Stashen the Squirrel had just settled into a lush, quiet shrub in a front yard. The shrub was a squirrel’s haven. Dense, green, and blissfully calm. A stark contrast to his old home, a tree along a noisy public bike path by a roaring, busy road. That old tree was a nightmare, with cars thundering past and cyclists whizzing like hawks on wheels, their chatter and bells keeping Stashen awake all night. He’d had enough and decided to relocate.

Moving was no small feat for a squirrel. Stashen had hauled his entire stash, twigs, leaves, and a few nuts, over 6000 squirrel feet away, dodging sprinklers in yards, weaving through a maze of mailboxes, and scurrying across the terrifying road during a rare gap in traffic. His tiny paws ached, and he nearly lost a precious twig to a gust of wind. Exhausted, he’d made it to the shrub, only to realize he’d left behind his prized nut still hanging in his old tree.

Stashen’s whiskers drooped as he pictured his favorite nut, hanging high in that noisy tree. He’d tried to go back once, scampering to the road’s edge, but the zooming cars, rumbling delivery vans, and a cyclist who nearly flattened him sent him bolting back to his shrub, heart pounding. “That road’s a deathtrap!” he chattered, tail fluffing in defeat.

Perched in his peaceful shrub, Stashen sighed, dreaming of his shiny nut. Then he spotted humans with GPS devices. Geocachers! “They’re my heroes!” he squeaked, hope flickering. If those clever cachers could follow his trail, they could retrieve his favorite nut. Stashen scratched a map into a twig, marking his shrub at the posted coordinates and the old tree 6,903 squirrel feet (that’s 6903 human inches) away at 215 degrees.

The journey wasn’t easy. Cachers would need to leave Stashen’s quiet shrub, brave the chaotic road with its relentless traffic, and reach the bike path where cyclists zipped by. There, in a tree by the path, hung his nut. Stashen couldn’t face the road again, but he believed in geocachers’ knack for finding swag.

Stashen sat on a shrub branch, nibbling a leaf, eyes fixed on the road. “Please, cachers, help me find my nut!” he chattered, tail twitching with hope. “Bring it back, and I’ll be the happiest squirrel in Pullman!”

For Cachers: Start at the posted coordinates. You can park along the road there as well. Travel 6,903 squirrel feet (6,903 inches) at a bearing of 215 degrees to find the tree along the bike path. Cross the busy road carefully and watch for cyclists. The cache hangs about 72 squirrel feet up. Bring a pen and help Stashen reclaim his treasure!