Please note, as the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) situation is evolving rapidly around the world, we encourage geocachers to follow the most current guidance from public health authorities when choosing how to participate in activities such as geocaching. Your health and safety are the top priority.
As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Project A.P.E. promotion, we turn the spotlight to Mission 4: Southern Bowl (GCC67). This is the only continuously existing Project A.P.E. Cache out of the 14 that were placed. Brazilian geocacher Armando Tomé, Danger_Danger, explains why logging this cache is the trip of a lifetime for geocachers.
In this pilgrimage, the main attraction is a very peculiar geocache. The Project A.P.E. Cache, Mission 4: Southern Bowl (GCC67), was the only one of its type still left in the world until recently.
For us, in Brazil, it is a national reference. It is the oldest geocache in Brazil, with the most photos posted and the most Favorite points. It also usually has the most trackables.
“We were the first!
We arrived in the late afternoon yesterday and gave up, because it got dark. We came back in the morning and after hours of searching the forest, we finally made it.
We took out a pot, which was used in the recordings of the film Planet of the Apes and left the other gifts in the same place.
Good luck to the next adventurers! The place is awesome! Worth it!”
-Levinagano
This bold adventurer, Levinagano, was the first to find this world icon 20 years ago while some of today’s geocachers were just children. Since then a lot has changed for the better, mainly due to the new communication tools that make planning a trip much simpler.
The experience is also more complete these days. Along with the Project A.P.E. Cache, with its original container with memorabilia from the film, there is an incredible GeoTour designed to make the trip a complete geo-experience.
If the geocacher is up for it, it’s possible to do without much effort, something that is not for amateurs! You can organize an Event, host a CITO, log the Adventure Lab® on-site, plus complete the incredible A.P.E. Brasil GeoTour (GT99). There are classic containers from the most innovative to unpredictable ones that make up the GeoTour. This was all created thanks to the love that addicted Brazilian geocachers have for the activity.
Did you do the math? There are 11 different types of caches that can be found in a single day, and you will earn a souvenir both for the A.P.E. Cache and completing the A.P.E. Brasil GeoTour.
The state park, Intervales State Park, that hosts travelers to this area has a simple structure in the midst of lush nature, but enough comfort and a lot of hospitality from local people.
Today the trail to GCC67 is not so different from 20 years ago, when the first geocachers literally had to cut their way with a machete. It still remains muddy and with the countless wild animals that can be seen during the walk. You can be the next cacher to find this treasure, but that is only if you’re ready to star in an adventure that you will remember for the rest of your life!
Source: Geocaching