Ending A Month of Caches

 

Ending A Month of Caches

January 2021

There was only a dusting of snow on the ground when I woke up. Walking out to the car the coating on the sidewalk was less than a half inch. The car windshield was frozen and I had to use the scraper before I could hit the road. Being a Sunday, there weren’t many cars on the road which was just as well since the snow had started falling again after I left home.

                I wasn’t going far, only a couple miles to a near-by park. It is located in the steep valley a stream had carved over the course of centuries.  Houses sit on the edges of the valley but there are still lots of places in the park which appeared as wilderness. Well, that might be stretching it a bit but there are some spots that appear isolated. The place I was heading to this morning was one of those places.

                It is a branch creek that fed into the main stream. A well worn path follows the main stream through the center of the valley. The path is about a mile long. Right near its center is a high waterfall. A couple small streams cut into the valley feeding the main creek. The one I was heading for was steep and has only one path, a path covered with a slim coating of snow and tilted on an angle that nearly matched the slope of the hill! People don’t use this path very often, in fact I imagine that the main users are the deer.

                I was searching for another geocache. I have been on a personal quest to find at least one cache a day for the month of January. Today was the 31^st; if I find this cache I’ll meet my goal. Why you might ask? Well, let me attempt to explain it to you.

                For close to a year we have been dealing with Coronavirus. This has upset the way the world works. Cities, states and even countries have been shut down. At times people have been told not to leave their houses unless it was absolutely necessary. People have been asked to wear masks and to maintain social distancing. Stores and restaurants have gone out of business because of these requirements. Why am I even telling you this? You’ve lived through it also, you know!

                I would get my daily exercise by walking my dog but sadly I had to have him put down because of degrading health. Afterwards, I tended to stay in the house rather than going out for my daily walks. It’s a known fact that fresh air and exercise is good for you, I needed to get off my butt and start walking again.

                It was the final day of the year and my friend and I went out to take some pictures. It had snowed that morning and the conditions for good photos were everywhere we looked! Snow outlining the branches of the trees, the snow in the fields was unbroken and fresh, blankets of white covering the ground. While we were out, we did a few geocaches.  I enjoyed the searches in the falling snow.

                The next day, the first of the new year, I went out and got a couple of the caches we had missed the previous day. My first day of work was on Monday, the 4^th. Until then, I went out each day for a quick run to get a couple caches. If I had to get gas, I’d see if there were any caches I could get along the way. My weekly trip to the grocery store for supplies gave me another opportunity. OK, I did a couple without any excuses. I was by myself and I didn’t see or talk with anyone while I was doing it. I was being socially responsible!

                It was during the first week of work that I came up with the idea of doing a month of caches. There are millions of them scattered around the world. There were plenty along the route I’d take to go to work.  Before I’d leave I would check the computer and see if there were any I hadn’t found on the way in. I’d make a list of a couple and attempt to find them on my way.

                Getting back to the 31^st, there were three cars in the lot when I pulled in. This isn’t unusual since lots of people visit this park. I slung my camera around my neck, put my gloves on and picked up my GPS and headed into the valley. I brought my hiking staff  also. I wondered if I’d see any others while I was here.

                The hillsides are steep, they aren’t the type of hills you’d roam around on. The deer love them.  Occasional streams filter down from the neighborhoods above. Dramatic cliffs are situated where the water has worn all the dirt away. Rocks and trees litter the ravines that these streams have formed. In the winter with a coating of snow on them and ice hanging off the cliffs, they look even more exciting and picturesque!

                The trail was slippery, footprints and paw prints had compressed the previous snows into an icy coating.  The mornings snow hid the slippery surface, every step had the potential of a fall. Crossing the first of the four bridges, I came to a sheet of ice. A spring situated beside the trail drained across the trail and down to the stream below, leaving a thick sheet of ice about six feet across. No big deal other than another possible slip hazard.

                In my youth I wouldn’t have bothered with this. I’d walk across it never giving it a thought. Now in my mid-60’s, my priorities have changed a bit. I tend to go a bit slower, watch where my feet are going and watch the path ahead a bit more. Being alone makes it even more important. I have my cell phone in case of an emergency, but if it can be avoided, so much the better!

                The trail continued on without any difficulties. There is a steep portion that was packed down but I avoided the ice on it by walking along the edges. There were signs that someone had slipped here earlier in the morning, the snow had been plowed into a pile from their slide.  The trail leveled off at the top and here, looking over to my right, I was able to see the valley I’d be climbing into.

The stream is frozen and the hills are steep

                By mountain climbing standards it was nothing. Anyone could climb to the top of this crease in the hillside. It looks easier than it really is. In my youth we played in this park and we had attempted going up this stream a few times. We had never gotten very far. The brambles and steep sides kept our explorations short. The stream works its way down from rocky cliffs, you can go up so far and after that, a return trip is all that’s possible. I’d be going up one of the hills rather than following the stream.

                I passed the valley and crossed my final bridge. I could see the path I’d be taking outlined by the snow. Snow has that wonderful way of showing us things we don’t normally notice. The paths of old abandoned roads, walls built decades ago and now forgotten and the foundations of houses which no longer exist. I love watching the hillsides as I drive after a snowfall. I never know what I might see! My path showed up as a faint but distinct line climbing the hill in front of me.

                The start was easy, the trail led up the hillside on a slant through a bunch of dead leaves. After about thirty or forty feet the leaves disappeared and the trail turned into frozen dirt. The snow on it gave me a bit of traction, I wasn’t too worried. There were occasional saplings I could grab onto, going up I really didn’t need them. Looking down into the valley below I realized how high I was going. I figured if I slip, there are lots of trees along the way down that will help stop me!

                I came up and rounded the edge of the hillside, below me I could see a waterfall going over the cliffs. Long ice sickles hung from the edges. The hills on the other side were just as steep, A couple small streams worked their way down to the main stream. It looked beautiful covered in snow. The snow was still falling but the exertion of the climb had heated me up so I unzipped my jacket and took off my gloves. The climb became a bit easier as the trail leveled off a bit near the top.

                The stream was off to my right, deep in a trough, hidden from sight. Looking at my GPS I saw that I was within a couple hundred feet of my objective. I find that often it is easier to just look in possible hiding places rather than follow your GPS to ground zero. My GPS is over 15 years old and isn’t that accurate. I find that my “geosence” works just as well if not better! I was hoping that the cache wasn’t hidden down near the stream!

                The area was sloped towards the creek with LOTS of fallen trees. Stumps and trees are often prime candidates for hiding caches.  So I started checking out the possibilities. My fourth guess showed me the money! It was hidden in plain sight behind a large log. I was heading towards its stump but as I approached I saw the camouflaged container. Looking at my GPS, it showed me as being about 20 feet away from the hide.

If you look closely you can see the cache under the log

                I opened the can and took out the log and signed it and then took a “travel bug”, putting it in my pocket to drop off in another cache. Travel bugs have serial numbers on them and by logging them on-line you can find out where they have previously been. They are another part of the game of geocaching! I closed the container securely and re-hid it, a little better than the way I found it and headed back up to the path.

Easy going at the top

                Coming up was much easier than going back down! The first part was uneventful but rounding the edge of the hill, the path dropped rather quickly. The slope of the trail and the snow covering made it very precarious. I used the saplings along the way to hold onto. My hiking staff didn’t help much, it slid on the frozen ground rather than digging in. There were no leaves to walk on here. I could also see the bottom of the valley and the stream, where I would end up if I slipped.  OH YEAH, the psychological aspects of the climb!

Getting steep towards the end!

                I was happy when I finally got back to the main trail. At the bottom of the path I met a woman and her dog. She was sitting on a three legged stool doing meditation. Her dog patiently sat beside her as she exercised. We spoke for a moment or two and then I left her to the quiet, peaceful snowy world of the valley.

                I was stoked! I managed to make it up the hill and back without any major screw-up! I had found the cache I was looking for and I had completed a month of caches! At least one a day! I had actually found 77 during the month. Most had been easy “guardrail caches” but a couple required two visits to find.  A couple were found without using my GPS! My favorites were ones that took me to places I had never been to before and the ones that were harder to find, those were the fun ones!

I had found a couple caches in the remains of old houses.

There was one I had found in another valley, it had only been found three times since it had been hidden in 2017. There had been no finds in two years and another geocacher found it the day before I did! What are the odds?

The game has taken me to some pretty cool spots such as this old abandoned bridge along Montour Creek. We found a couple caches near-by.

                Well, the month is now over and I’m going to put the game on hold for awhile… at least until next weekend! Have a happy February!