Does Anyone 'cache' Items For Themselves ?

[Sandbar]

Do you 'cache' items for yourself during(or for) long hikes ?

I think that it would be great to plan a long hike and drive

along the route,walk in a few miles,at different spots, and cache

items that you will later use during your hike(or camping).

Sandbar

[+wildearth2001]

yes it is common practise. Hikers often leave water on there way in for use on their way out and cross country hikers (such as with the pacific crest trail) will drive to road crossing and leave supplies many months in advance

Edited March 25, 2004 by wildearth2001

[+Jamie Z]

The only time I can recall doing this was on a canoe trip a while back... and it would be a stretch to call it caching.

 

A friend and I made camp near the river and decided to walk into the nearby town. When we left, it was still daylight, but we knew we'd be coming home in the dark so we brought along our lantern. Having a lantern in town would be pointless and awkward, so we stashed it in a hiding spot near the edge of the woods for our walk back.

 

Not really a cache, but sort of.

 

Jamie

[Dinoprophet]

When I was 13, I hiked with my dad and brother to Grinnel Glacier in Glacier National Park. On the way, we stashed some drinks behind a small waterfall next to the trail. They were icy cold when we got them on the way back. Mmmm!

[+cache_us_if_you_can]

We do a lot of camping where there is little to no fire wood. Over the years we've caches of fire wood; left extra hidden on the return home for use the next time out.

 

We also frequent a sort of community cache out in the desert... it's an old cabin in the middle of no where, where visiters are free to take and leave items (canned food, books, etc) and some even stay a night or two there. There is even a kind of log to sign.. every one signs one of the walls. It's very cool to visit.

[+Nurse Dave]

Would a Coke and some chips in the car for after the cache count?

[Jake - Team A.I.]

The two times I hiked the Grand Canyon to the Havasupai village, I remember people burying gallon jugs of water at the base of the switchbacks.

 

Basiclly, you drive up to the edge of the canyon and park your car. I'm not sure about the exact distances because the last time I was there was back in 1985. The first mile (it seems) is switchbacks down to the canyon floor. The next 10-12 miles was wandering down the canyon to the village. There is no water available from your car to the village. Getting back to your car means an up hill hike and the final bitch... the switchbacks up the canyon wall at the end. Even then, there's no water, unless you left it in your car.

[+briansnat]

On an extended backpacking trip, we left a cooler of beer near where the trail crossed a road. On our 3rd night we had some ice cold ones while we relaxed by the fire.

Edited March 26, 2004 by briansnat

[+New England n00b]

You know, I hadn't even thought of this. I'm going hiking for a week this summer/early fall on the Appalachian Trail...

 

Any advice on how to do this without gettting muggled and left high and dry during a very long multi-day hike????

[+CYBret]

Ok, incredibly minor examples here, but for those of us who live in well-populated areas, this is the best we can do.

 

I've cached my keys before leaving on a trip. I hate traveling with them and didn't really need the hassle of extra metal on the plane, so I placed them in a small rubbermaid container and hid them in a bush near where I had to leave my car. It's weird, because I'm always a little paranoid about losing my keys while traveling but I had no qualms at all about caching them.

 

Back in high school several of us maintained a coin cache near the pop machine at the gas station. We all knew it was there and took from it and contributed to it as we could. Last night I had to make 2 trips to the only pop machine in town--it refused my bills the first time. As frequently as I find myself making those trips it made me think about hiding some money there again.

 

Bret

[+Two Geeks and a GPS]

My wife (an avid backpacker) took me on my first backcountry camping/hiking of 30 miles over 3 days years ago. I had never done such a thing and figured camping = beer. She reminded me how heavy beer was and that it would be warm. Very near our planned first night camp spot a logging road crosses the river. The night before we left I drove up and stashed a 12 pack in the river. Heck, who am I kidding, I wanted to cache most of the gear! (wife wouldn't go for that- she called it cheating!)

Well we lost the trail and were lost. Against better judgement we continued on despite impending darkness - I had to have a beer! We finally found the spot and the beer tasted really good. Even my wife was happy I'd hid it!

[+briansnat]

You know, I hadn't even thought of this. I'm going hiking for a week this summer/early fall on the Appalachian Trail...

 

Any advice on how to do this without gettting muggled and left high and dry during a very long multi-day hike????

 

Just make sure you hide it well and far enough off the trail where people won't find it by accident (kind of like a geocache). Don't forget to mark the waypoint.

 

I just recalled another time we cached stuff. We were backpacking in the Catskills and a side trip along the way was a climb of Slide Mtn, the Catskill's tallest peak. Rather than climb it with our full packs on, we cached our backpacks behind a rock, not far from the trail. We figured if someone found them and wanted to steal them and hike out 4-5 miles with 50 lbs on their backs, more power to them. We spent the morning checking out the incredible view from the top, climbed back down, grabbed our packs and continued on our way.

[+Lone Duck]

Did that while hiking the Grand Canyon during Easter. It was snowing on the rim with temps in the 90's down in the canyon. We found a hiding spot for our coats on the way down and picked them up on the way out. We were not real worried about someone taking them because they would have had to carry them all the way back out on foot. Uphill all the way.

[+DamOTclese]

A lot of people cache stuff -- or at least they used to -- in the foothills above Azusa in Southern California. There used to be gold panning in the area however nothing ever worth while came out and it's gone to people who pan every now and then as a hobby.

 

But local survivalist kooks (I call them "Elmer Fudds") still cache food and ammunition in the hills thinking they're going to "save America" once "(bad people)" make their moves; we had a small group arrested some years back for hiding ammunition and explosives in the hills. (And I've run into Elmer Fudd on the road during hunting season. They think there's deer and bear in the hills because the BLM sells the rubes licenses to hunt with the notion that there's actually something to shoot. They end up shooting into the canyons.)

 

My brother and I have cached water in places between Baker, California, and North to Shoshone around Iron Mountain.

 

NOTE: The part above in parenthesis, (bad people), has been edited by moderator.

Edited March 26, 2004 by mtn-man

[+Lolita]

When my friend and I drift down the Wynoochee river, we stash a small motorcycle at the take out point on our way up to the launch. We haul it up on a ramp he had specially welded onto the boat trailer. Depending on the weather, one of us takes a nap in the sun ( that would be me ) while the other rides the motorcycle to pick up the truck/trailer. If it's raining, one of us gets a ride to the nearest tavern (that would be me) while the other rides the motorcycle to pick up the truck/trailer.

[+Snoogans]

This has been in my profile for over a year:

 

I've been caching items for my own use in the Sierras since 1989. I bought my Magellan 2000 in 1996, but didn't use it for much except to log the Lat/Lon of my Final Resting Place for my Will and to remember locations of deep, off-trail, camp sites.

 

I probably hid my first cache around 1980. I still can't find that one.

 

I keep several personal caches in the Recess Valley, Fish Valley, and Red's Meadows in California. They consist of mainly fishing supplies, a whet stone, lighters & waterproof matches, and a few other useful items. None have ever been found by others that I know of.

 

Sn gans

[+Snoogans]

None have ever been found by others that I know of.

 

OK.... At least 4 people found one spot.

 

Sn gans

[+wildearth2001]

one area where caching supplies is common practise is the grand canyon here in AZ. on your way down you leave water just above/below the redwall for on the way back out, i do it when i hike there, or any time i am on a long out and back hike, it works great and so long as you hid it well it should be fine, thewater may get a little warm though

 

if you do this make sure to use sealed containers so you can tell if someone opened it and did somthing to it and also label it with your party name, date you placed it, and date you will pick it up

[cooney]

One of the most useful I've heard is a skier friend takes the gondola up the mountain, caches his lunch in a snowbank to keep it cold, skiis the rest of the morning, and picks it up at lunch time. The rest of us have usually lugged our lunches around all morning and swuashed our sandwiches and fruit when enduring the inevitable falls.

[+Chance Encounter]

For many years, Appalachian Trail "thru-hikers" have mailed supply packages to themselves, c/o General Delivery, at strategic towns along the way.

 

If my memory serves correctly, they fix up six or seven packages in advance. Each contains a broken-in pair of hiking boots; a two-week supply of freeze-dried food; some camp fuel; extras like matches, socks and tent stakes; and maybe some tasty snacks. Each of the packages is mailed to a different town along the route, at a distance covered by a two-week hike.

 

As you hike north from Georgia to Maine, you're constantly lightening your load by eating food and consuming supplies, fuel, etc. When you start running low, you reach the next post office, show your ID, and claim your "cache."

 

I've retained this knowledge because it is still my dream to hike the entire 2100+ miles of the Appalachian Trail while I'm still young enough to accomplish the task. Any geocachers wanna go along?

[+wildearth2001]

For many years, Appalachian Trail "thru-hikers" have mailed supply packages to themselves, c/o General Delivery, at strategic towns along the way.

 

If my memory serves correctly, they fix up six or seven packages in advance.  Each contains a broken-in pair of hiking boots; a two-week supply of freeze-dried food; some camp fuel; extras like matches, socks and tent stakes; and maybe some tasty snacks.  Each of the packages is mailed to a different town along the route, at a distance covered by a two-week hike.

 

As you hike north from Georgia to Maine, you're constantly lightening your load by eating food and consuming supplies, fuel, etc.  When you start running low, you reach the next post office, show your ID, and claim your "cache."

 

I've retained this knowledge because it is still my dream to hike the entire 2100+ miles of the Appalachian Trail while I'm still young enough to accomplish the task.  Any geocachers wanna go along?

sure I would go, but the parents dont like me doing stuff like that and school gets in the way, I am interested in doing the 800 mile Arizona Trail, only 4(?) people have ever thru hiked it and one of those people was many years back and the modern trail is supposed to follow his path. Most people hike the desert half in the winter and the mountain half in the summer

Edited March 27, 2004 by wildearth2001

[+Fritz_Monroe]

You know, I hadn't even thought of this. I'm going hiking for a week this summer/early fall on the Appalachian Trail...

 

Any advice on how to do this without gettting muggled and left high and dry during a very long multi-day hike????

I know that some of the thru hikers on the AT will send themselves food and other supplies. You have to address it to the postmaster, I believe.

 

Of course in today's world, you'd probably need to call the postmaster first to let him know it's coming. Hate to arrive at a post office only to find that the bomb squad blew up your supper.

 

F_M

[+bob393]

Sure It's a good idea in certian cases. In amo cans I have put food!

[+Jamie Z]

I know that some of the thru hikers on the AT will send themselves food and other supplies.  You have to address it to the postmaster, I believe.

As Chance Encounter pointed out above, this is "General Delivery," and is common practice in the USPS. All post offices have a General Delivery box, and there is some standard time (seven days? I'm not sure) that they hold a package.

 

I've had several things sent to me by General Delivery. I've called ahead to let them know my date of arrival wasn't known for sure and would they hold onto the package a few extra days if needed.

 

Jamie

 

Aw heck, here's the link: General Delivery

 

Turns out it's 30 days. Even better.

Edited March 27, 2004 by Jamie Z

[+SeaTrout]

App trail drop link

Seatrout

Edited March 27, 2004 by SeaTrout