The Port of Camas-Washougal is hosting a 10-month-long treasure hunt, and the whole community is invited to join in.
Rather than a treasure map with a giant “X” marking the location of the jackpot, searchers will need a GPS, an inquisitive mind and a bit of patience.
Every month, the port’s communications manager, Jack Hardy, ventures out to a location on port property and leaves a geocache containing a question or riddle. The event kicked off at the port’s 75th anniversary celebration Nov. 5.
On the first Tuesday of each month, the GPS coordinates to the geocache are printed in the Post-Record newspaper. The location is also revealed on the port’s Facebook page, Twitter feed and blog (http://portcw.com).
Then, the hunt is on.
“There was a lot of excitement in the crowd we had at the anniversary event, a lot of excitement,” Hardy said. “I think that’s just going to spread.”
Unlike most treasure hunts where the loot is a surprise, the jackpot in the Port of Camas-Washougal community treasure hunt is no secret. The first person to find all 10 geocaches, correctly answer each riddle and present the answers to the port office will receive an Apple iPad.
Hardy hopes the hunt will engage the community and teach people more about the port, local history and area attractions. All of the geocaches are located on port property, like the marina, the airport at Grove Field, the historical park and Captain William Clark Park along Cottonwood Beach, Hardy said.
“They will be able to see a lot of these picnic areas or parks that I think really are hidden gems,” he said.
The riddles in the geocache will test hunters’ knowledge about the port and local history. Some questions will be visual, such as “What do you see to the north?” Some will be easy to answer, others may require a little extra thinking or some research, Hardy said.
The geocaches also include small toys and other trinkets. Geocaching etiquette calls for a person to leave an item in place of the one he or she took, Hardy said. The boxes also have paper for hunters to log their name and the date they found the geocache, he said. However, game play may prevent some people from signing their names.
“I suspect some aren’t doing it because they want to fly under the radar,” Hardy said.
The winner will be announced at the port’s Aug. 20 summer concert. The deadline to submit clue answers is 5 p.m. Aug. 19.
Even those who enter the game late still have a chance to win, Hardy said.
“People can jump in last minute and still be competitive,” he said.
So far, Hardy has planted two geocaches in the Camas-Washogual area. The first geocache is located at GPS coordinates North 45.34.4 and West 122.20.2. The port’s Facebook page gives an extra hint for the first clue: “If you’re at the corner of Index and 32nd, you’re warm.”
The second box is located at North 45.34.5 and West 122.22.4. The location of the third will be announced Tuesday.
Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.
