these with similar names that were archived to make room for the new ones. And... you still need the punch from all five for the sheet so you'll have to revisit them.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Gainesville, Georgia
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    Does the Gulf Hagas hike qualify for the coin?
    Just smile it won't crack your face

    The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is
    suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best
    friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Halifax NS
    Posts
    82

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    thanks Hollora, I meant to come over and tell you folks all about it. I had the priviledge of working on this and hiding three of the caches. It is something I am proud of as I feel it is the way geocaching should be, you do 5 nice walks/hikes and get a geocoin. No skirt lifters there just nature. It was a challenge working within Parks Canada guidelines but hopefully we will see more of these types of opportunities

    Todd
    Make love not micros

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
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    ME
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    Default

    Dragonflys - thanks for your work on this one! Sounds like a nice job indeed. Working with any group and/or organziation is a challenge but in the end there are bountiful rewards. Keep up the good work.

    It was wonderful to hear kayakerinmaine was there for the debut, so to speak. Regretfullly, I probably physically could not hike the 5+ miles to log his coin or maybe even do the caches in the park. Someday - maybe I will try.

    My kids laugh, that I will die or drop geocaching. LOL Again, thanks for helping with the placement of these caches. I hope this tread encourages folks to visit them.

    Based on what I have read - a good vacation expedition.

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