Group Cycle Caching In The Golden Horseshoe - Let's Plan!

[+Couparangus]

Hot is okay, but you'll need a lot more water.

 

I think we need to decide where and when we shall meet. I do believe Chrismouse has the coordinates handy.

 

I'll suggest a 9AM start and see how everyone likes that idea.

 

Also, let's get a body count so we don't leave anyone behind.

 

C-A

[+chris-mouse]

9am sounds good to me. That gives us lots of time to be hunting tupperware, without having to rush in the morning.

 

I've got a couple of possibilities for parking coordinates.

There's a set of coordinates for parking for GCGRPH, Albion Falls Trail Treasure

N43 11.996 W79 49.274.

There's a second, somewhat smaller parking lot at

N43 12.042 W79 48.938

I'd suggest we try for the big parking lot, and if it's full, go for the second one. The bicycle trail map indicates that there are a number of other areas for parking nearby, so I doubt we'll be stuck.

 

The weather forcast that far ahead is more of a guess than anything else, but for what it's worth, the Weather Network's 14 day trend indicates that the 11th should be a lot cooler than the last few days have been.

 

Car Pooling: I lknow I'm going to need a lift down there. Is there anyone willing to give me and my bike a lift? Is there anyone else who needs a lift, or has room for additional passengers and bikes?

[+Rogue_monkey]

9 am start is good for me.

 

They've changed the Roads in that area due to construction of the the red hill expressway. Most GPS software is not up to date. So keep that in mind when planning your trip into hamilton.

[+Couparangus]

Okay, it sounds like we're in good shape. Tomtec and I live close to one another so we'll probably take my van down. I can put a 3rd bike and person in it but I'm guessing that's probably the limit. Beyond that we'll have to dismantle and stack, but if necessary it shall have to do. Olar told me that he won't be able to make it but is looking forward to the next Geocycle. So let's see who we have on board so far, corrections welcome:

 

Coupar Angus

Tomtank

Chrismouse

RogueMonkey

JeffTrex

Northern Penguin

 

A non-caching friend of mine may also be coming along too.

 

I'll email Filmclips and see if he's interested. I'd like to see some representation from the Niagara region too.

 

Cheers!

C-A

[+TOMTEC]

I've mentioned it to Filmclips the other day... I believe he is interested in attending. Hopefully we'll see him at the pub night to confirm. Anyways, right now I am 70% certain that I'll be there.

 

TOMTEC

[+northernpenguin]

I've mentioned it to Filmclips the other day... I believe he is interested in attending. Hopefully we'll see him at the pub night to confirm. Anyways, right now I am 70% certain that I'll be there.

 

TOMTEC

 

Well so far I've got Keith Watson (Bramalea) and myself (Halton Hills) in my vehicle. Bike rack is full with the two bikes, but it may be mathematically possible to get a third person in the Equinox if I fold a seat down, and a wheel is taken off the third person's bike.

 

Everyone got their transportation to the starting co-ordinates sorted out?

also - ensure Chris-Mouse has your email address if you want the list of caches along the route!

[+jeff-trex]

Hey C-A if you don't mind picking me up in Mississauaga then I could go with you. It would mean less veicles at the parking lot.

 

My email address is jefftrex @hotmail.com

 

Looks like work fudged up again as they have me working sunday the 11th. apparently the request I put in from about a week and a half ago before the schedule was made was not enough notice. I will be correcting that mistake. quickly

[+Couparangus]

Hi Jeff,

 

No sweat. I don't have a bike for my non-chaching friend so he'll not be partaking. It'll be four of us in the van. There shouldn't be any problem fitting four bikes provided we remove front wheels.

 

C-A

[+Keith Watson]

Looks like I am in. Is there a map or file of the route?

[+TOMTEC]

Just going over the waypoints in the file... I noticed that a number of them are currently archived:

GCJ81R

GCK6CK

GCMJWC

GCMQJD

GCP9XB

GCP9XH

GCRZ3N

GCT2ZW

So we can remove them from the list...

 

Plus there are a few of Puzzles in the Tour of Mohawk Series where we need to calculate the coordinates and see if the cache is still on the route. Urban Rollercoaster and any other hikes which require leaving the bikes far behind will also likely be skipped.

 

It looks like a good number though... should be fun!

 

TOMTEC

[+northernpenguin]

Hi Jeff,

 

No sweat. I don't have a bike for my non-chaching friend so he'll not be partaking. It'll be four of us in the van. There shouldn't be any problem fitting four bikes provided we remove front wheels.

 

C-A

 

From the bikes or from the van ??

[+ciggy]

I just found this topic. I'd be intereted in joining, but am away this coming weekend and can't make it. Please keep me in mind for round two.

[+Couparangus]

Haha, the front wheels of the bike silly!

 

Nice work Tomtec - that should avoid any disappointments!

 

One or two attendees would like to know if you're bringing some nylon rope with you to tow cyclists who might fall behind.

 

Hey Ciggy, keep watching this space. We have another ride or two coming up this summer.

 

Chris-Mouse & Jefftrex, email me your coordinates so we can get organized for Sunday morning.

 

C-A

[+TOMTEC]

Nice work Chris-Mouse!

 

Just looking over the updated waypoint file... I'm pretty sure we can keep GCRNJ5 (Electronix) in the list as it's right beside GC2D6C (Chedoke Trail Treasure) at the bottom of the hill. It should be easy to access.

 

Also, GCMV30 (Tunnel Rat) seems to be floating in the middle of nowhere as I assume we'll be taking Scenic Drive along the power lines to reach the next cluster of caches. That may make it hard to access Filman Road with the Linc in the way, unless we want to ride the Bruce? We may have to drop this one...

 

GCJDGG (The Mini "CLUE" Cache) seems to have some elevation drop and an active rail line in the way of easy access, but we can probably check that out once we're in the area.

 

Looking good... hope everyone has been training!

 

 

TOMTEC

[+northernpenguin]

<snip>

 

Also, GCMV30 (Tunnel Rat) seems to be floating in the middle of nowhere as I assume we'll be taking Scenic Drive along the power lines to reach the next cluster of caches. That may make it hard to access Filman Road with the Linc in the way, unless we want to ride the Bruce? We may have to drop this one...

 

<snip>

 

Looking good... hope everyone has been training!

 

TOMTEC

 

Point 1: Been to Tunnel Rat , I recall it's a hundred metres or so from a nice gravel (probably rail) trail. No problem there. I'll more than likely be active with the camera.

 

Point 2: I've got my training wheels on the bike so I'm all set

 

We have at least three HAM radio operators on this trip, and we'll co-ordinate Sunday morning on VE3PRC/UHF side (email me if anyone wants the frequency).

 

Here I'm going to start a tentative 'remember this stuff' list for Sunday.

 

- Water/Gatorade, a couple litres for sure

- Money, Health Card -- in case we have a whoopsie on the hill

- Camera

- Bike/Tire Repair kit, Pump and any adapters that may be needed for tire inflation (Ie. Preston type valve)

- First Aid kit

- Sunglasses

- FRS/GMRS Radio, set to Geocaching frequency

- Proper clothing

- Bug repellent / Sunscreen

- GPS, loaded with the waypoints of the route / Geocaches

- PDA with geocache manager, or cache page printouts

- Ziplock bags or other waterproofing for electronics, "just in case"

- Pen/Pencil/Caching stickers

 

- Rope to tie off to Tomtec's bike, so he can pull us.

 

What are our lunch plans? Pack lunch or find a food outlet of some sort?

Can anyone think of something I'm missing above?

 

At the moment, it seems we're looking for 9AM rendezvous at the "big parking area", with a caravan leaving Brampton at 8AM.

[+Couparangus]

Okay, so where am I meeting y'all in Brampton at 8AM again?

Jeff-T, where do you want picking up?

[+northernpenguin]

Okay, so where am I meeting y'all in Brampton at 8AM again?

Jeff-T, where do you want picking up?

 

Well, the plan was that Tim Hortons at West Drive & Queen Street (SW Corner), to allow for proper penguin caffeination (and others). Penguins can fly, but they need coffee

[+The Blue Quasar]

Well I am going to throw caution to the wind and sign up for this... but Coupar Angus, it's time for honesty...

 

First off... I am no longer experienced at cycling. I used to be able to cycle for hours without stops, but it has been a long time and even then it was all roads. Not trails, in fact never been mountain biking in my life.

 

Secondly... Is there a firmly decided upon starting location? Ending location? I assume that it will be the caches in between, which is easy to generate.

 

So, is this something that is out of my league? I'm not too proud to say that I don't want to slow you guys down or lessen the experience if you guys are all frequent cyclists.

 

Should I drop back out? Help me make the right decision for everyone's best interests.

 

The Blue Quasar

[+Couparangus]

Tomtec has agreed to pull all the stragglers with a nylon rope attached to his bicycle. He just doesn't know this yet.

 

I wouldn't worry about your own condition as I'm sure that's fine. I'd be more concerned about the bike. If that's good, I'm sure you'll do well. I'm bringing my full-suspension bike along but I'm sure its overkill for the trails we'll be on.

 

I plan on being in the parking lot N43 11.996 W79 49.274 at 9AM, or thereabouts. The ending location is the same place due to Chrismouse's very excellent planning.

 

Cheers!

C-A

Edited June 9, 2006 by Couparangus

[+chris-mouse]

First off... I am no longer experienced at cycling. I used to be able to cycle for hours without stops, but it has been a long time and even then it was all roads. Not trails, in fact never been mountain biking in my life.

 

Secondly... Is there a firmly decided upon starting location? Ending location? I assume that it will be the caches in between, which is easy to generate.

 

Starting and ending area is near Albion Fall.s. Parking at: N43 11.996 W79 49.274. with alternate parking at N43 12.042 W79 48.938

if the first lot is full for some reason.

 

The route itself shouldn't be that hard. we're starting out cycling along Stone Church Rd. for about 10km or so, then looping back along the Chedoke rail Trail and the Escarpment Rail Trail. Depending on how we feel at the end of it all, we can do another 4K out and back along the Red Hill Valley trail as well. For the most part, It's all either on road bike lanes, or else packed gravel cycling trails.

[+northernpenguin]

 

Should I drop back out? Help me make the right decision for everyone's best interests.

 

The Blue Quasar

 

I wouldn't be overly concerned about your endurance for this one. This isn't going to be a race, or an ironman competition. This is going to be a nice leisurely bike ride with some geocaching.

 

In other words, "come on out, it'll be fun!"

[+Couparangus]

I dunno 'bout you guys, but I'm getting pretty pumped about Sunday!

 

The weather for Sunday looks to be dry with 19C, so it won't be as hot as I like - but that's okay I guess.

 

Agreed on not being an Ironman competition. I fit more into the aluminuman or leadman category.

 

C-A

[+chris-mouse]

We won't be putting on any long distance races anyway. Yes the route is about 32K around, but there's also more than 30 geocaches along that route! We'll probably be spending more time hunting geocaches than cycling. The first 15 K has about 5 caches along it. After that, it's just one cache after another as we come back along the rail trails.

 

I know for sure I won't be in any mood for any edurance runs. I'll be cycling from Brampton to Milton and back for a Ham Radio activity tomorrow. (and probably hitting a few geocaches along the route home ) I estimate I'll be doing at least 70km of cycling, and possibly closer to 100km for the day. That should be enough to keep me from running away from anyone by sunday.

[+northernpenguin]

We won't be putting on any long distance races anyway. Yes the route is about 32K around, but there's also more than 30 geocaches along that route! We'll probably be spending more time hunting geocaches than cycling. The first 15 K has about 5 caches along it. After that, it's just one cache after another as we come back along the rail trails.

 

I know for sure I won't be in any mood for any edurance runs. I'll be cycling from Brampton to Milton and back for a Ham Radio activity tomorrow. (and probably hitting a few geocaches along the route home ) I estimate I'll be doing at least 70km of cycling, and possibly closer to 100km for the day. That should be enough to keep me from running away from anyone by sunday.

 

Just checked my stats - I'm in contention for a milestone tomorrow! (#900). Can't think of a better way to mark it than this event

[+harrisale]

What are the final details of the ride?

[+Couparangus]

Hi Harrisale,

 

The starting point is the big parking lot, coordinates above. If you're coming along let us know and I'm sure we can get the GPS file to you.

 

Cheers!

C-A

[+The Blue Quasar]

Unfortunately I won't attending after all. Just have too much to do, and I also found out that I have no way to get my bike all the way to Hamilton after all.

 

Sounded like fun though, hope you guys have fun.

 

The Blue Quasar

[+northernpenguin]

Unfortunately I won't attending after all. Just have too much to do, and I also found out that I have no way to get my bike all the way to Hamilton after all.

 

Sounded like fun though, hope you guys have fun.

 

The Blue Quasar

 

That's too bad. Perhaps you can make the next trip (planning already in progress.... )

[+Couparangus]

Well, let's see what happened happened yesterday...

 

- we got lost on the way to the parking lot due to changes in roads

- left late on our bikes

- couldn't find 2 of the caches

- other caches were difficult to find

- NorthernP got a flat tire

- I got sunburn

- there was poison ivy in several places

- didn't make it home until 10PM

 

BUT I HAD A GREAT TIME!!!

 

Let's plan for the next one!

 

Cheers!

C-A

[+TOMTEC]

It seemes that C-A's covered all the good ...Here comes the bad

- Filmclips was unable to attend as his bike was stolen overnight

- NorthernPenguin's GPS mount was slightly deformed while patching his tire

- TOMTEC almost flipped over the edge of the escarpment

- C-A befriended some very friendly deer

- Keith Watson survived the long climb back up... in the Big Ring!

- Rogue Monkey does not like Posion Ivy... even just the sight of it.

- Chris-Mouse was fired from navigation duties after leading us to a "bike trail" that in reality was the Linc!

 

All in all, it was a great day... something in the order of 20 caches were located on the way through, we didn't leave anyone behind (even if we wanted to) and everyone (well, maybe not Keith) is looking forward to the next trip. There should be less of an elevation change this time!

 

TOMTEC

[+Couparangus]

Here are my personal stats:

 

GPS track mileage: 25.3 (40.7km)

Caches found: 21 (this must be a record for me!)

Litres of water consumed: 2.5

Deer spotted: 3

Snakes nearly run over: 1

 

The ride back UP the escarpment was a pleasant surprise as the gentle incline and excellent trail condition made it much easier than expected. I felt like Lance Armstrong as I made godspeed going up-up-up! Nice planning Chrismouse!

[+chris-mouse]

- Chris-Mouse was fired from navigation duties after leading us to a "bike trail" that in reality was the Linc!

 

Hey, it wasn't my fault that the city of Hamilton decided to mark a trail on the map before they got around to building it.

 

My stats from the day:

time taken - 10:30 to 7:15 - 8 hours, 45 minutes

distance traveled - 39.34 km

Drinks consumed: approx 1L of water and another 500ml of gatorade

 

highlights of the day:

spotting the deer in the forest, and having them stick around long enough for me to get a bunch of photographs of them!

spotting the snake on the trail in time to avoid running over it. Sorry, no photographs this time.

arriving back in the parking lot with everyone more or less intact, and looking forward to the next trip.

 

I had a ball. Dinner afterwards was really appreciated, even if we did have to drive around to find a place willing to accept half a dozen sweaty cyclists. I'll tell you though, by the time I got home at almost 10pm, I had no problems at all falling asleep

 

so now the question is, when's the next trip?