| Date/Time: |
September 19, 2009 |
| Location: |
Lake Wissota State Park, near Chippewa Falls |
| Description: |
9th Annual Geo-Picnic |
| Coordinates: |
N44 57.609'
W91 17.553' |
| Cost: |
Free
Donations Accepted |
| Registration Ends: |
September 12th |
|
9th Annual WGA Geo-Picnic
Heads Northwest To Lake Wissota
 Come join us for a fun day of
caching and camaraderie at scenic
Lake
Wissota State Park near Chippewa Falls in NW Wisconsin!
IMPORTANT: To sign up
for the event, you must go to the WGA 2009 Picnic Registration Page
and fill out the online form. (NOTE: Do not leave a "will attend"
note on the event cache page.)
Please register no later
than September 12th.
Click here for the WGA 2009 Picnic Registration page
| WHERE: |
Lake Wissota State Park near Chippewa Falls, WI |
| DATE: |
Saturday, September 19, 2009 |
| TIME: |
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM. See the schedule of events below. |
| COST: |
Free (Donations will be accepted and
welcomed) |
Located on a 6,300 acre manmade lake, Lake Wissota State Park
features over 1,000 acres of young forests, open meadows, and
marshes. The park has an extensive system of hiking and bike trails
that cover over a dozen miles.
We have the Beach Shelter reserved for the day. This is a large
open shelter, but it likely cannot accommodate all expected
attendees. Picnic tables outside the shelter are also limited,
so please bring your own chairs, picnic blankets, etc. This
is a family event, and all participants are requested to act
accordingly. (See the park's rules about pets.) The event will be
held rain or shine.
Camping is available in the park for those who wish to stay for
the weekend. The family campground has about 90 campsites suitable
for tents and wheeled camper units; some campsites have
electricity.
Tentative Schedule
| Check
In/Registration Begins |
8:30
AM |
|
Registration Closes |
11:30
AM |
| Lunch /
Grills Ready |
12:00 PM |
| Group
Picture |
5:00
PM |
| WGA
Meeting & Door Prizes |
5:15 - 6:00 PM |
Geocaching Activities
Temporary Geocaches: We will have approximately 30 temporary
geocaches in the park that will be available to hunt only the day
of the event. Full information on these temporary caches will be
provided to participants when they register Saturday morning.
Permanent Geocaches: There are already 20 excellent
permanent caches at Lake Wissota, and local geocachers plan to
place about 10 more in the park in advance of the event. A few of
these are puzzles or have special requirements so you might want to
check them out before arriving. A large number of geocaches also
exist in the local area; there are nearly 50 within 5 miles of the
park.
Kid's Cache: There will be an easy, kid friendly
temporary cache hidden near the shelter with items for children
under 12.
Other Organized Activities
Pin The Flag On The Waypoint Game: We will give everyone a
waypoint (set of coordinates) and a survey flag and ask them to go
where their GPS tells them that the waypoint is located and plant
the flag in the ground. You will be surprised at how variable GPS
readings can be even out in the open!
Group Photo: We will take a group photo promptly at 5 PM
near the shelter. All are encouraged to stay for the photo so that
we can show what an awesome group of people we had attend our
event!
Membership Meeting: There will be a brief WGA membership
meeting after the photo is taken. An agenda will be posted prior to
the event, but the meeting will definitely include quick
introductions of all attendees.
Raffle: We are planning to have a door prize raffle
following the membership meeting. More details about specific
prizes and how the tickets will be awarded will be announced
later.
What To Bring To The Picnic
- Your own meat to grill
- Table setting for you and your family (or guests)
- Lawn chairs in case we run out of table space
- Beverages for your group
- A food item to pass. Because everyone will be bringing food,
please don't bring a large amount (enough to serve your group is
sufficient) as we want to minimize leftovers.
To ensure variety, please bring an item
based on your last name, as shown below:
- Last name A-H: dessert or
cookies
- Last name I-P: salad,
fruit, and/or vegetables
- Last name Q-Z: chips,
pretzels, and/or snacks
For cache hunting, bring your GPS receiver. If you don't have
one, you can team up with someone who does and find out what
geocaching is all about. We will have laptops to download temporary
and nearby permanent cache information into your GPS receiver. We
will have several common download cable styles available (including
cables for ALL Garmin units and MOST Magellan units), but if you
have a "unique" receiver please bring your cable along.
If you have an FRS radio, bring it along so you can communicate
with other geocachers and the WGA "base" (shelter) while out in the
field. (Taunting and cheering are acceptable and encouraged!) FRS
channel 7 will be used.
The WGA asks that this event be logged only once. The
practice of multiple logging of temp caches is no longer condoned
by the WGA or considered to be a good practice by much of the
geocaching community.
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