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The oldest, coolest, and most dangerous geocache


komickaze

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There is a tree stump in front of the abandoned apartment building at 4028 E. Portland Street in Phoenix, AZ. Buried at the base of the stump under the root that points northeast (roughly) is a small metal box with a few things me and my friends put in there…25 years ago. We put it deep enough and close enough to the root that it would be difficult for someone to accidentally find unless the tree was pulled up. It's been cut down, but the stump and its roots remain, therefore the box remains. You'll have to dig deep. It took two 11 year olds and a 9 year old a few hours to dig the hole.

 

This box predates geocaching. At the time my friends and I called it just a time capsule. We said we would come and get it when we grew up, but I'm the only one who remembers even burying it (although I don't remember what's inside). None of us live in Phoenix anymore (except for one who I think is in prison) and I want the box retrieved.

 

This is one of the worst neighborhoods in the city. It was bad then and still is. If you decide to go looking for it, you might want to get the permission of the apartment complex management and have a police officer nearby. If you find it, let me know ASAP. And be careful digging. The box has been there for 25 years. Google my name and you'll find how to contact me.

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I'm hoping to find someone in AZ willing to do this. This has a lot of sentimental value to me. It's one of the few good memories I have from when I lived in this neighborhood. Whoever finds it can keep what's inside, but I want to see it again. Take video. Take pictures. It was my goal to have this dug up and found again and I'd like to see it.

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I'm hoping to find someone in AZ willing to do this. This has a lot of sentimental value to me. It's one of the few good memories I have from when I lived in this neighborhood. Whoever finds it can keep what's inside, but I want to see it again. Take video. Take pictures. It was my goal to have this dug up and found again and I'd like to see it.

 

I don't have time to post the picture here, perhaps someone else can. But if you type that address into Google, you can go right to street view, and there is indeed an abandoned duplex with a cut almost down tree stump in front of it.

 

The "bad neighborhood" doesn't look very much like the "bad neighborhoods" up here in the Northeastern U.S., but I'll take your word for it. :P The Duplex to the left actually looks pretty nicely kept and landscaped.

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I'm hoping to find someone in AZ willing to do this. This has a lot of sentimental value to me. It's one of the few good memories I have from when I lived in this neighborhood. Whoever finds it can keep what's inside, but I want to see it again. Take video. Take pictures. It was my goal to have this dug up and found again and I'd like to see it.

 

I don't have time to post the picture here, perhaps someone else can. But if you type that address into Google, you can go right to street view, and there is indeed an abandoned duplex with a cut almost down tree stump in front of it.

 

The "bad neighborhood" doesn't look very much like the "bad neighborhoods" up here in the Northeastern U.S., but I'll take your word for it. :P The Duplex to the left actually looks pretty nicely kept and landscaped.

I used to live at 4034, which is the building next to it, on the back alley side. We moved because my sister, who was 12 at the time, was accused of insulting another little girl who just happened to be related to a drug dealer and they put a brick through our window.

 

Like I said. It's a bad neighborhood.

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There is a tree stump in front of the abandoned apartment building at 4028 E. Portland Street in Phoenix, AZ. Buried at the base of the stump under the root that points northeast (roughly) is a small metal box with a few things me and my friends put in there…25 years ago. We put it deep enough and close enough to the root that it would be difficult for someone to accidentally find unless the tree was pulled up. It's been cut down, but the stump and its roots remain, therefore the box remains. You'll have to dig deep. It took two 11 year olds and a 9 year old a few hours to dig the hole.

 

This box predates geocaching. At the time my friends and I called it just a time capsule. We said we would come and get it when we grew up, but I'm the only one who remembers even burying it (although I don't remember what's inside). None of us live in Phoenix anymore (except for one who I think is in prison) and I want the box retrieved.

 

This is one of the worst neighborhoods in the city. It was bad then and still is. If you decide to go looking for it, you might want to get the permission of the apartment complex management and have a police officer nearby. If you find it, let me know ASAP. And be careful digging. The box has been there for 25 years. Google my name and you'll find how to contact me.

 

I'm in Prescott, but occasionally, I have to go to the VA Hosp. in PHX for appointments; send me the (approx.) coords (via GC.com) & the next time I'm in that area, I'll go look for it & retrieve it for you.

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There is a tree stump in front of the abandoned apartment building at 4028 E. Portland Street in Phoenix, AZ. Buried at the base of the stump under the root that points northeast (roughly) is a small metal box with a few things me and my friends put in there…25 years ago. We put it deep enough and close enough to the root that it would be difficult for someone to accidentally find unless the tree was pulled up. It's been cut down, but the stump and its roots remain, therefore the box remains. You'll have to dig deep. It took two 11 year olds and a 9 year old a few hours to dig the hole.

 

This box predates geocaching. At the time my friends and I called it just a time capsule. We said we would come and get it when we grew up, but I'm the only one who remembers even burying it (although I don't remember what's inside). None of us live in Phoenix anymore (except for one who I think is in prison) and I want the box retrieved.

 

This is one of the worst neighborhoods in the city. It was bad then and still is. If you decide to go looking for it, you might want to get the permission of the apartment complex management and have a police officer nearby. If you find it, let me know ASAP. And be careful digging. The box has been there for 25 years. Google my name and you'll find how to contact me.

 

I'm in Prescott, but occasionally, I have to go to the VA Hosp. in PHX for appointments; send me the (approx.) coords (via GC.com) & the next time I'm in that area, I'll go look for it & retrieve it for you.

 

You, Sir, are brave. Must have been that Military training. :lol:

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I'll get right on that!

Do I sense sarcasm? ;)

I wonder what flights from the Eastern US cost.... :unsure:

 

Cachers get all sort of assignments. Six months ago there was a thread about placing surveying pins in New England ... although that was a paid gig. :)

 

Digging around large tree stumps ain't easy, by the way.... <_<

 

Anyway, maybe someone will do this for fun. I hope they post an update. :)

 

I'm expecting that the cache is disintegrated rust by now. I doubt the box was high-grade stainless steel. <_<

 

By the way, trees tend to close around obstructions - you may have seen that where a tree is close to a fence and the tree "surrounds" the fence over time. So bring a chain saw also.

Edited by wmpastor
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Look people. I don't take anyone for a fool. If you want to go and find it, then go and find it. If you don't, then don't. I'm not messing with you. I'm not full of crap. I buried it when I was 10-11. This was around 1987-88. I lived there for about two years. I went to Baltz School and David Crockett School. I played in the empty field on the other side of 40th street underneath the tree that is apparently still standing (I first kissed a girl there). I played in the empty field on the other side of Portland St. and played on the dirt mounds that were to become Loop 202. I had a friend that lived on Garfield St. to the south and we would run across the field as fast as we can. I played in the nasty, almost empty, septic and garbage filled swimming pool on Moreland St. (now filled with concrete according to Google) where I stepped on a rusty nail and had a broken beer bottle thrown at me. I still have the scar on my knee to this day.

 

I'll say it again. The box is there. I buried it under the tree root. The tree is gone but the stump remains. I can't get it myself because I live in Missouri. I have a wife and two kids now. I want to get it myself but I can't. I'm hoping someone will be willing to try.

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heh, I don't think think it's that anyone doesn't believe you, it's just a big task... Might need a crew to be obvious and protected instead of attempting to be inconspicuous - which looks to be nigh impossible if only due to the sparse local environment :P

I don't expect you were thinking there'd be gangs of interested people, due to the nature of the task, so just take the responses in this forum with a grain of salt :) a lot of people will just make funny comments, troll, or tell you to go elsewhere. Just shrug it off. It's a neat request, IMO, and if someone is able to take it on, all the better!

I hope it works out for you :)

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heh, I don't think think it's that anyone doesn't believe you, it's just a big task... Might need a crew to be obvious and protected instead of attempting to be inconspicuous - which looks to be nigh impossible if only due to the sparse local environment :P

I don't expect you were thinking there'd be gangs of interested people, due to the nature of the task, so just take the responses in this forum with a grain of salt :) a lot of people will just make funny comments, troll, or tell you to go elsewhere. Just shrug it off. It's a neat request, IMO, and if someone is able to take it on, all the better!

I hope it works out for you :)

Sometimes the trolls get the last word so I just wanted to clarify things before people think I'm sending them on a wild goose chase.

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It is a silly quest, and overhyped in the thread title. There are plenty of caches that are cooler and more dangerous out there. But I give him 2 points for getting us to look. Based on the cache placement map, and the generally accepted theory that we don't place caches in the bad neighborhoods he might have a bit of a claim. There is a small donut hole there. The address is below the word village and about level with the blue square for a nearby puzzle. But what's up with that large open triangle to the east bordered by routes 101 & 87? That looks like it might be a real badass neighborhood? Or is it Indian land that prohibits caches? It looks almost rural in the sat view maps.

Edited by wimseyguy
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heh, I don't think think it's that anyone doesn't believe you, it's just a big task... Might need a crew to be obvious and protected instead of attempting to be inconspicuous - which looks to be nigh impossible if only due to the sparse local environment :P

I don't expect you were thinking there'd be gangs of interested people, due to the nature of the task, so just take the responses in this forum with a grain of salt :) a lot of people will just make funny comments, troll, or tell you to go elsewhere. Just shrug it off. It's a neat request, IMO, and if someone is able to take it on, all the better!

I hope it works out for you :)

Yes, this is a very intriguing story. It's also logistically tough for many reasons, and the novelty causes us to joke about it. We totally understand the sentimental issues.

 

Can we hear more about the box? Metal? Plastic? Wood? Size? About 1-2 feet deep? Which side of tree?

 

My biggest concerns are: (1) the box has perhaps disintegrated; (2) it maybe has been surrounded as the tree grew (bring a saw); (3) to do the job right, you may need a backhoe to lift the stump out of the ground.

 

I have another suggestion, and at risk of seeming like a wiseguy, I'll make it. What about an archeology class at a local college? They would get actual experience trying to retrieve an artifact without damaging what's left of it.

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heh, I don't think think it's that anyone doesn't believe you, it's just a big task... Might need a crew to be obvious and protected instead of attempting to be inconspicuous - which looks to be nigh impossible if only due to the sparse local environment :P

I don't expect you were thinking there'd be gangs of interested people, due to the nature of the task, so just take the responses in this forum with a grain of salt :) a lot of people will just make funny comments, troll, or tell you to go elsewhere. Just shrug it off. It's a neat request, IMO, and if someone is able to take it on, all the better!

I hope it works out for you :)

Sometimes the trolls get the last word so I just wanted to clarify things before people think I'm sending them on a wild goose chase.

 

There's no trolling. Almost every post is from a regular poster, and they're just having fun with it. I think it's pretty cool, and I would go there and do it if I weren't 2,500 miles away. Because I have military training. :P

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The tree is gone but the stump remains.

 

If you haven't gone there recently, how do you know the stump is still there?

 

Well, Google Street view. Of course that could be a few years old. But really, you think the owner of an abandoned duplex is going to up and pay for a stump removal? I'm sure it's still there.

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It is a silly quest, and overhyped in the thread title. There are plenty of caches that are cooler and more dangerous out there. But I give him 2 points for getting us to look. Based on the cache placement map, and the generally accepted theory that we don't place caches in the bad neighborhoods he might have a bit of a claim. There is a small donut hole there. The address is below the word village and about level with the blue square for a nearby puzzle. But what's up with that large open triangle to the east bordered by routes 101 & 87? That looks like it might be a real badass neighborhood? Or is it Indian land that prohibits caches? It looks almost rural in the sat view maps.

 

There certainly is a distinct boundary just west of route 101. On one side it's dense housing and on the other, rural farmland.

 

I just can't imagine a place like Phoenix being the most dangerous place for a geocache. I doubt that it would make the top 100 of most dangerous cities in the world. Take a look at what it's like in Mogadishu, Somalia or Caracas, Venezuela.

 

 

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I just can't imagine a place like Phoenix being the most dangerous place for a geocache. I doubt that it would make the top 100 of most dangerous cities in the world. Take a look at what it's like in Mogadishu, Somalia or Caracas, Venezuela.

 

???

 

Phx is far from safe.

 

Mogadishu and the such is an unfair comparison. Talking about the US, Phx has a crime index of 10, meaning it's safer than only 10% of all cities.

 

It was recently dubbed the kidnapping Capitol of the world...I think Mexico City has now reclaimed that title...I think. I did not provide a link to this one.....that's just a known fact. Definitely the kidnapping Capitol of the US!

 

Joe Arpaio exists for a reason!!

 

Az has lots of illegal immigrants, lots of drugs, lots of crime. Anedectoally, we also have high rate of homeless/psychiatric population. It's easier to be living in on the streets when it's sunny 300+ days of the year. I haven't compared homeless figures to other cities...like I said...the last part was just my experience as a nurse working in a hospital that needed an entire new building for psychiatric patients. And an entire ER dedicated to them as well.

 

 

http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/az/phoenix/crime/

 

 

Unrelated to crime, there are plenty of Reservations (where geocaching is not allowed). This is usually the reason for big gaps in geomaps. Pan out of the Az map. Lots and lots of gaps!

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I just can't imagine a place like Phoenix being the most dangerous place for a geocache. I doubt that it would make the top 100 of most dangerous cities in the world. Take a look at what it's like in Mogadishu, Somalia or Caracas, Venezuela.

 

???

 

Phx is far from safe.

 

Mogadishu and the such is an unfair comparison. Talking about the US, Phx has a crime index of 10, meaning it's safer than only 10% of all cities.

 

Why is it an unfair comparison? The title of the thread includes the the phrase "most dangerous geocache", and as this is an international game cities outside the U.S. should be fair game as a dangerous location. Sure, Phoenix may be relatively dangerous, but if it's safer than 10% of all cities in the U.S. that's still a lot of cities that would be a more dangerous location for a cache.

s

 

 

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It is a silly quest, and overhyped in the thread title. There are plenty of caches that are cooler and more dangerous out there. But I give him 2 points for getting us to look. Based on the cache placement map, and the generally accepted theory that we don't place caches in the bad neighborhoods he might have a bit of a claim. There is a small donut hole there. The address is below the word village and about level with the blue square for a nearby puzzle. But what's up with that large open triangle to the east bordered by routes 101 & 87? That looks like it might be a real badass neighborhood? Or is it Indian land that prohibits caches? It looks almost rural in the sat view maps.

 

There certainly is a distinct boundary just west east of route 101. On one side it's dense housing and on the other, rural farmland.

 

I just can't imagine a place like Phoenix being the most dangerous place for a geocache. I doubt that it would make the top 100 of most dangerous cities in the world. Take a look at what it's like in Mogadishu, Somalia or Caracas, Venezuela.

 

Fixed it for ya. ;)

 

I just can't imagine a place like Phoenix being the most dangerous place for a geocache. I doubt that it would make the top 100 of most dangerous cities in the world. Take a look at what it's like in Mogadishu, Somalia or Caracas, Venezuela.

 

???

 

Phx is far from safe.

 

Mogadishu and the such is an unfair comparison. Talking about the US, Phx has a crime index of 10, meaning it's safer than only 10% of all cities.

 

Why is it an unfair comparison? The title of the thread includes the the phrase "most dangerous geocache", and as this is an international game cities outside the U.S. should be fair game as a dangerous location. Sure, Phoenix may be relatively dangerous, but if it's safer than 10% of all cities in the U.S. that's still a lot of cities that would be a more dangerous location for a cache.

 

I'm sure there are plenty of neighborhoods in Phoenix that aren't safe for the average person to wander around it. I'll bet there are just as many neighborhoods which are perfectly safe as well. This is true for all major cities in our country. I love the interwebs for statistics. According to this website Phoenix doesn't make the top 10. And several cities (El Paso and San Diego) that have similar sunny climates and proximity to immigration and drug traffic from the south are on the top 10 safest list.

 

At the risk of taking this thread completely off track, would you care to explain that? Or is it that they don't have a political bent that allow someone like Sheriff Joe to exist?

 

Veering back OT, I'd be very surprised if someone who plays in this sandbox actually takes this challenge. Especially since there isn't a smiley involved. :D

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Is it a loggable geocache? If not then why would anyone want to dig up someone's yard?

 

I expected that someone would post that. :D

 

It's a wonder that the game took off at all, as Mike Teague wasn't concerned about his stats when he went out to find the first cache, and neither did many cachers during the first few years. Something about curiosity and adventure was the motive.

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Is it a loggable geocache? If not then why would anyone want to dig up someone's yard?

 

I expected that someone would post that. :D

 

It's a wonder that the game took off at all, as Mike Teague wasn't concerned about his stats when he went out to find the first cache, and neither did many cachers during the first few years. Something about curiosity and adventure was the motive.

The fact that people now care about caching stats is a good thing, not a bad thing. It proves this sport has reached maturity. Suppose no one in baseball cared about stats. It would be the end of the game as we know it.

 

When people first used a stick to hit a ball, "curiousity and adventure was the motive."

Edited by wmpastor
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Komickaze, so do you think you'll check out some caches near home, now that you're a new member? Your kids might enjoy it also.

 

You're probably disappointed that the enthusiasm level isn't high. If this same tree stump was in the woods, someone might have already checked it out.

 

Can you tell us more details about box?

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Is it a loggable geocache? If not then why would anyone want to dig up someone's yard?

 

I expected that someone would post that. :D

 

It's a wonder that the game took off at all, as Mike Teague wasn't concerned about his stats when he went out to find the first cache, and neither did many cachers during the first few years. Something about curiosity and adventure was the motive.

The fact that people now care about caching stats is a good thing, not a bad thing. It proves this sport has reached maturity. Suppose no one in baseball cared about stats. It would be the end of the game as we know it.

 

When people first used a stick to hit a ball, "curiousity and adventure was the motive."

 

The fact that people now care about caching stats, to the point that they might consider digging up someones lawn to improve them, is *not* a good thing.

 

Okay, I know this isn't a real cache but it makes me wonder how far some will go to improve their stats. Interesting that you'd use a baseball analogy. Tell me, who holds the record for the most home runs hit in their career?

 

 

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Is it a loggable geocache? If not then why would anyone want to dig up someone's yard?

 

I expected that someone would post that. :D

 

It's a wonder that the game took off at all, as Mike Teague wasn't concerned about his stats when he went out to find the first cache, and neither did many cachers during the first few years. Something about curiosity and adventure was the motive.

The fact that people now care about caching stats is a good thing, not a bad thing. It proves this sport has reached maturity. Suppose no one in baseball cared about stats. It would be the end of the game as we know it.

 

When people first used a stick to hit a ball, "curiousity and adventure was the motive."

 

There's a big difference between caring about stats, and having them be the only motive. There are too many times that a few teams play an absolutely boring game full of errors and lousy play, but then the fans go wild due to their team winning almost accidentally. Yay! :rolleyes:

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It's not a geocache, it's not listed on Groundspeak's site, and it certainly isn't a radical item. Time capsules have been around for a very long time.

 

If someone does go out and find it, it won't affect any Groundspeak stats, so I'm not sure why that off-topic idea has come into this off-topic thread.

 

 

B.

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It's not a geocache, it's not listed on Groundspeak's site, and it certainly isn't a radical item. Time capsules have been around for a very long time.

 

If someone does go out and find it, it won't affect any Groundspeak stats, so I'm not sure why that off-topic idea has come into this off-topic thread.

 

 

B.

 

Pup Patrol we are of like mind on this. The only reason I can think of not moving this to the off-topic forum is if this is some sort of new Lab Cache. :ph34r:

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It's not a geocache, it's not listed on Groundspeak's site, and it certainly isn't a radical item. Time capsules have been around for a very long time.

 

If someone does go out and find it, it won't affect any Groundspeak stats, so I'm not sure why that off-topic idea has come into this off-topic thread.

 

 

B.

It's still about location and a hide...and the most interesting thing around since NNJC got locked.

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It's not about geocachers and their ethics. Anyone may or may not be interested in helping retrieve this box - it has nothing to do about how you feel about geocaching. In this case, the only rule really is "don't do something illegal" (for your own good =P). If you care about nature, or whatever, then go ahead and ignore the request. I dunno, whatever.

It's an interesting topic, but not Groundspeak-geocaching related :P

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I visited the site this morning.

The stump in question is a palm tree stump.

Palm trees do not have big roots that point in any discernible direction, like a cottonwood, elm, or whatever...

The building just to the east has an olive tree in the yard...and the building is also 'abandoned'.

Olive trees probably do have larger roots that could be said to point in a specific direction.

 

Personally, I think there are some issues with the OP's story.

 

Definitely not a very prosperous neighborhood, but not particularly 'scary' either.

 

If I were to dig there, I would want to be certain of the site, 'cause I'm only digging one hole.

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