Paul Bunyan-sized 'treasure hunt'

Paul & Babe's GeoHunt, a summer-long geocaching event, will conclude Saturday in the Crosslake region.

The fun-filled day will begin with registration at 10 a.m. and the release of the last 12 cache site coordinates. Geocachers will have just a few hours on Saturday to find the 12 temporary containers before returning to the Crosslake Community Center for a family picnic and social.

Children's activities and entertainment will start at 3 p.m. at the Crosslake Community Center Park, followed by a Paul Bunyan-style picnic, complete with brats and hot dogs, beans, cole slaw, chips, watermelon and Coke drinks. Admission to the dinner is $6 for adults and $4 for children 12 and under if meal tickets are purchased in advance (before noon Saturday), $8 and $6, respectively, after. Tickets are available at the Crosslake Community Center.

A variety of prizes and awards will be presented during dinner.

Commemorative GeoHunt T-shirts will be available for $12 ($15 for 2XL). Proceeds from the sale of T-shirts and dinner tickets will support the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Association and the Parks and Library Foundation of Crosslake, two local nonprofit organizations.

For those new to the sport of geocaching, the Crosslake Park and Recreation Department is holding a one-hour "Intro to Geocaching" class from 9-10 a.m. at the Crosslake Community Center. Fifteen GPS units will be available for use during the class. Cost is $10 per person. To register, call (218) 692-4271.

The Crosslake Community Center also will rent GPS devices for any resident or visitor who wishes to participate in the day-long event but doesn't have a GPS. Cost to rent a unit from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday is $15.

The Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Association developed Paul & Babe's GeoHunt to encourage travel along the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway while providing a unique way to tell the story about the history, culture, environment and lore of the region, as well as provide a fun introduction to the sport of geocaching.

As participants find the Paul & Babe's GeoHunt caches, they retrieve entertaining collectable cards from inside the containers, which can earn geocachers a Paul & Babe GeoCoin (a wooden nickel), as well as the chance to win prizes at the picnic and social.

For more information, visit PaulBunyanScenicByway.org/GeoHunt.