Coming to the NW for a visit?

[+WeightMan]

So a bunch of us are coming up from San Diego for GWVIII and are looking for some nice hikes to do the week before the event. We will probably book our hotel rooms based on the location of the best scenic caching hikes. Anything within 100 miles of the event would probably be OK. Any suggestions? Ideal situation would be nice trails with lots of caches that are all terrain 3.5 or lower...

 

Thanks, -FlagMan

 

BTW, most of us have already done the APE cache, the Original Stash and HQ...

You might check out the HOTM and AHOTM threads below. There is a separate HOTM thread each year so if you go back, you can find the threads from 2008 and 2009 as well as the 2010 thread.

[Love]

So a bunch of us are coming up from San Diego for GWVIII and are looking for some nice hikes to do the week before the event. We will probably book our hotel rooms based on the location of the best scenic caching hikes. Anything within 100 miles of the event would probably be OK. Any suggestions? Ideal situation would be nice trails with lots of caches that are all terrain 3.5 or lower...

 

I was going to say Comet Falls at Mt. Rainier is one of my favorites - but then I saw that you want to find caches on the hike. Silly me.

 

So I'll suggest one of my other favorites - Wallace Falls. I haven't gone all the way up to the Lake, but I hear that's nice and there are caches along the way. (GC106Y3, etc.)

[+hydnsek]

So a bunch of us are coming up from San Diego for GWVIII and are looking for some nice hikes to do the week before the event. We will probably book our hotel rooms based on the location of the best scenic caching hikes. Anything within 100 miles of the event would probably be OK. Any suggestions? Ideal situation would be nice trails with lots of caches that are all terrain 3.5 or lower...

 

Thanks, -FlagMan

 

BTW, most of us have already done the APE cache, the Original Stash and HQ...

There are some nice hike caches on the Northwest Classics bookmark list. The most famous scenic hike on the list is Ebey Bluffs on Whidbey Island. A Cascades hike I highly recommend is Purgatory, which takes you up Mt Pilchuck, a popular 4-mile round trip that takes you through lovely scenery to a restored fire lookout (and museum) with a 360-degree view of the Cascades, Mt Baker, and Mt Rainier.

 

Other highly recommended hikes on the list within your parameters are Monte Cristo, Oyster Dome, and Big Four Ice Caves. These are the destination caches; all of the hikes have multiple caches you can pick up.

[+RedwingGreg&Deb]

Must Do caches along I5 from WA to CA

 

Please help me with suggestions of must do caches

 

There is a group of us coming out for Geowoodstock and spending a week caching while we are out west. We are looking for a list of "You Gotta do this cache!"

Everyone in our group love easy to hard caches and would love some suggestions on what our caching brothers and sisters out west think we Southern boys from South Carolina gotta see while we are out in your fine neck of the woods.

Please help.

 

Thanks

Greg

RedwingGreg&Deb

HawiianNinja

TeamMegaDutch

MSWahoo

[+WeightMan]

Must Do caches along I5 from WA to CA

 

Please help me with suggestions of must do caches

 

There is a group of us coming out for Geowoodstock and spending a week caching while we are out west. We are looking for a list of "You Gotta do this cache!"

Everyone in our group love easy to hard caches and would love some suggestions on what our caching brothers and sisters out west think we Southern boys from South Carolina gotta see while we are out in your fine neck of the woods.

Please help.

 

Thanks

Greg

RedwingGreg&Deb

HawiianNinja

TeamMegaDutch

MSWahoo

While not all "must do" caches, this bookmark list has those I enjoyed on that route. Every rest stop has a cache, some good, some not. YMMV.

 

Of those, I would suggest the following

 

I Hate I-5, Covered Bridge

 

Shasta Vista

 

Stumped At The Falls

 

Meet The Sims

 

Don't forget the Original Stash Tribute which is off the freeway a bit, but well worth the trip.

[+FloridaFour]

We're doing an Alaskan cruise in August 2011. Yes, I'm preparing early. We spend a few days in Seattle and I have 2 kids and 3 other adults with us. (not all are into geocaching). I have a 6 yr old and my mom who cannot walk distance or rough terrain. (need less than 1/2 mile walk) So we would like a few interesting, fun caches, maybe near tourist attractions so the non-cachers have something else to do, for the following places:

 

Seattle- we have 2 or 3 days here, so thinking of Groundspeak HQ for sure, some of the Totally Tubular series, (sounds fun!) and maybe the Kubota Garden multi. Also maybe the Kerry Viewpoint Park virtual. Would love to do GCD, but some of us cannot physically do that kind of hiking. Any others that are quick that we should consider? Maybe something near the Space Needle? (my husband wants to see that)

 

Juneau- somewhere scenic that is a good tourist attraction

Sitka- somewhere scenic, good tourist attraction

Ketchikan- we may only have a few hours there (need to be near port)

Victoria, BC - we will only be there from 6pm to midnight (need some near port- lighted urban areas)

Edited November 6, 2010 by FloridaFour

[jholly]

We're doing an Alaskan cruise in August 2011. Yes, I'm preparing early. We spend a few days in Seattle and I have 2 kids and 3 other adults with us. (not all are into geocaching). So we would like a few interesting, fun caches, maybe near tourist attractions so the non-cachers have something else to do, for the following places:

 

Seattle- we have 2 or 3 days here, so thinking of Groundspeak HQ for sure, some of the Totally Tubular series, (sounds fun!) and maybe the Kubota Garden multi. Also maybe the Kerry Viewpoint Park virtual. Would love to do GCD, but some of us cannot physically do that kind of hiking. Any others that are quick that we should consider? Maybe something near the Space Needle? (my husband wants to see that)

HQ is only available Fridays at 2pm. They don't do other times. August or late July the tunnel should be open to allow an easier access to the APE cache. Did you check out the pinned thread on NW bookmarks? Lots of good caches in those.

[jholly]

Don't forget to set you clocks back an hour Saturday night.

Edited November 6, 2010 by jholly

[+FloridaFour]

HQ is only available Fridays at 2pm. They don't do other times. August or late July the tunnel should be open to allow an easier access to the APE cache. Did you check out the pinned thread on NW bookmarks? Lots of good caches in those

 

Yes, I've scanned all those great bookmarks, thanks! We will be there on a Friday, so I will try and make an appointment ahead of time for HQ. I'd love to do the APE, but it's too far for my daughter or mom to walk. Maybe if we split up for the hike. We'll see. I'm really trying to find easy terrain, 1-2 stars, we can all go to. Thanks!

[jholly]

HQ is only available Fridays at 2pm. They don't do other times. August or late July the tunnel should be open to allow an easier access to the APE cache. Did you check out the pinned thread on NW bookmarks? Lots of good caches in those

 

Yes, I've scanned all those great bookmarks, thanks! We will be there on a Friday, so I will try and make an appointment ahead of time for HQ. I'd love to do the APE, but it's too far for my daughter or mom to walk. Maybe if we split up for the hike. We'll see. I'm really trying to find easy terrain, 1-2 stars, we can all go to. Thanks!

Yes, by all means write HQ a couple weeks ahead of time for the invite letter. Parking may or may not be a problem in that area, so arrive early ... there are a few caches nearby if you need to kill time. And while your there, go up the hill and check out the Troll under the Aurora bridge (there is a cache up on top of the bridge too

[+WeightMan]

We're doing an Alaskan cruise in August 2011. Yes, I'm preparing early. We spend a few days in Seattle and I have 2 kids and 3 other adults with us. (not all are into geocaching). I have a 6 yr old and my mom who cannot walk distance or rough terrain. (need less than 1/2 mile walk) So we would like a few interesting, fun caches, maybe near tourist attractions so the non-cachers have something else to do, for the following places:

 

Seattle- we have 2 or 3 days here, so thinking of Groundspeak HQ for sure, some of the Totally Tubular series, (sounds fun!) and maybe the Kubota Garden multi. Also maybe the Kerry Viewpoint Park virtual. Would love to do GCD, but some of us cannot physically do that kind of hiking. Any others that are quick that we should consider? Maybe something near the Space Needle? (my husband wants to see that)

 

Juneau- somewhere scenic that is a good tourist attraction

Sitka- somewhere scenic, good tourist attraction

Ketchikan- we may only have a few hours there (need to be near port)

Victoria, BC - we will only be there from 6pm to midnight (need some near port- lighted urban areas)

My Kubota Garden cache might be a bit long for the half mile walk, but there are plenty of benches to provide some rest. I have not checked the actual mileage on it so that is just an estimate. If your mother can take some rest stops and enjoy the garden, you should be fine. Allow a few hours, you won't regret it.

 

There are a couple of caches in Ketchikan right near the cruise ship dock. Plan on rain. I think it rains something like 370 days a year there. (Yeah, I know there are only 365 days, but it comes close to that, I have been told.) I was there over a year ago so I don't know what might be active now.

 

In Juneau, take the tram to the top of the hill. Great views from up there and a few caches were there when I was there. While I was there, I also went to the Mendenhall Glacier, which was cool. There are some caches there as well.

 

I can't help with the other spots.

[+FloridaFour]

Jholly and WeightMan- Thanks, I am writing all this down. Great first hand info!

[+Livedthere]

I highly recommend some or all of the "Totally Tublar" North of Seattle by the zoo area. They are very unique puzzles.

http://coord.info/GCP9G9

http://coord.info/GCNDTN (Currently disabled but may be fixed by your visit)

 

I haven't hit any others of the series, but if these two are the standard, the others will rock!.

 

Snoqualmie Falls Volcano

 

Depending on the setup the EarthCace at Snoqualmie is neat. Sometimes the hike down is not required if you can find the attributes need for the GC or if it is changed like it is now to not require the hike to find the items listed.

 

http://coord.info/GC20ANM

 

We're doing an Alaskan cruise in August 2011. Yes, I'm preparing early. We spend a few days in Seattle and I have 2 kids and 3 other adults with us. (not all are into geocaching). I have a 6 yr old and my mom who cannot walk distance or rough terrain. (need less than 1/2 mile walk) So we would like a few interesting, fun caches, maybe near tourist attractions so the non-cachers have something else to do, for the following places:

 

Seattle- we have 2 or 3 days here, so thinking of Groundspeak HQ for sure, some of the Totally Tubular series, (sounds fun!) and maybe the Kubota Garden multi. Also maybe the Kerry Viewpoint Park virtual. Would love to do GCD, but some of us cannot physically do that kind of hiking. Any others that are quick that we should consider? Maybe something near the Space Needle? (my husband wants to see that)

 

Juneau- somewhere scenic that is a good tourist attraction

Sitka- somewhere scenic, good tourist attraction

Ketchikan- we may only have a few hours there (need to be near port)

Victoria, BC - we will only be there from 6pm to midnight (need some near port- lighted urban areas)

Edited January 4, 2011 by Livedthere

[+Livedthere]

Might also do Advanced Find utilizing new Favorites option that GC'ing added.

 

Select Zip Code for your area you are staying.

Search

On the Results, Click on "Favorites" icon and sort by Ranking from High to Low. May give you some ideas as well. You will note the ones you already mentioned as did I as being highly ranked. Could dive into them some from there to decide if diffuculty met your needs...

 

LivedThere

 

We're doing an Alaskan cruise in August 2011. Yes, I'm preparing early. We spend a few days in Seattle and I have 2 kids and 3 other adults with us. (not all are into geocaching). I have a 6 yr old and my mom who cannot walk distance or rough terrain. (need less than 1/2 mile walk) So we would like a few interesting, fun caches, maybe near tourist attractions so the non-cachers have something else to do, for the following places:

 

Seattle- we have 2 or 3 days here, so thinking of Groundspeak HQ for sure, some of the Totally Tubular series, (sounds fun!) and maybe the Kubota Garden multi. Also maybe the Kerry Viewpoint Park virtual. Would love to do GCD, but some of us cannot physically do that kind of hiking. Any others that are quick that we should consider? Maybe something near the Space Needle? (my husband wants to see that)

 

Juneau- somewhere scenic that is a good tourist attraction

Sitka- somewhere scenic, good tourist attraction

Ketchikan- we may only have a few hours there (need to be near port)

Victoria, BC - we will only be there from 6pm to midnight (need some near port- lighted urban areas)

[avroair]

Being a quasi-local I seem to get asked, best caches to see Seattle... but I only have an afternoon or a couple hours etc...

Business trip, not much time... only a day at most, in the Seattle area I would definitely visit:

 

Groundspeak HQ (need an appointment)

And nearby:

Troll's Lair

Space Needle

Pike's Place

Bubbly Landmark

 

There are plenty other options of course, but if you are strapped for time...

 

And if you are able to get further out (east along I-90 about 50 miles):

Project APE: Tunnel of Light

[+Team Catahoula]

We're doing an Alaskan cruise in August 2011. Yes, I'm preparing early. We spend a few days in Seattle and I have 2 kids and 3 other adults with us. (not all are into geocaching). I have a 6 yr old and my mom who cannot walk distance or rough terrain. (need less than 1/2 mile walk) So we would like a few interesting, fun caches, maybe near tourist attractions so the non-cachers have something else to do, for the following places:

 

Seattle- we have 2 or 3 days here, so thinking of Groundspeak HQ for sure, some of the Totally Tubular series, (sounds fun!) and maybe the Kubota Garden multi. Also maybe the Kerry Viewpoint Park virtual. Would love to do GCD, but some of us cannot physically do that kind of hiking. Any others that are quick that we should consider? Maybe something near the Space Needle? (my husband wants to see that)

 

Juneau- somewhere scenic that is a good tourist attraction

Sitka- somewhere scenic, good tourist attraction

Ketchikan- we may only have a few hours there (need to be near port)

Victoria, BC - we will only be there from 6pm to midnight (need some near port- lighted urban areas)

[+LargeFry-CT]

Hi there NW geocachers! I'm going to be in the Boise area, Nampa to be more exact, for a couple of days and was hoping I could get some help finding a scout related cache. Could be by a scout building, project or a cache placed by scouts, just something scout related. And I suppose if you all have any recommendations for must do caches whil;e I there too, they would be more than appreciated. Thanks!!

[+dr_wiley]

i am not really new to this but i am looking for a crew of people in portland oregon to go caching wiht not sure how to do this any one know a good way to do this?

[+markcase]

i am not really new to this but i am looking for a crew of people in portland oregon to go caching wiht not sure how to do this any one know a good way to do this?

 

Moving this post to the Pacific NW forum so it can get more attention.

 

MarkCase

Education Forum Moderator

[+Instant Coffee]

I am flying to Boise, ID in a couple of weeks for 2 days. I wanted to know of caches or locations I should consider. Also where should I stay?

 

Thanks

[+The Jester]

I am flying to Boise, ID in a couple of weeks for 2 days. I wanted to know of caches or locations I should consider. Also where should I stay?

 

Thanks

I recently passed thru Boise and enjoyed Rings Thru Time and Raccoon on the Grove. Both are virtuals in town.

[+renegade9]

Hello. I am coming to the area around the 28th of Nov. I am a Soldier traveling home to see my family in Ga. I will be stuck in the Seattle airport untill the 2nd of Dec. I would like to see if anyone would be intrested in taking me on a mini cache trip. I would love to find a few caches in the area to knock another state off and see the area.

 

Patrick

[+The Jester]

Hello. I am coming to the area around the 28th of Nov. I am a Soldier traveling home to see my family in Ga. I will be stuck in the Seattle airport untill the 2nd of Dec. I would like to see if anyone would be intrested in taking me on a mini cache trip. I would love to find a few caches in the area to knock another state off and see the area.

 

Patrick

What type of caches do you like? Hiking caches, urban micro's, multi's, night caches? We have them all...

[+the-bikers]

Hi everyone....

In august I will visit the GC headquarter and the blockparty. Now my question is... Is there anyone (from Seattle) who will go Geocaching with me when I'm in Seattle... My aunt only has a vacation of 7 days and I will visit Seattle 10 days

Greetz Ruben from Belgium

[+TotemLake]

There will be several events going on, some may include a hike or two, and most will always involve hunting for caches. Stay tuned as we get closer to the block party time and you may find something which will interest you.

Edited April 13, 2013 by TotemLake

[+J the Goat]

Hey guys, I'll be visiting the greater Portland area in a couple weeks and wanted to touch base with some locals regarding caches/lodging/camp sites (trying to travel cheap)/food (breweries are at the top of the list) in the area. Already planning on visiting Oneonta gorge, but not sure where else we should visit. I'm poking around for ideas myself, but any help is appreciated.

[+docNwitchjy]

Hi everyone. We will be in Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota and Seattle in late Mid June to Mid July. Just wondering if anyone can recommend some good caches, small size or bigger. Also wondering if there will be any events on during that time? Thanks

[+crs98]

Hi everyone. We will be in Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota and Seattle in late Mid June to Mid July. Just wondering if anyone can recommend some good caches, small size or bigger. Also wondering if there will be any events on during that time? Thanks

 

It's easy to find great caches by using the favorites feature. To find the most favorited caches in a state, go to the geocaching.com page and log in, select "Play -> Hide and Seek A Cache" from the menu. Pick the region you are interested in (typically state or postal code are great ways to do a search) and enter the appropriate values. Once the results of the search come back, you can sort based on favorite points by clicking on the blue ribbon icon on top of the column to bring up the most favorited caches.

 

Events are often not scheduled this far in advance, but you can easily see what events are scheduled by doing the same search, but sorting on the "Placed" column (this is actually the default). As events that you would plan to attend are always in the future, they are at the top of the list.

[+WeightMan]

Hi everyone. We will be in Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota and Seattle in late Mid June to Mid July. Just wondering if anyone can recommend some good caches, small size or bigger. Also wondering if there will be any events on during that time? Thanks

While in Wyoming, be sure to visit Yellowstone. I am planning a trip to Yellowstone and there are several virtuals in the park with lots of favorite points.

[+docNwitchjy]

I'll definitely look up some favourites We are planning a big drive from Billings to West Jellystone, down through the Big Boobies NP, across to Mount Rushmore, back across to Cody and then back to Billings...amongst other things

[+CelticGuardian]

Greetings from a rock in the middle of the big blue wet thing called Hawai'i. I may as well be flying into a foreign country...I've only been to "Seattle" via military SPACE A hops a few times and have never explored the area to any degree outside the base wire. I'm interested to see if there will be any motivated cachers out here in this ACO (area of caching operations) to be a wingperson between the 9th-18th of August. I will be moving by foot, since I can't stand vehicular traffic or renting a vehicle personally in an area that I have no idea how to navigate. Will be present for the 2014 Block Party, Going A.P.E. and a couple other events. If you're enthusiastic and motivated to aid a visiting leprechaun, just fire off a PM to me. I am not your typical P&G cacher. I'm more oriented to the woods and hiking as a cacher, but will not turn down the city since it's foreign to me too.

 

Sláinte!

 

Eóin

 

-Your neighborhood leprechaun-

[+TeeDeeKay]

Greetings from New Jersey. I'm planning a visit to Seattle for the entire week ending with the Block Party (August 16) and am looking for company on a couple of day trips north to Vancouver and south to the original stash in Oregon. Both trips are about three hours each way, not accounting for potential cache stops. I would rather not do all the driving, and if possible would want to include your name as a traveling companion on my car rental agreement so you would also be insured while behind the wheel. For Vancouver you will need a passport. If you reside a reasonable distance from Seattle, I could pick you up and drop you off. My rental should fit 4 comfortably, including me. Please e-mail me if interested.

 

-Mike "TeeDeeKay" Levy

tdk@theymightbegiants.org

Edited June 10, 2014 by TeeDeeKay

[+thebruce0]

Hey, everyone in the NW! Greetings from mid-east Canada, southern Ontario to be precise.

I'm planning to be in Portland for the week of July 30 to Aug 4. I'm hoping to make a visit to the Original Stash plaque (as well, like TeeDeeKay above), and was wondering if anyone else was thinking of doing so around that time.

 

Based on my travel schedule, I'd be hoping to make the trip for it on Wed the 30th or Monday the 4th (schedule's full up the rest of the week). I'd love to meet up with some locals and head out for this, if anyone's planning on it! Really really want to get this... I was in Portland a few years back, but going for the plaque never even occurred to me Don't want to make this another missed opportunity!

[+nosynellies]

We're going to be headed to the Block Party 2014 from Oregon and am trying to plan our route. I was wondering if anyone knew where good parking is as well as if they close off the nearby streets for the event. Any help is appreciated.

[+nosynellies]

Cancel that. Plans have changed and we won't be able to make it. Thanks anyway.

[MMACH 5]

Hi y'all!

 

My wife and I come to Seattle from Dallas every summer to bring our kids to a special-needs summer camp in Carnation. We'll be there next week and while the kids are at camp, I'll be renting a bicycle and riding to Poulsbo. My route will bring me over on the Edmonds-Kingston ferry and then return on the Bainbridge-Seattle ferry.

 

So locals, I want your must-do caches in North Kitsap and on Bainbridge Island. I prefer physically challenging caches, but a clever P&G can be entertaining also.

 

We're staying in Mukilteo, so we'll be poking around there also.

 

Thank you and cache on.

[+crs98]

Hi y'all!

 

My wife and I come to Seattle from Dallas every summer to bring our kids to a special-needs summer camp in Carnation. We'll be there next week and while the kids are at camp, I'll be renting a bicycle and riding to Poulsbo. My route will bring me over on the Edmonds-Kingston ferry and then return on the Bainbridge-Seattle ferry.

 

So locals, I want your must-do caches in North Kitsap and on Bainbridge Island. I prefer physically challenging caches, but a clever P&G can be entertaining also.

 

We're staying in Mukilteo, so we'll be poking around there also.

 

Thank you and cache on.

 

You haven't defined what you mean by physically challenging caches, but I'll make a few suggestions - there are a ton of trails on that part of the Kitsap peninsula. None of them are particularly challenging from the point of view of either distance or elevation, but you could easily spend the better part of several days just walking on the trails and finding caches. North Kitsap Heritage Park, for example, has about 15 caches in the park and it's 799 acres (bigger than a square mile) in size. You can find a trail map at http://www.kitsapgov.com/parks/Parks/Documents/Trail_Maps/nkhp_map.pdf with at least 6 or 7 miles of trails in the park's woods.

 

Side note - if you want a full set of trail maps that are downloadable to a Garmin or DeLorme GPS for free, check out Moun10Bike's Northwest Trails map set at http://www.switchbacks.com/nwtrails/

 

It just so happens that one of the best gadget cache makers in the world also lives in this area. Goblindust is famous for his incredibly well designed and interesting cache creations and I would highly recommend stopping by any number of his caches as well. Here's a link to his caches in Washington State - https://www.geocaching.com/play/search?ot=4&owner[0]=goblindust&r=48&e=1&sort=FavoritePoint&asc=False

[MMACH 5]

Hi y'all!

 

My wife and I come to Seattle from Dallas every summer to bring our kids to a special-needs summer camp in Carnation. We'll be there next week and while the kids are at camp, I'll be renting a bicycle and riding to Poulsbo. My route will bring me over on the Edmonds-Kingston ferry and then return on the Bainbridge-Seattle ferry.

 

So locals, I want your must-do caches in North Kitsap and on Bainbridge Island. I prefer physically challenging caches, but a clever P&G can be entertaining also.

 

We're staying in Mukilteo, so we'll be poking around there also.

 

Thank you and cache on.

 

You haven't defined what you mean by physically challenging caches, but I'll make a few suggestions - there are a ton of trails on that part of the Kitsap peninsula. None of them are particularly challenging from the point of view of either distance or elevation, but you could easily spend the better part of several days just walking on the trails and finding caches. North Kitsap Heritage Park, for example, has about 15 caches in the park and it's 799 acres (bigger than a square mile) in size. You can find a trail map at http://www.kitsapgov.com/parks/Parks/Documents/Trail_Maps/nkhp_map.pdf with at least 6 or 7 miles of trails in the park's woods.

 

Side note - if you want a full set of trail maps that are downloadable to a Garmin or DeLorme GPS for free, check out Moun10Bike's Northwest Trails map set at http://www.switchbacks.com/nwtrails/

 

It just so happens that one of the best gadget cache makers in the world also lives in this area. Goblindust is famous for his incredibly well designed and interesting cache creations and I would highly recommend stopping by any number of his caches as well. Here's a link to his caches in Washington State - https://www.geocaching.com/play/search?ot=4&owner[0]=goblindust&r=48&e=1&sort=FavoritePoint&asc=False

 

Thanks for the info. There is one of Goblindust's caches that caught my eye outside of Poulsbo (Know Your Lackey). I might need to route my trip to check out Kitsap Heritage Park. Being a city dweller, physically challenging usually means hiking or even bushwhacking (here in Dallas, it's through mostly greenbriar & poison ivy). Not a whole lot of elevation changes here in Dallas.

[MMACH 5]

I had a great ride across North Kitsap and Bainbridge. I logged several caches along the way. All were memorable and well done (NOT AN ORDINARY CACHE, I can't drive 55, Shaggy's house, & Know Your Lackey). I did make Shaggy's house more physically challenging than it needed to be by bushwhacking (while pushing a bicycle) out to Miller Bay Rd, rather than making my way back to the trailhead. Y'all don't appear to have to the same amount of poison ivy and green briar we do in Texas but there's certainly no shortage of other brutal plant life.

 

I'm riding the bike around Mukilteo tomorrow and we'll see what I caches may catch my attention there.

 

So very impressed with the caching in the area.

[+Mystery Ink]

Moving your direction.

 

Returning home after being gone since 1976.

 

Retiring from att, and looking to settle in the Salem general region. Looking forward to attending some events and getting to know the culture there. I have been caching since the beginning of 2005 and look forward to relearning the area as only a cacher can.

 

Jim Buckley

Mystery Ink

[+fitzet]

Looking for local knowledge of the Monte Cristo trail.

 

We're a family of four from Ireland visiting the area in June. Top of my list of geocaching targets are Jasmer months not available in Europe, specifically May, Oct & Nov 2000. The Monte Cristo cache (GCBC) is my preference for Nov 2000.

 

We'll be doing this in the first week of June. Are there specific environmental factors we should he aware of, factors that don't arise is Ireland, e.g. midday / early afternoon temperature, wildlife, insects?

 

Thanks for your help with this.

[+Dgwphotos]

Looking for local knowledge of the Monte Cristo trail.

 

We're a family of four from Ireland visiting the area in June. Top of my list of geocaching targets are Jasmer months not available in Europe, specifically May, Oct & Nov 2000. The Monte Cristo cache (GCBC) is my preference for Nov 2000.

 

We'll be doing this in the first week of June. Are there specific environmental factors we should he aware of, factors that don't arise is Ireland, e.g. midday / early afternoon temperature, wildlife, insects?

 

Thanks for your help with this.

Early June gets pretty wet (seasonal transition), so bring plenty of gear for wet weather, otherwise, it's not really different from Ireland, if at all...

Edited April 7, 2017 by Dgwphotos

[+The Jester]

We're a bit farther south than Ireland, so the days will be a little shorter. The elevation at Monte Cristo is around 2800 feet, so not bad, you shouldn't notice it. We have heavier forests than Ireland, not as much open country. For the most part, the wildlife wants to avoid you as much as you wish to avoid it. No poisonous animals in Western Washington (Eastern Washington does have rattlesnakes), the only pisonous plant to look for is nettles - but it only gives you an itchy patch for s short while and can sting thru clothing. I haven't been on the new trail, but hiking boots are a safe bet, not only for possible rough terrain, but wet/muddy trails.

 

Edit: to correct elevation.

Edited April 7, 2017 by The Jester

[+WeightMan]

We're a bit farther south than Ireland, so the days will be a little shorter. The elevation at Monte Cristo is around 2800 feet, so not bad, you shouldn't notice it. We have heavier forests than Ireland, not as much open country. For the most part, the wildlife wants to avoid you as much as you wish to avoid it. No poisonous animals in Western Washington (Eastern Washington does have rattlesnakes), the only pisonous plant to look for is nettles - but it only gives you an itchy patch for s short while and can sting thru clothing. I haven't been on the new trail, but hiking boots are a safe bet, not only for possible rough terrain, but wet/muddy trails.

 

Edit: to correct elevation.

It appears the Jester has forgotten about one plant to avoid. Devil's Club looks bad and you would tend to avoid it anyhow due to the thorns. I have not been to Monte Cristo so I don't know if it grows up there. We do have poison oak which can cause severe itching. In that case, just remember to avoid leaves of three.

[+The Jester]

We're a bit farther south than Ireland, so the days will be a little shorter. The elevation at Monte Cristo is around 2800 feet, so not bad, you shouldn't notice it. We have heavier forests than Ireland, not as much open country. For the most part, the wildlife wants to avoid you as much as you wish to avoid it. No poisonous animals in Western Washington (Eastern Washington does have rattlesnakes), the only pisonous plant to look for is nettles - but it only gives you an itchy patch for s short while and can sting thru clothing. I haven't been on the new trail, but hiking boots are a safe bet, not only for possible rough terrain, but wet/muddy trails.

 

Edit: to correct elevation.

It appears the Jester has forgotten about one plant to avoid. Devil's Club looks bad and you would tend to avoid it anyhow due to the thorns. I have not been to Monte Cristo so I don't know if it grows up there. We do have poison oak which can cause severe itching. In that case, just remember to avoid leaves of three.

Ah, but Devil's Club isn't poisonous, just very nasty thorns. And poison oak is rare enough around here, that in 60 decades of bushwacking I've never come across it personally.

[+fitzet]

Thank you for those responses. It seems I made an unsafe assumption about weather in June. I'm glad I asked in plenty of time to be suitably prepared.

[+fitzet]

We came, we saw, we hiked, we got the smiley .

 

Thank you to everyone who helped me with information. We enjoyed a memorable three week holiday in Washington, Oregon and California. This cache stubbornly resisted our attempts to find it, but we persevered and succeeded.

[+The Jester]

We came, we saw, we hiked, we got the smiley .

 

Thank you to everyone who helped me with information. We enjoyed a memorable three week holiday in Washington, Oregon and California. This cache stubbornly resisted our attempts to find it, but we persevered and succeeded.

I'm glad you had a fun & successful visit! I know we enjoyed our trip to Ireland & the UK last summer, it's nice to see it reciprocated.

[+Vooruit!]

in July 2019, I will be spending some time in Portland for a business conference. I'm thinking of adding a few days for leisure activities, including, you guessed it, geocaching. Naturally, the plan is to pick up the oldies (GC12, GC16, GCD and others). Could you guys give me some advice what kind of car I should rent to be able to reach those caches? Here, in the Netherlands, where everything is flat, even the smallest of cars suffice, but I guess things will be different over there. A look at the map shows quite a bit of elevation.

[+The Jester]

9 hours ago, Vooruit! said:

in July 2019, I will be spending some time in Portland for a business conference. I'm thinking of adding a few days for leisure activities, including, you guessed it, geocaching. Naturally, the plan is to pick up the oldies (GC12, GC16, GCD and others). Could you guys give me some advice what kind of car I should rent to be able to reach those caches? Here, in the Netherlands, where everything is flat, even the smallest of cars suffice, but I guess things will be different over there. A look at the map shows quite a bit of elevation.

For GC12 any car as the road is paved to the trailhead.  GCD is a good dirt road that any but a really low slung car should manage.  I've yet to get to GC16 so can't advise.  If you have a choice of brands, I like the Subaru's - good clearance & many 4 wheel drive.  Jeeps are also good, but I don't personally find them as comfortable.  Any mid-size SUV (or full size) should also do the trick.