| 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 late 2016, the cache was found. 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).
