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E.T. Highway Power Trail

knowschad

By knowschad
in General geocaching topics

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Castle Mischief

+Castle Mischief

Posted
Posted

I have no problems with power trails, but antics like this is what will eventually get them banned.

 

Publishing them with permission issues and possible business promotions on the cache page is what will get them archived but I don't think it will get them banned. I think we've moved past the point of making the power-trail wind blow a different direction through the Groundspeak offices.

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humboldt flier

+humboldt flier

Posted
Posted (edited)

Many excellent points this morning:

 

Sanctioned power trails, codification of rules / guidelines. Overseen by a subset sanctioning / sponsoring body or moderators who have interest and experience in this particular aspect of the activity.

 

Power trails of varying degrees of T/D complexity; also a good concept. ( a Marina Del Rey, California cacher is engaging in some preliminary work with this concept )

 

These suggestions have merit and might go a long way to tidying up the power trail issues.

 

Those charmers who simply throw the cache container out the window need a reality check ... they are littering. It seems to me that littering flies in the face of certain geocaching precepts.

Edited by humboldt flier
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Team Cotati

+Team Cotati

Posted
Posted

 

3) On the ET PT, some geocachers used multiple vehicles and leap frogged, pooling their finds, even thought they did not stop and visit each one. If they obtained prior approval, more power to them, especially if doing cache maintenance for the hosts. However, should this count as a record? Just as beta testers do not claim an FTF, cache maintenance warrants a caveat if a record is claimed.

 

 

That's just plain wrong, whether the group is trying to claim a record, or not. How can you claim a find on a cache that you didn't even slow down for. Heck I found 102 of them on the day after they were publish. I passed the other 900 at 70MPH. Do I get to log them? Can I offer to print VK's stickers for him and add a "DJ" to them? This way my name is on the log and I can "Find" them from the comfort of my home.

 

I have no problems with power trails, but antics like this is what will eventually get them banned.

 

People who are silly enough to make it so obvious as to exactly the methods that they employed to set these new records ought to have every one of the 'finds' deleted.

 

If you are going to blab, don't do power trails. I say this because as everyone knows, there are no records and there are no rules, ergo it really doesn't matter. Just please do not make it so freaking obvious that you have sunk so low in the history of power trail misuse. I mean why do it?

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snow_rules

+snow_rules

Posted
Posted

http://coord.info/GC23Z3G Was always missing, somehow the log book showed up in another cache, but even prior to that this thing accumulated 26 logs, when it wasn't there.

 

So yes, people do "blanket log" the area.

Wait a minute... are you saying that MOGA put out a bogus cache ("Was always missing")? And that one of the directors that "helped to hide this cache" also logged it? Surely I'm misunderstanding you!

Oh, no, not at all.

 

I'm commenting on the fact that people will blanket log an area, even when a cache is clearly missing.

 

I don't know what happened with these two caches, but the very first logs confirm that they are indeed missing (All of the caches named after space vehicles were very easy, just shy of a p&g, obvious from the road where they were most likely hidden, and all found with almost no real searching needed). I do not, nor have I ever believed that the MOGA team intentionally didn't place, or that they retrieved these two, or did anything to make them tricky. Most likely scenario is that something happened between the time they were placed, and the time they were published (a difference of up to a couple of months for these caches), possibly that they were visible just too visible from the road, and a non-geocacher got curious.

 

I think this cache was part of the competition caches so you were able to claim it if you were in the competition but otherwise it was a DNF or missing. The missing caches have been archived while all the other caches are still active.

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knowschad

knowschad

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hey maybe some new icons as well> tongue in cheek

 

You could have the traditional cache icon repeating itself seemingly on to infinity. Or a power pole. But I really don't view repetitive trails as "power caching" so I would go with the first!

I've got a suggestion!

BICEP.GIF

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Team Cotati

+Team Cotati

Posted
Posted

Saw this really great online log for the power trail from 'Just Hike':

 

"This was an incredible weekend with some incredible numbers! 1050 caches in 30 hours! I really never thought I'd have a weekend like this. I made the trip with AZTech and Skraeling to complete this and the other 1049 caches. You couldn't have asked for better weather either. Thanks to Clay4 and whtwolfden for their generosity in placing all the caches for us fellow cachers to find. Thanks to the other cache owners too for placing caches for us to find. For some pictures of our trip, please refer to E.T. 001 for them. Thanks for the fun!"

 

Perfect.

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Mr.Yuck

Mr.Yuck

Posted
Posted

Saw this really great online log for the power trail from 'Just Hike':

 

"This was an incredible weekend with some incredible numbers! 1050 caches in 30 hours! I really never thought I'd have a weekend like this. I made the trip with AZTech and Skraeling to complete this and the other 1049 caches. You couldn't have asked for better weather either. Thanks to Clay4 and whtwolfden for their generosity in placing all the caches for us fellow cachers to find. Thanks to the other cache owners too for placing caches for us to find. For some pictures of our trip, please refer to E.T. 001 for them. Thanks for the fun!"

 

Perfect.

 

Yeah, it's pretty good. It is indeed cut and paste, but I suppose there's nothing you can do. Speaking as someone who did only 41 bike trail caches with cut and paste cache pages, it's impossible to remember every single one. Believe me, I tried to. I did fudge unique logs for the 7 or 8 I couldn't positively identify. :)

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Team Cotati

+Team Cotati

Posted
Posted

Saw this really great online log for the power trail from 'Just Hike':

 

"This was an incredible weekend with some incredible numbers! 1050 caches in 30 hours! I really never thought I'd have a weekend like this. I made the trip with AZTech and Skraeling to complete this and the other 1049 caches. You couldn't have asked for better weather either. Thanks to Clay4 and whtwolfden for their generosity in placing all the caches for us fellow cachers to find. Thanks to the other cache owners too for placing caches for us to find. For some pictures of our trip, please refer to E.T. 001 for them. Thanks for the fun!"

 

Perfect.

 

Yeah, it's pretty good. It is indeed cut and paste, but I suppose there's nothing you can do. Speaking as someone who did only 41 bike trail caches with cut and paste cache pages, it's impossible to remember every single one. Believe me, I tried to. I did fudge unique logs for the 7 or 8 I couldn't positively identify. :)

 

How about we start a collection and see if we can get a contract?

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geodarts

+geodarts

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hey maybe some new icons as well> tongue in cheek

 

You could have the traditional cache icon repeating itself seemingly on to infinity. Or a power pole. But I really don't view repetitive trails as "power caching" so I would go with the first!

I've got a suggestion!

BICEP.GIF

 

It reminds me of some of the avatars on this thread, But in thinking about it, perhaps a separate icon for repetitive trails is not a bad idea -- somehow, driving up to a cache, taking twenty four seconds to find it, sign the log, and return it, and then going on to the next one seems like it should be separated from other types of caching. It would be a win-win situation. People who like doing that could keep track of their numbers for those kind of trails and people who do not like them could know that they are being put in a separate category.

 

Speaking as someone who did only 41 bike trail caches with cut and paste cache pages, it's impossible to remember every single one. Believe me, I tried to. I did fudge unique logs for the 7 or 8 I couldn't positively identify.

 

I wrote around 150 unique logs for the portion of the ET trail that we did, before moving on to do other things at the Valley of Fire. But most of my logs were just stream of consciousness or fun facts about Area 51, Bob Lazar, and the like. And a few pictures of strange things in the sky along the way. My wife started to get mad at me because it was taking me a lot longer to log the caches online than it did to do the trail. And it seemed rather pointless because no one who is cut and pasting will read any of the other logs. But it made me happy. Although if we had done any more, I would have run out of ideas.

Edited by mulvaney
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Don_J

+Don_J

Posted
Posted

Saw this really great online log for the power trail from 'Just Hike':

 

"This was an incredible weekend with some incredible numbers! 1050 caches in 30 hours! I really never thought I'd have a weekend like this. I made the trip with AZTech and Skraeling to complete this and the other 1049 caches. You couldn't have asked for better weather either. Thanks to Clay4 and whtwolfden for their generosity in placing all the caches for us fellow cachers to find. Thanks to the other cache owners too for placing caches for us to find. For some pictures of our trip, please refer to E.T. 001 for them. Thanks for the fun!"

 

Perfect.

 

Unfortunately, that same log was put on caches that had nothing to do with the power trail, and were not placed by the people they are thanking.

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roziecakes

+roziecakes

Posted
Posted

Well... We're leaving this morning to go try out that ET Power trail. Meeting humboldt flier and Patsu in Redding, and we're a go! We may hate it, we may love it... it may be the worst thing we've ever done caching, and it may be an amazing adventure with caching friends; but we'll be finding out shortly!

 

Have a great week everyone :blink:

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NYPaddleCacher

+NYPaddleCacher

Posted
Posted

Well... We're leaving this morning to go try out that ET Power trail. Meeting humboldt flier and Patsu in Redding, and we're a go! We may hate it, we may love it... it may be the worst thing we've ever done caching, and it may be an amazing adventure with caching friends; but we'll be finding out shortly!

 

Have a great week everyone :blink:

 

Coincidentally, I'm just a few miles south of Redding, in Red Bluff. I saw a billboard on the way up from Sacramento for the GPS Adventure Maze in Redding and we might go up and visit it today. I have no intention on doing the ET trail though.

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NYPaddleCacher

+NYPaddleCacher

Posted
Posted

Hey NYPC welcome to the Northstate.

 

Enjoy the GPS adventure maze.

 

Team Orca is converging on Redding and we will be departing for the ET Trail ~ 0640 hours tomorrow 07/21/10.

 

Rattle our chains ... it would be nice to meet you and press some flesh.

 

Thanks. I was actually born in NorCal (Ft. Bragg) and am visiting my father here in Red Bluff. I did the adventure maze in Rochester, NY last year so if we don't get up there today, it's no big deal. We've got some other plans for this morning (my father is going to take my son for a ride in his airplane) but may do a little geocaching in the afternoon, though if it's 106 degrees like yesterday I don't think we'll do much of it.

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humboldt flier

+humboldt flier

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hey NYPC,

 

Fort Bragg!!!!!!!!!!

 

It are a small world. Spent much time in Fort Bragg but even more riding the Skunk out to BSA Camp Noyo. Saw my son grow from a timid little boy to a man, in part, through leadership programs offered at Camp Noyo.

 

It was 101* in " Fogg Bragg " yesterday.

 

Ahhhhhhhhh yes, the Red Bluff airport. I spent much time @ RBL when there was an F.A.A. Flight Service Station located on the field. Hope you and yours have safe flights. ( density altitude will be a pig to-day ) Fly safe and keep the blue side up.

Edited by humboldt flier
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jholly

jholly

Posted
Posted (edited)

What are the temps expected to be out on the E.T. trail when you get there? I see Las Vegas with a high of 110 tomorrow.

 

they will be plus or minus, probably ah, er, quite warm. :blink:

 

Hey, where is the eye patch and scarf thingy?

Edited by jholly
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humboldt flier

+humboldt flier

Posted
Posted (edited)

Progs. seem to be somewhat accurate.

 

Although it seems that the oven will not be set as low as predicted. ( drats ) While the temperatures are likely to be very tall 80's to lower 90's rather than low 80's which had been teasers. The humidity will be in the 4 - 6 % range. A body could dry out and overheat in a big time hurry.

 

Got to love the adiabatic issues related to temp. and altitude.

 

We are going to have the benefit of a moon cresting toward full sooooooooo we could be out past curfew to take advantage of the lower night time temps in the 58 - 62 range.

Edited by humboldt flier
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roziecakes

+roziecakes

Posted
Posted (edited)

Well... We're leaving this morning to go try out that ET Power trail. Meeting humboldt flier and Patsu in Redding, and we're a go! We may hate it, we may love it... it may be the worst thing we've ever done caching, and it may be an amazing adventure with caching friends; but we'll be finding out shortly!

 

Have a great week everyone :)

 

Coincidentally, I'm just a few miles south of Redding, in Red Bluff. I saw a billboard on the way up from Sacramento for the GPS Adventure Maze in Redding and we might go up and visit it today. I have no intention on doing the ET trail though.

 

We went to the Adventures maze in Redding in May. It's pretty fun. We recommend visiting the rest of the park too. They're doing a lot of nice things there.

 

Hey NYPC welcome to the Northstate.

 

Enjoy the GPS adventure maze.

 

Team Orca is converging on Redding and we will be departing for the ET Trail ~ 0640 hours tomorrow 07/21/10.

 

Rattle our chains ... it would be nice to meet you and press some flesh.

 

Thanks. I was actually born in NorCal (Ft. Bragg) and am visiting my father here in Red Bluff. I did the adventure maze in Rochester, NY last year so if we don't get up there today, it's no big deal. We've got some other plans for this morning (my father is going to take my son for a ride in his airplane) but may do a little geocaching in the afternoon, though if it's 106 degrees like yesterday I don't think we'll do much of it.

 

No way Fort Bragg?! I'm from Ukiah (so is J the Goat), but I haven't lived there in over 12 years.

 

As for temperatures: looks like low to mid 90s for Rachel and high 80s to low 90s for Tonopah.

Edited by nymphnsatyr
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Don_J

+Don_J

Posted
Posted

Progs. for Tonopah, Nv. which are a little more representative of conditions in the area of the ET Trail are teasing with middle 80's after we depart the area ... ( of course ).

 

Looking at the interactive weather service maps, the closer you get to the caches, the hotter it gets. The ET Hwy will probably be 95-100. If you are going to walk the alien head, I suggest you do it in the morning while it is bearable. There are no trees and no shade.

 

Also, I don't know what route are taking, but if you are taking US95 from Fallon, south toward Hawthorne NV, just before you get there, there is the abandoned military barracks town of Babbitt. All of the buildings are gone but the streets and the foundations are all still there, laid out in perfect grids. There is also a hand full of caches. It makes a good diversion and lets you stretch your legs. Look for "Babbitt", GCM97A.

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Team Cotati

+Team Cotati

Posted
Posted

What are the temps expected to be out on the E.T. trail when you get there? I see Las Vegas with a high of 110 tomorrow.

 

they will be plus or minus, probably ah, er, quite warm. :)

 

Hey, where is the eye patch and scarf thingy?

 

The Embarrassment Factor must have finally kicked in.

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jholly

jholly

Posted
Posted

What are the temps expected to be out on the E.T. trail when you get there? I see Las Vegas with a high of 110 tomorrow.

 

they will be plus or minus, probably ah, er, quite warm. :)

 

Hey, where is the eye patch and scarf thingy?

 

The Embarrassment Factor must have finally kicked in.

 

I'm glad someone has an Embarrassment Factor.

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roziecakes

+roziecakes

Posted
Posted

 

Also, I don't know what route are taking, but if you are taking US95 from Fallon, south toward Hawthorne NV, just before you get there, there is the abandoned military barracks town of Babbitt. All of the buildings are gone but the streets and the foundations are all still there, laid out in perfect grids. There is also a hand full of caches. It makes a good diversion and lets you stretch your legs. Look for "Babbitt", GCM97A.

 

Thank you for the suggestion! I will add that cache to the list :)

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NYPaddleCacher

+NYPaddleCacher

Posted
Posted

Well... We're leaving this morning to go try out that ET Power trail. Meeting humboldt flier and Patsu in Redding, and we're a go! We may hate it, we may love it... it may be the worst thing we've ever done caching, and it may be an amazing adventure with caching friends; but we'll be finding out shortly!

 

Have a great week everyone :)

 

Coincidentally, I'm just a few miles south of Redding, in Red Bluff. I saw a billboard on the way up from Sacramento for the GPS Adventure Maze in Redding and we might go up and visit it today. I have no intention on doing the ET trail though.

 

We went to the Adventures maze in Redding in May. It's pretty fun. We recommend visiting the rest of the park too. They're doing a lot of nice things there.

 

Hey NYPC welcome to the Northstate.

 

Enjoy the GPS adventure maze.

 

Team Orca is converging on Redding and we will be departing for the ET Trail ~ 0640 hours tomorrow 07/21/10.

 

Rattle our chains ... it would be nice to meet you and press some flesh.

 

Thanks. I was actually born in NorCal (Ft. Bragg) and am visiting my father here in Red Bluff. I did the adventure maze in Rochester, NY last year so if we don't get up there today, it's no big deal. We've got some other plans for this morning (my father is going to take my son for a ride in his airplane) but may do a little geocaching in the afternoon, though if it's 106 degrees like yesterday I don't think we'll do much of it.

 

No way Fort Bragg?! I'm from Ukiah (so is J the Goat), but I haven't lived there in over 12 years.

 

As for temperatures: looks like low to mid 90s for Rachel and high 80s to low 90s for Tonopah.

 

I haven't lived in Ft. Bragg since I was about 4 years old but visited fairly often before moving east and my grandfather passing away (at the age of 101) a few years ago. I still haven't had the chance to geocache there though. I only stopped to find a couple of caches today but both were in nice spots. Good luck on the trail tomorrow.

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vagabond

vagabond

Posted
Posted

What are the temps expected to be out on the E.T. trail when you get there? I see Las Vegas with a high of 110 tomorrow.

 

they will be plus or minus, probably ah, er, quite warm. :(

 

Hey, where is the eye patch and scarf thingy?

 

The Embarrassment Factor must have finally kicked in.

 

I'm glad someone has an Embarrassment Factor.

 

Thanks now I'm cleaning coffee off my keyboard :)

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humboldt flier

+humboldt flier

Posted
Posted (edited)

Team Orca departed Redding Cal. ~0700 hours and headed toward The E.T. Highway via Sacramento, Reno, Fernley, Falon, Tonopah.

 

Rolled into Tonopah ~1140. No women and children in sight!!!!!!! Hmmmmmm they must have been warned that we would be in town.

 

Visited a blend of caches from Physical to Virtual to Earth; batted 1,000 for the journey so far. ( 24/24 )

 

Stops included Rieff's Gas Station in Woodland. The cache owner was home and we got an enhanced tour. Also visited the Donner Memorial.

 

Hwy 375 ( The E.T. Highway ) is but 45 minutes away.

Edited by humboldt flier
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geodarts

+geodarts

Posted
Posted (edited)

What are the temps expected to be out on the E.T. trail when you get there? I see Las Vegas with a high of 110 tomorrow.

 

The temperatures in Vegas were around that when we hit the E.T. trail, but the trail is at a higher elevation so that helps. My noncaching spouse timed me with an average somewhere around 24 seconds to get out of the car and sign the log -- although there were some that were fifty feet away and others that required fiddling with the log. Still, getting in and out of the car can take a certain toll when the sun is bright and it is hot. She kept reminding me to drink water between stops and kept me going longer than I might have if there was only the boredom of the repetitions. She set the number for our goal, but by lunch time, I was glad to take a break at the Inn and head on over to the Valley of Fire for some "wow factor" earthcaches and a visit to the Old Spanish Trail. Of course Rachel also has the non-ET KFC caches and the "black mailbox" along the highway is a "must see" (there is even a non-ET cache at the location).

 

It probably would be easier (for a number of reasons) if you split the actual duties with other cachers in a group. Repetitive caching is never going to be that interesting for me, but I could see returning to the highway as part of a group road trip (like Humboldt Flier is doing) just for a certain amount of adventure with other cachers -- and if I lived in the area, I would want to see how many I could get on my bike, after the temperatures drop. The road is a little narrow so you would have to be careful on a bike.

 

A couple of days later, we did a few caches in Death Valley with temperatures of 122 at Badwater. About a half mile walk was my limit there. And then we did One Giant Step at Toroweap. If you go out that way for the ETs, Toroweap is a once-in-a-lifetime type of experience, something to put on your bucket list, so think about taking an extra day. The road to Toroweap eats the tires of passenger cars and towing is rather expensive, so we took the Pink Jeep trip from Vegas and had both the tour and the location to ourselves. Since we were without a 4WD or high clearance car, the cost of the tour was a bargain for what we got. 60 miles from anywhere. A 3000 foot drop from the rim of the Grand Canyon straight down to the Colorado River. An extra cache or two along the way, a drive through the Virgin River Gorge (earthcache), a quick stop at the Merry Wives cafe in Colorado City. You won't regret it. That single virtual meant more to me than what we did on the ET trail - if I had to choose I would keep on driving past the highway. But in any event, you will be ever so close, at least compared to where we live . . . .

Edited by mulvaney
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humboldt flier

+humboldt flier

Posted
Posted (edited)

Started in Tonopah where we saw a stealth fighter in action. Continued to the east end of the trail stopped near the Red Flag Cache and chatted with some folks out to spot aircraft. Their rig was geared up with multiple GPS's equipment. Continued easterly where did a number of caches in Ash Springs, Alamo, Hiko. Started the trail ~ 1300 hours, quit about 20 miles east of Rachel and headed in to scarf up on an Alien Burger. Enjoyed the air conditioning and closed the place down @ 2100. Headed out the door to begin the Alien Head Series. Started at 2200 wrapped it up at 0230. ( 51 caches at the requisite xxx feet apart on foot )

Edited by humboldt flier
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humboldt flier

+humboldt flier

Posted
Posted

The weather guru's were off base. The cooling trend did not visit the trail. 96 - 104 at various points. In the vicinity of Groom Lake road the ambient temp. indicator of Patsu's Chevy pick-em up truck read 116. We were facing the sun and I suspect that some of that tall temp. might have been related to reflected solar energy and the radiant heat from the engine.

 

The trail has kicked my can.

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humboldt flier

+humboldt flier

Posted
Posted (edited)

One of our team received an eMail notification of a schedule change and the climbing temperatures saw us leave the trail early.

 

Temps in the 104 - 112 range on our second day on the trail. Long up grade pulls had the 4 wheeled beast screaming for temperature relief. The big old Chevy Vortex engine with an enhanced cooling system could not do it alone ... it was necessary to run the heater to get the engine coolant temperatures down.

 

Got to love running a heater when the temp is in triple digits

 

Operation Red Flag was underway and we were treated to a " low pass " by a kerosene burner, he came in low from the south east at about 200 feet off the deck - rocked his wings, rolled left then right and scooted over the ridge to the north.

 

Yowzzzzzzzer,

 

Met a father and son team of cachers in from Colorado and Idaho wound up giving them the balance of our fuel reserve Sat. A.M. so they could continue working the trail without having to make an 80 mile run to Tonopah for fuel.

 

Mother nature sure beat us up.

Edited by humboldt flier
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roziecakes

+roziecakes

Posted
Posted

So now that I'm back from the trail, here's my opinion on it and power trails in general.

 

I had WAY more fun than I thought I would, and so did my husband. The experience was an exercise in personal endurance, patience and teamwork; all in all a caching experience like I have never had. The local culture / history / strangeness really made for a wild time.

 

I'm not even entirely sure how to describe the feeling except that it was VERY different than how I normally cache. I thought it was going to be easy and mindless... but it was HARD work. We had to coordinate who was driving, who was jumping out, who was signing, and who was writing notes and keeping track of interesting things. We swapped out a lot, we drank a lot of water. We didn't finish it... and that's okay.

 

Really, for me, I think it was the experience of being in that immense desert, beautiful in a way yet barren, stark and intimidating... talking to the locals, the people who live there and how they cope with and enjoy life was fascinating.

 

The only real thing that bothered me was it looked like people were driving on the shoulder of the road (and sometimes further off of the road than that) to grab the caches more quickly. I know it's the desert, but it's important to someone, and it does destroy the ecosystem if people continually drive where they shouldn't.

 

My favorite part of the whole excursion was hiking the Head Alien series (51 caches arranged so that they form an alien head if you look on Google Maps). I think we must have walked about 10 miles to complete that. It was extremely difficult for me, but after completing that totally on foot at night... it was a real sense of accomplishment. It's probably one of my favorite caching experiences that I've ever had really).

 

My opinion now of power trails in general is this: they aren't for everyone, but as long as folks have permission to place the caches and people obey the local laws and cache respectfully they can really be a fun yet very unique experience, and I don't have a problem with them at all. In fact, it was pretty darn fun!

 

Thanks for reading :unsure:

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