In support of the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service Foundation (STARS), the Amazing Backcountry Race is hosting a geocaching scavenger hunt in the wilderness of the Alberta Rockies.
Sixteen caches will be hidden from the Wilmore Wilderness Park to Kananaskis and teams or individuals, and their horses will be given locations of the caches and must set out to find them.
The caches, army ammunition boxes, are waterproof and animal-proof. “We’ll try to put them in places everyone should be able to see,” said ride organizer, Brenda Murdock.
Each cache box will contain information about the area. “Besides raising money for STARS we’re trying to educate people about what’s going on in the backcountry,” said Murdock.
Most caches will be fixed to trees near the ground. “This is the first year so we’re trying to keep it mellow,” Murdock said. “But we have so many ideas we could do.”
Sponsors of riders who give more than $20 will be given receipts. And for the riders there is no minimum amount required to participate.
Prizes will be given out for most money raised, most caches found, most creative pictures, and to the first rider who finds each cache.
Prizes will include gift certificates to sponsor stores of the event. For the first rider to find a cache they will be given a leather medallion from a store. The medallion will have a coupon code that can be redeemed at the Amazing Backcountry Race website for a gift certificate to the store the medallion came from.
Once registered, each team or individual will be given their own interactive page on the Amazing Backcountry Race website. Riders will be able to post photos of their rides, comment to other riders, and keep a daily tally of their money raised.
Sponsors will also be able to keep informed about their riders’ progress through the website.
For more information visit www.abcrace.com or contact the ride organizers Brenda Murdock and Scott Phillips at amaingbackcountry@gmail.com