How hard have you WORKED for a cache?

[+KD5XB]

Here's something I just posted for Cady Moose Cache near Ludlow, Ca -- thought it might be interesting for this section of the forums --

 

July 11 by KD5XB (141 found)

TN L:Geocoin SL

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let me flesh it out a bit –

I’ve been looking at this cache for several months, as I drive the 18-wheeler by on I-40. The only problem is that the road going toward the cache doesn’t look as if I could turn the truck around so I haven’t tried for this cache – until now. I got word a few days ago that, after this week, we’re not going to be driving this area for a while. It was now or never, for the Cady Moose cache!

Pulling into Ludlow at noon, I knew it was going to be hot, but this cache was screaming for me to get out there! So, having attended the 6th Annual Portales Event, I have a brand-new backpack just meant for Geocaching, and I grabbed it and loaded up. Went into the DQ/convenience store and bought two bottles of water and left. Once in the parking lot, I realized my GPS was still in the truck, so I grabbed it and headed north. The GPS said 1.86 miles to the cache.

Good thing I had a hat!

On the dirt road, I started out fresh as a daisy – making about 3 MPH, just a nice relaxed walk.

Gee, it’s HOT! The wind is blowing almost the same speed I’m walking, causing a layer of almost superheated air to cling close around me. It feels almost like a bad fever. Drink some water, keep walking.

This soft dirt on this road makes it a little hard to walk.

Gee, it’s HOT! Drink some water, keep walking.

I see power lines out in the distance – wonder where they go.

About half a mile out, I turned and looked back at Ludlow. OMG! It’s UPHILL all the way back!!!

Gee, it’s HOT! Drink some water, keep walking.

About .8 mile from the cache, I noticed a marker of some kind off the road to the east, perhaps 25 feet. Walking over there, I found a memorial to someone – Eric Carlton somebody? I should have written it down, but I didn’t. The marker states the poor fellow died out there in the desert in 1995, at age 30. Sure glad I have enough water with me.

Gee, it’s HOT! Drink some water, keep walking.

I found a crossroad where it appears a good driver just might be able to turn a rig around. I could probably do it, too.

Just past the crossroads, I notice the GPS is now pulling me off the dirt road – it was a simple matter to find the cache. I signed the log, took nothing, but left a geocoin, and here I messed up really badly – that coin has a stated goal to remain in the “Four Corners” states of New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, and Colorado.

BTW, it was really neat to see a Second-Class Scout “Mother’s Pin” in this cache.

Gee, it’s HOT! Drink some water, keep walking. Oops, my first bottle of water is empty.

Passing the memorial again, I went over and looked once more, then continued towards Ludlow. My neck and arms feel like they’ve been sunburned pretty badly.

I see a lot of stone formations, guess tourists have been busy out here. The GPS is showing me at perhaps 2 MPH walking now, I’m tired, hot, and wish I hadn’t done this.

I can SEE Ludlow, so I put the GPS in the backpack. At perhaps .5 mile out, I run out of water. I put the empty bottles in the backpack and continue walking.

Gee, it’s HOT! Drink some water, keep walking. Oops, can’t drink any more water.

Finally arrived back at the parking lot.

Time back in the truck – 2:30 PM. Two and a half hours for a walk of less than four miles! In cooler temps, I can walk three miles in less than 30 minutes. Wow!

And today, there is no sunburn -- weird!

 

TFTC!

7 3

[+m.austin]

Must have been some cache for all that work! *L*

 

My story: (before I start, this is all completely on public land!) the other evening hubby was feeling bad that we haven't had any "quality" time together. He knew how badly I'd been wanting to do a nearby night cache, so grabbed the flashlights & off we went. We arrive & start treking through thigh high grass.

Hubby: how far is it?

Me: looks like 1/2 a mile???

Hubby: what kind of cache is it?

Me: It's a night time cache.

Hubby: I KNOW that!!! How big is it?

Me: I don't know

Hubby: What do you mean, you don't know.

Me: I don't know. I told you I was going paperless.

Hubby: I thought you were doing that after your new palm arrived

Me: no, I got tired of printing stuff out, so I went ahead & started going paperless

Hubby: #)*&$@%

Me: But this is fun!

Hubby: Are you SURE we're supposed to walk this far?

Me: No

Hubby: Let's go back. Surely there is parking closer than this

Me: where are you going?

Hubby: I'm not walking clear around this corn field again. I'm cutting through

Me: we're walking THROUGH the cornfield?

Hubby: it's faster

Me: where are you !!!!!

Hubby: dang, can't you keep up

Me: pant, pant

Hubby: we're there - told you that was faster

Me: pant, pant

Hubby: #($%*#*@ I lost my radio!!!

Me: What radio?

Hubby: My fire radio

Me: the one you can talk to command with?

Hubby: yes

Me: the really expensive one?

Hubby: yes

Me: WHY did you bring THAT!

Hubby: in case we have to rush back to town (hubby is our town fire chief)

Me: dumb a**

Hubby: I'm going to look for it

Me: let me know how that goes for you

 

I go sit in the car & gulp down water while hubby treks around the corn field looking for his radio. He finally gives up & we leave. We return the next morning during daylight & I'll be danged if he doesn't find it! We drive all over the area looking for a closer place to park. Nope - we have to walk. We'll try again after harvest!

[+wimseyguy]

How about a 3+ hour swamp stomp for this one? It's kinda like hiking on a waterbed, with varying depths of the creeks in between the beds. Lots of snakes and bugs too. I found this one back before we had so many nice map links on our cache pages to use as references too. We made several false starts getting within 200' of the cache without being able to continue in the direction we were heading.

 

The newly purchased hip waders are still over in the corner of my garage mocking me for going after this one.

 

After 3+ years only four teams of a total of 11 cachers have signed this log book.