| Project A.P.E. Cache | |
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Grandfathered |
A Project A.P.E. cache is a type of geocache.
Description[]
Project A.P.E. was a special series of geocaches placed in coordination with the release of the 2001 movie Planet of the Apes. The studio that produced the film, 20th Century Fox, "formulated a “sub-plot” that had absolutely nothing to do with the movie: Renegade humans were trying to reveal an “Alternative Primate Evolution” theory by placing artifacts around the world. Code Name: Project A.P.E."[1]
When they were first created, clues were slowly released that narrowed down the potential hiding spot. Some clues only narrowed down the list of potential states. Eventually, a clue with the final coordinates would be released. The first person who found the cache had the potential to receive one of various movie props hidden inside the container. Props included torches, bowls, blinds (to blindfold the humans in the movie), etc., all considered minor props (aka...not expensive or key plot pieces).
The series of caches typically involved larger ammunition cans painted with images of apes from the film on the outside. Fourteen caches were placed in a series of missions numbered 1-12 (one was "Special Movie" for the movie premier and there was a Mission 10a & 10b). Evidence points to a potential Mission 13, but no cache page has been found for it. Some of the caches didn't last beyond a couple of finds. To date, only one remains active in the original form: Mission 4: Southern Bowl, which is located in Brazil.
Mission 9: Tunnel of Light was located outside of Seattle, WA but was archived in summer of 2011, after the cache was mugged. In the summer of 2016, Winos_Seattle and rambudo put together a small group of local geocachers. This team consisted of Winos_Seattle, rambudo, _Shadow_, Sproutter, Lamoracke, CuriousJoe, DSVaughn, Princess Trouble, GSBarnes, and knightwolf24. This was the team that set out to make an attempt to find the Project A.P.E Mission #9 Cache. On a rainy October 1st, the team canvased the area close to the GZ and made a find less than 100 feet from the posted coordinates. GC1169 was rescued and returned to GeocachingHQ and on march 10th, 2017, Geocaching announced that it was going to reactivate the cache in August.
The Mission 9 cache was one of the GeoTriad caches in the Pacific Northwest (also referred to as the Geocaching Trifecta).