The Captain John Smith Geotrail
Let’s Go Geocaching on the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.
What’s geocaching? A geocache (pronounced “geo-cash”) is a hidden treasure that one locates by using a GPS device. Geocaching is for adventure seekers all around the world who want to get outside and play. A geotrail, like the Captain John Smith geotrail, is a series of geocaches linked by a common theme or topic.
The Captain John Smith Geotrail was designed and created by volunteer geocachers from the Maryland Geocaching Society, working with the Chesapeake Conservancy and the National Park Service. Geocaches were placed at nearly 40 sites on five rivers representing particular stories or scenes from John Smith’s adventures on the Bay 400 years ago. When you visit 15 of these sites, and record a codeword in your CJS Geotrail Passport, you will receive a distinctive and collectible CJS Geocoin. You can download a CJS Geotrail Passport here.
A full list of sites and their cache coordinates is posted on Geocaching.com. New to Geocaching? Read about this worldwide family-friendly game here.
Captain John Smith Geotrail Photo Contest
Share your best shots of the Captain John Smith Geotrail and Help Us Promote One of the Nation’s Newest National Historic Trails
Have you been out on the Captain John Smith Geotrail this year? Do you have photos of people enjoying the sites? Did you snap a great shot at Accokeek Foundation or capture a sunset at Belle Isle State Park?
Did an eagle or a heron catch your eye while you were searching for a geocache at Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve? Or your child’s big smile while holding the cache container at Thomas Stone Historic Site? If so, please enter your photos in the Captain John Smith Geotrail Digital Photo contest.
Images will be used to promote the Geotrail and other programs around the Chesapeake Bay supported by the Chesapeake Conservancy and the National Park Service, including the Captain John Smith National Historic Trail website.
We’ll select 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in each of our categories. Those chosen will get a Captain John Smith / Chesapeake Prize pack. Check back here soon to see full rules and prizes for more information.
All submissions to the contest must be uploaded to the Captain John Smith Geotrail site at www.flickr.com/groups/cjs_geotrail. Flickr is one of the Internet’s premier photo-sharing websites and provides free membership and a user-friendly interface for uploading photos and providing relevant captions. Once uploaded, photos must be tagged to ensure their consideration in the correct category – see categories and tags below. Also, when you upload the photo, please let us know how you would like to be credited.
Be sure to choose your best photos – entrants are limited to 4 each!
Contest Categories:
- People Geocaching (tag: CJSGC) Images of you and your family and friends searching and finding geocaches along the Trail.
- Outdoors on the Bay (tag: CJSCB) Images of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and people (and wildlife) enjoying life on or near the water. Fishing, paddling, sailing, swimming etc
- History and Culture (tag: CJSHC) Images of interesting and historic places along the Trail like lighthouses, cemeteries, plantation homes, ships and more! You can be creative here.
When uploading your entries, remember to tell us something about when and where the photo was taken.
Entry Period June 10 – November 1, 2011 | Winners Announced: November, 2011
Sponsored by the National Park Service and Chesapeake Conservancy