Have you done an Ape Cache?

[+M.S. thebrain and Pinky]

We traveled down to Washington State this weekend with a group of cachers to do Mission 9 Ape Cache.

It was a great experience. Our best cache ever! Have you done an Ape Cache and how was the experience?

Are they all this good?

[+IV_Warrior]

Yes, I have. I did Mission 7 Crab Creek a while back. I drove from Pennsylvania to Maryland, and met with a group of other cachers from PA, MD, NJ and NY. It was a very fun experience. The day was definately a memorable one. I'd definately recommend that anyone who can gets a group of friends together and goes to do that cache, and the others near it.

[+DocDiTTo]

I too went from PA to MD for the Ape cache there. It was a fun day, mostly because I was hanging out with 3 fun people. We had a great time caching below the Mason Dixon line. The Ape cache itself was the largest cache I've found to date -- I think you could hide a body in there. However, the Unnatural Pile of Sticks that hides it looks like a bonfire waiting to be lit! Fun cache though, and probably one of the most targeted ones around.

 

What I'd really, really love to do is go find the Ape cache in Brazil....

[+Tsmola]

I did Mission 7 as well on a trip to DC, the aggressive tactics of people even driving even that far out of DC scared us, but we did find it. And yes it is, one huge pile of sticks. It's not the largest cache I've ever found though, that honor goes to Big Orange Travel Bug convention center, which is just slightly larger.

 

Wasn't the best cache I've ever done, but it was a memorable experience, well worth the effort if you are in the area, but if you go in where we did you'll find it's a bit under-rated for the terrain with some huge, hills between you and the cache, the terrain should be at least a 2.5-3 for the hills.

[+ThePropers]

Yeah, I as in DocDitto's group for the Crab Creek one. I seem to remember we planned the trip because at the time "non-essential" caches like locationless and virtuals were being banned, and it was rumored the APEs would also be disappearing soon. Being with friends was great, but the cache itself was...uhm....ok, IMO.

 

Other than the size (second largest cache container for me), there wasn't much special about it. Just the usual swag, the location was nothing spectacular (just in the woods), and the hiding spot stood out like a sore thumb (see aforementioned big pile of parallel sticks).

 

That's not to disparage it, but IMO, it was just another container in the woods. But we did get a new icon in our profile! Boo-yah! Unless you're really into icons or just want to say you've done one, I'm not sure I'd recommend going really far out of your way to grab it.

 

Of course, that's just my opinon.

Edited August 28, 2006 by ThePropers

[+DocDiTTo]

 

...and the hiding spot stood out like a sore thumb (see aforementioned big pile of parallel sticks).

 

 

Don't forget we put a perpendicular stick on the pile in order to hide it better than we found it. I'll bet the next cachers to come along had a much harder time than we did because of that stick. Ooooh, we're evil, yes we are.

[+LadeBear68]

I did the Mission 7, Crab Creek cache. It was fun to find a cache that has ties to the Planet of the Ape series. The day I was there it wasn't that easy to find as one of the cachers (who has over 1000 finds) was not able to locate the cache right away. The cords also seemed to be about 80 feet off the day we were there.

[+briansnat]

I finally got to the MD one this spring. I was working and living (during the week) 15 miles from it for a year and kept telling myself I would go for it, but never did. Finally I was told my assignment in Va was coming to an end, so I bagged it.

 

Pretty darn big ammo box! I'm kind of surprised it hasn't been stolen. Its not far from a walking trail and pretty obvious under a big pile of sticks. Maybe its so heavy that potential thieves don't want to have to cart it out.

[+JoGPS]

Have found a few and will always be memorial to me as really cool caches in very neat places everyone was different except the boxes

 

Joe

[+2ofHis]

Sooooo....... what is an Ape cache?!?

[+sbell111]

Sooooo....... what is an Ape cache?!?

Don't look for it, Taylor. You may not like what you find

[+LadeBear68]

Very helpful Sbell.

 

Try this link 2ofhis:

 

http://www.markwell.us/projectape.htm

[+GeoBlank]

I did the one in washington state. Very glad to have found one. Definately the largest find I have. I did the original stash plaque last week. There are a few of those must haves out there. At some point all the ape ones will be gone I am sure.

[+sbell111]

Very helpful Sbell.

I think it was.

 

If you do a Google search on my quote, you will quickly discover that it is from 'The Planet of the Apes'. If you google 'planet of the apes geocache', you will find this helpful webpage.

 

Must I spell everything out?

[+DeRock & The Psychic Cacher]

We've done all three active ones in the US and have had a memorable experience at each one. As usual, our most interesting caching adventures result from meeting other cachers on the trail and two of the ape caches were no exception. During the third ape cache our only human contact was a drive by from the local PD in the rain.

 

Many thanks to the cachers that maintain them for our continued enjoyment.

 

DeRock & the Psychic Cacher - Grattan MI

[+carleenp]

I've done both the Illinois and Washington Ape caches. I've been to the Illinois one multiple times since it is one we often take visiting cachers to. Both are very nice caches.

[+Nerves]

Yes, I flew from New England to Washington State and did the Ape cache with a nice group of PNW cachers. It was the highlight of my caching in that area.

 

It's a great cache to do because you can also search for the caches at the entrance, exit and inside the Snoqualmie Tunnel.

 

I purposely made this spoiler pic small:

 

[+robert]

Yes, I have. I did Mission 7 Crab Creek a while back. I drove from Pennsylvania to Maryland, and met with a group of other cachers from PA, MD, NJ and NY. It was a very fun experience. The day was definately a memorable one. I'd definately recommend that anyone who can gets a group of friends together and goes to do that cache, and the others near it.

 

 

Here we are.

[+robert]

Have found a few and will always be memorial to me as really cool caches in very neat places everyone was different except the boxes

 

Joe

Joe's log on the (then MIA) Mission 4 cache in Brazil. Too cool! (don't forget to read the other logs from the day)

 

[+Sagefox]

Mission 9 in Washington is on my list. I plan on doing the 22 mile Iron Horse ride that includes Mission 9 and 20, or so, other caches. But this goal must wait until next summer to be fulfilled.

[+EraSeek]

Here are the first 2 finds on Mission 9 (Washington State):

 

July 20, 2001 by EraSeek (1471 found)

#2. We came in second place on this one. WE WERE SO ON IT! We had this one nailed! But alas, it was not to be. I had never really looked at the APE project until yesterday. I noticed a post from Kansas (I think) where a Geocacher made predictions on the Tunnel of Light. “This sounds familiar”, I thought, so I checked and noticed that it was going to be in a state that started with a “W”. I knew right away where it was going to be! I did a little research and figured it was going to come down today and so started watching the site from 6am. When it was posted we were on the road in 5 mins flat. The funny part is this was going to be my day away from Geocaching; a day to get my life back in order. No way!

It was SO cool! The day was not foggy but there was a cold fog rolling out of that dark tunnel. “My Son Josh” and I kept up a good pace and half way through the tunnel we see lights behind us. Agents from the other side! we thought. Could it be? Now they are running! Gaining on us! They catch us. “Geocachers,” we ask them, “yup”. It was Avalanche and his buddy, on the run after seeing our lights. “My Son Josh” is no sprinter so we play it like the tortoise and the hare. But the hares won this one. But that’s OK, they had a lot of desire and had been on this thing for months. Plus we got to see and hold the artifact. Major cool!

They took it, we took the train software they left behind (the 3 kids will love it) and we left a large tube of, well, special effects for the next finder, plus a floppy disk with some shocking information on it from Sluggo’s UFO Cache in Kennewick. You could say Sluggo and the APE project have joined forces here. Whoever accesses the information on this disk please let Sluggo know where it has gone next. Watch your backside. Cache on!

 

[view/edit logs/images on a separate page]

 

[upload an image for this log]

July 20, 2001 by avalanche (6 found)

The cache was posted and the race was on. Got everything setup and my copilot and I headed out. The authorities nearly got us in a speed trap as we funneled up the pass, luckily thier eyes liked the much smaller prey and the diesel pushed on. Paranoia reigned, we thought everyone on the road had the same destination, so we picked up the pace. We reached the tie up and left the trusty steed for a deserved rest. Started running and ducked into the tunnel. Our pace quicked with every step, I was truly excited and wanted to get there first. We were approximetly half way through we came upon another band of hunters (erasek), thier pace was slower so we kept on pushing toward the cache. The end was in sight and the light poured in. Now we were really moving. The feet kept ticking off and there it was. We tore off the top to claim the stash and there it was, a bronze petina metal torch and a ton more Planet of the Apes memorabilia. The location is great, the tunnel creates an atmosphere adding to the excitement. As you can probably guess, I took the torch. I left a copy of Microsoft Train Simulator, it's almost as fun as finding this cache. I hope the user who decides to take it, enjoys it as much as I did leaving it up there.

Hint: Pedal Power

[+JoGPS]

Have found a few and will always be memorial to me as really cool caches in very neat places everyone was different except the boxes

 

Joe

Joe's log on the (then MIA) Mission 4 cache in Brazil. Too cool! (don't forget to read the other logs from the day)

 

 

Thanks Robert, am usually a copy and paste log kinda of guy but that one was sooooooooo cool, took two days to write the log.

 

It was not a cache hunt it was an ADVENTURE

 

Joe

[+Arrow One]

I have the Mission 7 Crab Creek on my must do list. (Hopefully soon)

[+Jhwk]

Gonna have to go NE 320.5mi from my home coordinates to find markwell's IL APE cache.

 

Road Trip!

[+Tsmola]

Yeah, I as in DocDitto's group for the Crab Creek one. I seem to remember we planned the trip because at the time "non-essential" caches like locationless and virtuals were being banned, and it was rumored the APEs would also be disappearing soon. Being with friends was great, but the cache itself was...uhm....ok, IMO.

 

Other than the size (second largest cache container for me), there wasn't much special about it. Just the usual swag, the location was nothing spectacular (just in the woods), and the hiding spot stood out like a sore thumb (see aforementioned big pile of parallel sticks).

 

That's not to disparage it, but IMO, it was just another container in the woods. But we did get a new icon in our profile! Boo-yah! Unless you're really into icons or just want to say you've done one, I'm not sure I'd recommend going really far out of your way to grab it.

 

Of course, that's just my opinon.

 

that pretty much sums up Crab Creek, it's on my "Notables and All-Time Favorites" list, but it falls more onto the Notables side than the favorites one. It was a good cache don't get me wrong, but if it had been anything but an APE, I wouldn't have done it on that trip just because there were cooler things to see in DC a few miles south. I basically just wanted to see a piece of caching history. Which is why I reccomend it if you are in the area, as I bet one of these days all the APE caches will be gone. When I was there the only thing that was original for the cache was the ammo can. All other original contents were gone, the owners removed the logbook with the APE logo on it to save that little piece of caching history for events and such.

 

btw, I have to say, when I was there Crab Creek was full of really bad swag, I mean a LOT of junk trade items. I have to give that cache this, I've never seen so much geo-junk in a single cache before.

[+ChaseOnTheGo]

Nope, haven't done any APE caches; but they seem like a lot of fun!

[+trail hound]

I went to Maryland for Mission 7..(my 600th find).I was also surprised that it is still there.

[+Clan X-Man]

Sounds interesting.

[+Clan X-Man]

It was! About a thousand miles of driving, caching (both the day and night variety) in between and several tanks of gas later and here we are! Had an awesome road trip this weekend with G28. SC to MD and back.

 

 

Edited September 4, 2006 by Clan X-Man

[+Deliveryguy428]

As X said above, we just finished up doing the Maryland APE this weekend and it was well worth the trip. I believe I put over a thousand miles on the car, drank way too much dr.pepper, and got hardly any sleep, but it was WELL WORTH IT!!!!

 

Thanks to those who keep up with all the APE caches to keep those active still active.

[+jamrasc]

Yep, we've done the Mission 7 Crab Creek. Did it last fall while visiting family in MD. The kids loved the huge ammo can.

[+cachew nut]

We traveled down to Washington State this weekend with a group of cachers to do Mission 9 Ape Cache.

It was a great experience. Our best cache ever! Have you done an Ape Cache and how was the experience?

Are they all this good?

You can call up the individual APE caches and see who has visited and read about the experience in the logs.

 

However, I don't mind sharing in the forums that I also did Mission 9: Tunnel of Light, and that it was an awesome adventure. That's the only one I found so far, I hope the others are equally awesome adventures, otherwise it will be a big downer. The logs on the ones I have seen all indicate a lot of fun though!

[+CYBret]

Mission 12 was my 1000th find. I went with two of my best friends and caching buddies and that made the trip very special. I went back with another group of friends about a month ago and had a blast again.

 

I found Mission 9 about a month later with a great bunch of cachers.

 

Both were unforgettable experiences. On their own I was just finding big ol' boxes in the woods. Add the friends and fun in and it was some of the best memories I have.

 

Big thanks to Markwell for the great job he does maintaining the local A.P.E. cache! I'm sure I'll be back again!

 

Bret