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Trail of the Gods


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Any trip reports? We had over 16,000 e-mails in our inbox over the past two weeks.

 

We loved the series! Was a true challenge! Had two flat tires..should of aired down I guess...coords were good most of the time...a few twists in the hiding techniques kept us on our toes...gotta get back and clean up a few more..

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Any trip reports? We had over 16,000 e-mails in our inbox over the past two weeks.

 

We spent four days out there over the weekend...we're still trying to get caught up on our logging!!! <_<

 

We enjoyed the trip and the caching, but we wouldn't want to cache like this all the time. The lack of variety gets boring. It was fun to set a personal new best numbers day, though, and we got six FTFs to boot!

 

I guess the question will become, do you want quality memorable finds or just high numbers? For Mom and I, we like all aspects of caching and like to mix things up, so we'll do cache n dash micros in the city, long hikes to find just a few, puzzles, virtuals, multis, earthcaches, and challenges. We pretty much like it all...variety is good. So in a nutshell, we enjoyed the run, but not as an everyday-type of caching.

 

If power caching like this is your thing, go for it. If it's not, don't. That's the great thing about geocaching...each person/family/group gets to decide for themselves what's important and what they want out of it. To each his own.

 

On a side note, you need good tires for this run! Those rocks are sharp and plentiful!

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Expect another 1000 or so after the group that is out there now finishes their run. Might even hear about a new record... :)

 

 

You mean we get to go back??? WOOHOO!!!

 

We had an absolute blast doing that series, we were our own best entertainment!

 

Went with Kwvers!, The Fat Cats, $kimmer, and The Vulture driving the Jeeps.

 

The series was well done and we really appreciated not just the smileys, but all of the work and time

 

that went into placing them all, just so that we could have lots of fun.

 

Thanks so much NGA! Wierd, we kept seeing Moose antlers everywhere.....hmmmm........ ;)

 

The Splashes <_<:D

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Expect another 1000 or so after the group that is out there now finishes their run. Might even hear about a new record... :)

 

 

You mean we get to go back??? WOOHOO!!!

 

We had an absolute blast doing that series, we were our own best entertainment!

 

Went with Kwvers!, The Fat Cats, $kimmer, and The Vulture driving the Jeeps.

 

The series was well done and we really appreciated not just the smileys, but all of the work and time

 

that went into placing them all, just so that we could have lots of fun.

 

Thanks so much NGA! Wierd, we kept seeing Moose antlers everywhere.....hmmmm........ ;)

 

The Splashes <_<:huh:

 

 

 

:D Could you just keep on going and connect this somehow to Fallon? John wants a road trip to Fallon soon..he misses all those GBES cachers... *(well first he has to get to San Diego) We can't wait to go...we'll probably wait until the weather is better...like 110 in the shade..we don't want it too easy!

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Any trip reports?

Posted this elsewhere, and realize it is a trip report. We hit the 400+ milestone at 23 hours on 3/13/2010.

 

"I've added my kudos and additional comments in the other 566 Record thread. This thread is about the experience of caching 24 hours straight...

 

There's the feeling of starting at the darkness of midnight, and the wondering if the group is up to task to navigate to and find 20 caches per hour, hour after hour after hour. There's the confusion of wondering what is beyond the 200 feet of headlight beam, and which jeep road, service spur, and burro track leads to the cache. There's Orion laying against the dark western horizon, as if asleep. During the night the Big Dipper swings from standing on handle, to pouring it's contents near dawn. It's cold on the night desert floor, but maybe the eyes of an active coyote reflect red and dance just beyond your headlamp. The crescent moon breaks a black skyline, and that's cool. Vegas casts a glow in the east, but at some point the eastern sky turns dusty rose. The sun soon follows with the hint of the warmth of day, and everyone takes off the headlamp, and the GPS screen changes from night colors. You think, wow, we got 100 caches before sun up.

 

In daylight, you see the steep, raw desert hills. All of that stratified, layered, twisted geology. You can now see hundreds of power towers, making straight lines over hill and dale, towards the next pass 10 miles distant. On the far horizon are snow capped peaks. Nearby a weird cloud envelops a peak, and later in the day it dissipates to reveal a dusting of snow. Ravens flap across the sky, and the feathers make the wooshing sound. You come across a burro track, and maybe you don't see them, but you know they've walked that track to some faraway desert spring, for more than a hundred years. In the distance, a mine that hasn't been worked for half a century can be seen. Midday, your work tally shows 200 or 250, and everyone is pleased that they just might meet the goal.

 

The routine is fairly routine: the vehicle rolls down dirt; the navigator calls out distance and bearing; eyes are outside for the turn or turnout because the flashflood washes look like road; brakes are hit so no overshoot kills 10 seconds in back up; doors open as the vehicle rolls to 20 to 50 feet from GZ, and 2 runners hop out; one set of eyes looks left at tower, base, and cresote bush, the other eyes look to the right for the same; the navigator steps out, and the driver turns the vehicle around if necessary; the driver steps out with camera or maybe just to stretch, but someone calls got it; one runner opens container and snakes the rolled and folded logsheet bundle with pliers, and hands it to the stickerer or inker; cache is replaced and everybody jogs back to vehicle; cache is marked found on GPS, maybe someone does paperwork or reads the map; the next cache is just over a minute away.

 

In that minute, you talk about the desert, that copper mine, a tortoise, 4 wheeling, the Delorme challenge, radios or droid, GSAK tips, that other great caching trip, and food. You eat snack food and drink fluid in that minute.

 

And so it goes, for as many hours as the team endures. The sun goes down, and you know you need to buckle down. The wind comes up, and on the open desert it has a force more potent than in town. The air is dry and cold, and chapstick can't keep up. Still the team is in good spirits, and focused on that final 50 caches.

 

There was one 30/hr straight section that went on for 10 miles with hundreds of towers in view. We were in rhythm, and after half and hour I looked westward... and hundreds of towers were still in view. My thoughts weren't about the repetition or being bored, they were about buckling down, staying focused, helping my teammates, and working through the 24 hours of routing and finding.

 

At some point, you hit X hundred and ninety nine. If you are after a milestone, you are excited with anticipation, and confused about how many extra to go over the next hundred. And then your team is done, and there's smiling, and chuckles, and giggles, and everybody just wants to get to the nice and cozy and warm hotel... and sleep. Wow that feels good.

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Trip report? Trip and fall report?

 

We started at the Fears and worked our way West. Since we had yet to test out the capabilities of our Xterra, we wanted to get a few miles under our belt before leaving civilization. We zoomed out and grabbed over 40 caches in the first hour. Then we made a poor choice of roads to cross over to the next grouping. Slam, Bang. crash.... bending metal and plastic as we drove in the whoop-de-doos. We bent the front skid plate (protecting the steering), but didn't cause any serious damage. So on we went.

566 caches and 23 hours later, we ran out of caches to find.

Thanks for hiding all these caches for us to find.

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Just got back this AM from the Trail of the Gods, Presidents, and Phobia/Fears series with my trusty geo-buddy, Humboldt Flier. We were able to garner some 310 caches in our two days traipsing across the desert. Yes, at times it seems very repititious, but you have to look beyond the numbers on these series. What we did like was that the desert was so alive with flora and fauna. Dozens of species of cactus and plantlife, the occaisional burro, perfect weather, views that go on for 100 miles or more. And, time to connect with a friend. The solitude was deafening at times interupted with the sound of sonic booms or deep mine dynamite explosions. At times one will get lulled into repetition, then when least expected something new just to let you know nothing can be taken for granted.

 

We did run into other cachers on the trail, ones who ingnored he lure of the shear numbers and were their to see what all the hub bub was all about, ones who were caching with reckless abandoned...literally! And, those who were willing to stop for a moment to find out who you are and share their experience thus far.

 

The only real problem I can think of is that this may be a maintenance nightmare without the help of the caching community as a whole. The majority of the containers have a rolled metal lip the makes removing the paper logs next to impossible without damaging the log paper. At first we used tweasers, but that was a surgical procedure, we later used a multi-tool plier with greater success. However, at this early point in the logs life we had noted many were already torn and even shreded. We always carry extra logs with us and found it necessary to leave a replacement in several of the caches. So, in a nut shell, if you go, take the proper tool to remove, log to conserve space, and replace with a fresh log if necessary. This will keep the need down for some poor sole from driving across the desert in the upcoming heat to replace a single log because someone posted a "Needs maintenace" log.

 

Gratitude to the NGA for bringing to life a formidable series that will be talked about for years to come. Such a monumental task is well appreciated for many aspects and perspectives it brings to those who choose to enjoy these caches.

 

On a final note, I invite those who like serial caching to check out the relatively new series of 60 caches placed on Gilman Rd on Lake Shasta by Kokopeli in Far Northern California. This series offers it ALL. Numbers, Variety, Unparalleled views, and Terrain/Difficulty that cover the spectrum from 1's to 4's. This is a MUST DO series.

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Just got back this AM from the Trail of the Gods, Presidents, and Phobia/Fears series with my trusty geo-buddy, Humboldt Flier. We were able to garner some 310 caches in our two days traipsing across the desert. Yes, at times it seems very repititious, but you have to look beyond the numbers on these series. What we did like was that the desert was so alive with flora and fauna. Dozens of species of cactus and plantlife, the occaisional burro, perfect weather, views that go on for 100 miles or more. And, time to connect with a friend. The solitude was deafening at times interupted with the sound of sonic booms or deep mine dynamite explosions. At times one will get lulled into repetition, then when least expected something new just to let you know nothing can be taken for granted.

 

We did run into other cachers on the trail, ones who ingnored he lure of the shear numbers and were their to see what all the hub bub was all about, ones who were caching with reckless abandoned...literally! And, those who were willing to stop for a moment to find out who you are and share their experience thus far.

 

The only real problem I can think of is that this may be a maintenance nightmare without the help of the caching community as a whole. The majority of the containers have a rolled metal lip the makes removing the paper logs next to impossible without damaging the log paper. At first we used tweasers, but that was a surgical procedure, we later used a multi-tool plier with greater success. However, at this early point in the logs life we had noted many were already torn and even shreded. We always carry extra logs with us and found it necessary to leave a replacement in several of the caches. So, in a nut shell, if you go, take the proper tool to remove, log to conserve space, and replace with a fresh log if necessary. This will keep the need down for some poor sole from driving across the desert in the upcoming heat to replace a single log because someone posted a "Needs maintenace" log.

 

Gratitude to the NGA for bringing to life a formidable series that will be talked about for years to come. Such a monumental task is well appreciated for many aspects and perspectives it brings to those who choose to enjoy these caches.

 

On a final note, I invite those who like serial caching to check out the relatively new series of 60 caches placed on Gilman Rd on Lake Shasta by Kokopeli in Far Northern California. This series offers it ALL. Numbers, Variety, Unparalleled views, and Terrain/Difficulty that cover the spectrum from 1's to 4's. This is a MUST DO series.

>>>> I wish I could have said it better, however, I can't. Look beyond the repetition take in the sights and sounds of the Mojave reflect ... enjoy.

 

Have fun and be safe

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Just got back this AM from the Trail of the Gods, Presidents, and Phobia/Fears series with my trusty geo-buddy, Humboldt Flier. We were able to garner some 310 caches in our two days traipsing across the desert. Yes, at times it seems very repititious, but you have to look beyond the numbers on these series. What we did like was that the desert was so alive with flora and fauna. Dozens of species of cactus and plantlife, the occaisional burro, perfect weather, views that go on for 100 miles or more. And, time to connect with a friend. The solitude was deafening at times interupted with the sound of sonic booms or deep mine dynamite explosions. At times one will get lulled into repetition, then when least expected something new just to let you know nothing can be taken for granted.

 

We did run into other cachers on the trail, ones who ingnored he lure of the shear numbers and were their to see what all the hub bub was all about, ones who were caching with reckless abandoned...literally! And, those who were willing to stop for a moment to find out who you are and share their experience thus far.

 

The only real problem I can think of is that this may be a maintenance nightmare without the help of the caching community as a whole. The majority of the containers have a rolled metal lip the makes removing the paper logs next to impossible without damaging the log paper. At first we used tweasers, but that was a surgical procedure, we later used a multi-tool plier with greater success. However, at this early point in the logs life we had noted many were already torn and even shreded. We always carry extra logs with us and found it necessary to leave a replacement in several of the caches. So, in a nut shell, if you go, take the proper tool to remove, log to conserve space, and replace with a fresh log if necessary. This will keep the need down for some poor sole from driving across the desert in the upcoming heat to replace a single log because someone posted a "Needs maintenace" log.

 

Gratitude to the NGA for bringing to life a formidable series that will be talked about for years to come. Such a monumental task is well appreciated for many aspects and perspectives it brings to those who choose to enjoy these caches.

 

On a final note, I invite those who like serial caching to check out the relatively new series of 60 caches placed on Gilman Rd on Lake Shasta by Kokopeli in Far Northern California. This series offers it ALL. Numbers, Variety, Unparalleled views, and Terrain/Difficulty that cover the spectrum from 1's to 4's. This is a MUST DO series.

 

Once we came down to the power tower where we saw Humboldt and Psychopedics, we were excited to meet another team having fun in the desert on the second of April. Personally, was elated to run into Psychopedics! We talked about another cacher from his area, Big Bear, who had come here before us. Still have family ties to Psychopedics area so it's a small geocaching world. Thanks for the Gilman Rd point out too in this thread. Worked one summer at Lakeview Resort where our family kept our boat, so know that area well.

Edited by Team Geo-Rangers
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~snip~

On a final note, I invite those who like serial caching to check out the relatively new series of 60 caches placed on Gilman Rd on Lake Shasta by Kokopeli in Far Northern California. This series offers it ALL. Numbers, Variety, Unparalleled views, and Terrain/Difficulty that cover the spectrum from 1's to 4's. This is a MUST DO series.

 

Once we came down to the power tower where we saw Humboldt and Psychopedics, we were excited to meet another team having fun in the desert on the second of April. Personally, was elated to run into Psychopedics! We talked about another cacher from his area, Big Bear, who had come here before us. Still have family ties to Psychopedics area so it's a small geocaching world. Thanks for the Gilman Rd point out too in this thread. Worked one summer at Lakeview Resort where our family kept our boat, so know that area well.

Kinda sorry I missed making it to the ToTG series. Was looking forward to trying it out with a few other cachers this fall.

 

Psychopedics is right about the Shasta Lake/Gilman Road series. Very fun, and it has a little of something for everyone.... Here's a link for anyone interested: GC247WN

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