Trail of the Gods Mega Event

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Here's something that I think would be an awesome Mega Event. Have a convention in Primm, NV with one of the related activities being a competition on the Trail of the Gods. Of course there would have to be specific rules set for the competitors, and maybe staggered starting times. Rather than measuring how many can be found in 24 hours the contest could be measured as the time for each team to find 500. There could even be smaller cattegories for teams that wanted to take a smaller bite(like 100, 250, etc) there could be rest/food/latrine stops designated along the way manned by volunteers, as well as support available like EMTs and such.

 

Like the Pike's Peak race is run, people registered with faster styles of vehicles could go at the starting slots, so you don't get dirtbikes and ATVs trying to pass a line of SUVs

 

I'd love to hear peoples ideas on how this could be made to work.

Edited April 4, 2010 by WRITE SHOP ROBERT

[+Taoiseach]

Can I log a 'Won't Attend' right now?

 

Actually, that's not true. I might go (if I lived closer), but I'd only really care about the virtuals, multis and the like in the area.

Edited April 4, 2010 by Taoiseach

[+narcissa]

It's a flagrant violation of the guidelines.

 

"...an event cache should not be set up for the sole purpose of drawing together cachers for an organized hunt of another cache or caches. Such group hunts are best organized using the forums or an email distribution list."

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Well, that's easy...you have the mega event seperately, and ONE of the activities related to the event is the race. That would be no different that a Cache Bus, or Cache Machine.

Edited April 4, 2010 by WRITE SHOP ROBERT

[+narcissa]

Meh.

 

Guideline violations aside, making it a competition seems lame.

 

Having a Mega in that area? Cool.

 

Perhaps organizing something to do with the power trail as one aspect of the larger event (as long as it is in keeping with the guidelines)? Possibly okay, though theoretically I can find the same geocache 500 times in a day without going anywhere so it doesn't sound very enticing.

 

Race? Bleh. No matter how hard you try to stagger people or whatever, with hundreds of people RACING for the same caches, it's going to end up being a clusterf***.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

it's going to end up being...

Whatever mess insued would be half the fun!! So maybe making it a race isn't the best idea. There could be a smaller race for a set number of teams on one day, and then have other days where it was more casual.

[+modnar24]

There isn't much of a passing lane on this road. A lot of the caches require 5-9 point turns to navigate away from them. You figure 500 people and 4 people per car. 125 cars out here would create a dirt road traffic jam. I think there's not an easy way to caravan this trip with two or three cars. Travel times are gonna vary by group and by area of the road. You'd have to stagger cars by at least 20 minutes. I just don't see this logistically working out. It would be cool if someone could figure it out and I may even attend the event. Sounds like an event organizers nightmare though.

 

M24

[+ventura_kids]

I think you should shake up all the caches in a bowl, and then make random draws to set the order.

Can you imagine a hundred cachers criss crossing the mountain roads in the dark?

ok...just kidding.

[+joespaz]

I'd be willing to be a volunteer at one of the water stations on one of the days.

[+narcissa]

Fighting through a cluster of people to sign the log on an unoriginal cache I didn't actually find because the last person hadn't put it away yet... times 500. Yeah, sounds awesome.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Considering the terrain, maybe a smaller actual Race, with the teams staggered by 30-60 minutes? It would take some experienced race organizers to figure out all the details. Considering that not very many teams would be interested or capable of the 24 hour run, they could be spread a little further.

[+joespaz]

I think you should shake up all the caches in a bowl, and then make random draws to set the order.

Can you imagine a hundred cachers criss crossing the mountain roads in the dark?

ok...just kidding.

 

WARNING: If you plan to hike the route on foot over the 4 days, make sure you sleep UNDER one of the power poles each night.

 

p.s. Sorry about the cancer you get 1 year later.

[+brslk]

it's going to end up being...

Whatever mess insued would be half the fun!! So maybe making it a race isn't the best idea. There could be a smaller race for a set number of teams on one day, and then have other days where it was more casual.

 

Or maybe get a big 11 passenger 4x4 van and see how fast it can be done in 24 hours? A roof rack could easily hold several gas cans for refueling. 1 person to drive, 2 people to navigate, prep the cachers refuel the van, hand out water, snacks and 2 shifts of 4 people to find and place a sticker on the log books?

 

Honestly, This is not a slight to VK and friends but actually following in their spirit... heck.. they would be good as some of the 11!

 

I'd consider being up for that.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Fighting through a cluster of people to sign the log on an unoriginal cache I didn't actually find because the last person hadn't put it away yet... times 500. Yeah, sounds awesome.

Just hand one of them your sticker to slap in the book, and make dust in their face. That's the passing lane baby.

[+joespaz]

it's going to end up being...

Whatever mess insued would be half the fun!! So maybe making it a race isn't the best idea. There could be a smaller race for a set number of teams on one day, and then have other days where it was more casual.

 

Or maybe get a big 11 passenger 4x4 van and see how fast it can be done in 24 hours? A roof rack could easily hold several gas cans for refueling. 1 person to drive, 2 people to navigate, prep the cachers refuel the van, hand out water, snacks and 2 shifts of 4 people to find and place a sticker on the log books?

 

Honestly, This is not a slight to VK and friends but actually following in their spirit... heck.. they would be good as some of the 11!

 

I'd consider being up for that.

 

Is this route BIG RIG friendly? Maybe I could use my church bus, all the windows double as exits!

[+narcissa]

 

Just hand one of them your sticker to slap in the book, and make dust in their face. That's the passing lane baby.

 

That sounds absolutely hideous.

[+Are_we_there_yet?]

Didn't 1 of the crew that just did the trail get injured? What happens if during this race someone gets severely injured??? It sounded as if there wasn't much room for 1 vehicle down that trail the way it is. It would be an absolute nightmare trying to get someone that needs immediate medical attention out if they have to try and go around 30-40 other vehicles.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Didn't 1 of the crew that just did the trail get injured? What happens if during this race someone gets severely injured??? It sounded as if there wasn't much room for 1 vehicle down that trail the way it is. It would be an absolute nightmare trying to get someone that needs immediate medical attention out if they have to try and go around 30-40 other vehicles.

 

there could be rest/food/latrine stops designated along the way manned by volunteers, as well as support available like EMTs and such.

[+ShowStop]

I think you'll have a hard time getting 500 people to show up for the event. Seriously.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Well, that's easy...you have the mega event seperately, and ONE of the activities related to the event is the race. That would be no different that a Cache Bus, or Cache Machine.

 

If there is a race, make it something like a race to see who can find 100 (or 50, 200) caches the fastest. That way it's not about how many smilies one can pile up, but how fast one can find caches. I know, it sounds like a subtle difference, but it would seem more like a game to me rather than going to an event as an excuse to significantly increase ones find count.

[+bthomas]

Not out caching this week, so I keep coming back to these ToTG threads. Like watching a trainwreck maybe, but hey the Mojave has good trainspotting too with BNSF and UP.

 

Suggest just posting an event rather than asking in forums. Primm casinos are inexpensive and sorta fun, and even have a stateline outlet mall. There's earthcaches on several dry lakes. And of course, less than an hour away are the day hikes at Red Rock, Hoover Dam, and The Strip. Showstop is correct, 500 cachers won't be prepared for a desert run, if that's what is meant by mega.

 

San Bernadino County recently rescended a paid permit requirement for multiple vehicle recreation. Isolated landowners wanted some potential oversight of reck-creators, but open desert access continues for the county. TotG is an area empty of habitation. Dunno the exact BLM rules that apply here, but believe it is open desert access. This area used to be the Barstow to Vegas motorcycle race, much of it off-road, not on TotG.

 

Bus run, hey Charles Manson got a hippie bus into Goler Wash and Barker Ranch, but we know how that end up. A Subaru could do half the run, but remember 2-ply tires are at risk for shreading. I suggest bringing an air compressor or bicycle floor pump, and slime or the augered tire repair wicks.

 

The fastest group will be single vehicle. A standard jeep run may have 2 to 6 vehicles, to keep impact low and dust down. This is a number found with the great SoCal4x4geocachers runs, but some of their runs get up to a dozen rigs, and ShowStop will probably agree, that gets to be much. The tailgunner is a long walk to each geocache with that number. The back vehicle will need to have cabin vents closed; consider running into the wind (westbound, as previously described). Otherwise, carry a spare air filter in case the oxygen sensor/ check engine light comes on.

 

My friend and Delorme mate, Motorbug, hasn't had a 100 cache day, and I've told him this is the place to get 100. It's better than urban caching, and he loves the desert too. Ckayaks & DuckyLee were a 2-crew, and they had a 200 day. My crew with mjp303 & geoides was a 3-crew, and first week runners, we had a 400 day. Of course, the VK crew was a 3.6 crew and they had a mid-500 day. Lil Devil was out as a solo, and we'll see what happened with him.

 

Rate caching? Yes, this is all about rate. Sure you could expense a trip and cache just one hour, but a lot of cachers that start will continue and stack 24 hours. Padding the personal find count? Yup, happens as a matter of course. Those VK's increased their lifetime total by 2.5% !!

 

Think many people will do TotG and Fears as a 2-day, with overnight at Primm. Just exit halfway at paved Excelsior Mine Rd, and interstate back to Primm for lodging.

 

Weather cautions: triple digit temps are just around the corner. Baker temp will be similar to Vegas temp; up at 5000 feet it will be 10-15 degrees cooler. Wind. The other thing that probably stopped us in the 23rd hour was wind at 5000 feet. Lil Devil was just out there and reported wind was effecting his caching; some first week cachers reported they bailed because of wind. The wind is bone dry and has an edge, and chapstick can't keep up.

[+Team Cotati]

I think you should shake up all the caches in a bowl, and then make random draws to set the order.

Can you imagine a hundred cachers criss crossing the mountain roads in the dark?

ok...just kidding.

 

How large of a bowl do you think it would take to hold all of those caches?

[+Team Cotati]

Is there a bookmark list for Trail of the Gods? If so,where?

[+Caped Crusader]

Here's a bookmark that looks like it has most of them. bookmark

[+CKayaks]

Is there a bookmark list for Trail of the Gods? If so,where?

 

Road to the White House

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...b7-b65079e02ab2

 

Trail of Fears

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...af-9321d3f32a6d

 

Trail of the Gods Part 1 - Letters A to I

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...e0-1b02718c2d39

 

Trail of the Gods Part 2 - Letters J to Z

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...ac-e75f7c71887c

[+Vater_Araignee]

Have it strictly a foot race and allow the usage of airsoft guns to slow down opponents and chase them off a cache so you don't have to wait to sign.

[+Team Cotati]

Is there a bookmark list for Trail of the Gods? If so,where?

 

Road to the White House

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...b7-b65079e02ab2

 

Trail of Fears

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...af-9321d3f32a6d

 

Trail of the Gods Part 1 - Letters A to I

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...e0-1b02718c2d39

 

Trail of the Gods Part 2 - Letters J to Z

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...ac-e75f7c71887c

 

Thank you.

[+karstic]

it's going to end up being a clusterf***.

 

It already is.

[+karstic]

Have it strictly a foot race and allow the usage of airsoft guns to slow down opponents and chase them off a cache so you don't have to wait to sign.

 

Airsoft? Go full out with paintball.

[+humboldt flier]

Have it strictly a foot race and allow the usage of airsoft guns to slow down opponents and chase them off a cache so you don't have to wait to sign.

 

Airsoft? Go full out with paintball.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm, A road rally start from Jean, Nevada with an obligatory parachute jump at the Para site along I - 15 between Jean and Primm with two laps around the off-road track behind Buffalo Bills. An Evel Kneivel jump across I - 15 to a landing ramp just east of Whiskey Pete's Casino leading to the trail to Ku. Hmmmm

Edited April 5, 2010 by humboldt flier

[+ShowStop]

Not out caching this week, so I keep coming back to these ToTG threads. Like watching a trainwreck maybe, but hey the Mojave has good trainspotting too with BNSF and UP.

 

Suggest just posting an event rather than asking in forums. Primm casinos are inexpensive and sorta fun, and even have a stateline outlet mall. There's earthcaches on several dry lakes. And of course, less than an hour away are the day hikes at Red Rock, Hoover Dam, and The Strip. Showstop is correct, 500 cachers won't be prepared for a desert run, if that's what is meant by mega.

 

San Bernadino County recently rescended a paid permit requirement for multiple vehicle recreation. Isolated landowners wanted some potential oversight of reck-creators, but open desert access continues for the county. TotG is an area empty of habitation. Dunno the exact BLM rules that apply here, but believe it is open desert access. This area used to be the Barstow to Vegas motorcycle race, much of it off-road, not on TotG.

 

Bus run, hey Charles Manson got a hippie bus into Goler Wash and Barker Ranch, but we know how that end up. A Subaru could do half the run, but remember 2-ply tires are at risk for shreading. I suggest bringing an air compressor or bicycle floor pump, and slime or the augered tire repair wicks.

 

The fastest group will be single vehicle. A standard jeep run may have 2 to 6 vehicles, to keep impact low and dust down. This is a number found with the great SoCal4x4geocachers runs, but some of their runs get up to a dozen rigs, and ShowStop will probably agree, that gets to be much. The tailgunner is a long walk to each geocache with that number. The back vehicle will need to have cabin vents closed; consider running into the wind (westbound, as previously described). Otherwise, carry a spare air filter in case the oxygen sensor/ check engine light comes on.

 

My friend and Delorme mate, Motorbug, hasn't had a 100 cache day, and I've told him this is the place to get 100. It's better than urban caching, and he loves the desert too. Ckayaks & DuckyLee were a 2-crew, and they had a 200 day. My crew with mjp303 & geoides was a 3-crew, and first week runners, we had a 400 day. Of course, the VK crew was a 3.6 crew and they had a mid-500 day. Lil Devil was out as a solo, and we'll see what happened with him.

 

Rate caching? Yes, this is all about rate. Sure you could expense a trip and cache just one hour, but a lot of cachers that start will continue and stack 24 hours. Padding the personal find count? Yup, happens as a matter of course. Those VK's increased their lifetime total by 2.5% !!

 

Think many people will do TotG and Fears as a 2-day, with overnight at Primm. Just exit halfway at paved Excelsior Mine Rd, and interstate back to Primm for lodging.

 

Weather cautions: triple digit temps are just around the corner. Baker temp will be similar to Vegas temp; up at 5000 feet it will be 10-15 degrees cooler. Wind. The other thing that probably stopped us in the 23rd hour was wind at 5000 feet. Lil Devil was just out there and reported wind was effecting his caching; some first week cachers reported they bailed because of wind. The wind is bone dry and has an edge, and chapstick can't keep up.

Talk about being spot on as usual. Well said.

[+NGA]

750 people show up at a Mega Flash Mob. Each person takes one cache name off the list and then set out to log it with the team name.

[+modnar24]

750 people show up at a Mega Flash Mob. Each person takes one cache name off the list and then set out to log it with the team name.

 

Sounds like a great idea. Lets do it soon. I'm busy for the next couple of weeks though. Can we do it sometime around the 24th of April?

[+Gus]

OR...

There is still plenty of time for THIS EVENT to go Mega.

And with more travel space, flatter ground, and 1000 drive up caches (being placed now), there will be more room to roam and keep congestion from being a problem.

[+webscouter.]

I think you should line both sides of the road with cachers. At a pre determined time everyone near a cache picks it up, signs it and passes it to the next person to their right to sign. Every cache keeps getting passed on until everyone in line has signed it. When a cache reaches the end of the line it gets passed across the street and heads back the other way. Once the caches make a full circle back to their starting point everyone will have logged every cache. If everyone had a stamp you might even be able to log all the caches in 15 hours or so.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

The Trail Of The Gods is being archived as I type

[+Castle Mischief]

The Trail Of The Gods is being archived as I type

 

BEING ARCHIVED?!?!?! ZOMG!!!!!

[+modnar24]

We can still have an event. This just solves the problem of having an event with the purpose of looking for caches. There are plenty of other caches still in this area...

[jholly]

Fighting through a cluster of people to sign the log on an unoriginal cache I didn't actually find because the last person hadn't put it away yet... times 500. Yeah, sounds awesome.

Just hand one of them your sticker to slap in the book, and make dust in their face. That's the passing lane baby.

 

Better yet since most of them are micros and you don't want to fill up the logbooks causing a maintenance problem the first person to find them just signs WSRMECM and everyone else can just cruise on by while they log the cache.

 

WSRMECM - WRITE SHOP ROBERT Mega Event Cache Machine.

[+Are_we_there_yet?]

Perhaps make it a Mega-CITO event now to go out and pick up all the arcived caches!