What A Great Day On The Palisades!!

[+Team DEMP]

I had a great day and wanted to post about it. No kids - set off early - absolutely perfect weather. I always wake up early when I'm going fishing, golfing, skiing and now geocaching. Don't need to set the alarm for those activities.

 

I printed out 9 caches around the Stateline Lookout in the Palisades last night and set out early. Got out of my car at 7:40am and set off for the 1st cache. Amazing how coords can be deceiving when you are less then 2 tenths a mile away but a few hundred feet straight down!

 

The 2 main caches I wanted to attempt were the Giant's Stairs ( http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...f9-4e009b9d8a84 ) and Survival ( http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...8a-626c1fafde03 ). Doing The Giant Stairs first, i actually bypassed one of the caches on the list which caused me to backtrack. Did the Giant's Stairs (not looking forward to the return trip!) and set off for Survival.

 

Survival is evil. Got to the spot and it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. I don't know what's worse - no hints or a hint that isn't accurate! I read the hint and searched and searched for the 1st stage without luck. I finally read the last post which says the hint is off - and within a couple mins I find it. It's still (Snat-like) evil!! Then I head to the final stage (tough traveling) and after searching for a bit found the cache. While I was searching for the 1st phase, an organized group of kids hiking came by and thought the trail went where I was. When I said no, they were relieved!

 

The cache I passed by is only a few hundred feet away (straight up!) so I head back, per Harrald's advice to go back the way I came, and get the 3rd cache which was the Hudson River Overlook. Now that I backtracked, getting to the next one was a bit of a pain, but got over to Palisades #6 off old 9W and got that one.

 

Just a bit away is the 5th cache and it drove me nuts! AFOMFT ( http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...89-8555f4c78306 ). It was a real tough find and I got lucky looking in the right place when I was moving around. Want a tough find - I think this would be one.

 

Headed off up old 9W toward the lot and retrieved Alpine Old 9W which is right next to the trail. Got back to the lot around 12:30pm. Figured I'd keep going so I head off to FPC and on the way see I'm going by Alpine Ski trail which is also right on the trail so I log that one. FPC is a down/up (going to the cache) so after tackling the Giant's Stairs to the North of the lot, I could really use an elevator to handle the descent/ascent on the South side of the lot. Get to the initial spot, get the coords for the final cache and head off. It was a bit tough find this. These caches have to be brutal under full tree cover! Finally found FPC and headed back to get the 9th and final Palisades cache. Found PIP Just Ahead, also just off the trail and took the trail back to the parking lot.

 

Grabbed a PowerAde in the Lookout Inn, went back to the car and let out a good sigh when I sat down. Started 7:40am. Finished 1:50pm. Tracked 7.8 miles. 9 finds and no DNF's! Woohoo!!

 

Decided to hit up Foster Bass's (is that the right 's - where are my kids when I need them!) cache which wasn't far out of the way home so I logged his Mini Mount Rainier cache. Got back to the car and set off for home.

 

Wife and kids are at a niece/nephew birthday party so after a long day of hiking, it's nice to come home and not have the wife and kids around. If you don't have a wife and kids, you don't know how good it is (when they aren't home ;-) ). Head up to take a shower and I have 2 ticks on me - son of a gun. Pull them off, squish em and take a nice, long shower. Came downstairs and logged the WG$ and finds.

 

Other then the ticks it's pretty close to a perfect day of geocaching!!

 

David

Edited April 18, 2004 by Team DEMP

[+briansnat]

Wife and kids are at a niece/nephew birthday party so after a long day of hiking, it's nice to come home and not have the wife and kids around. If you don't have a wife and kids, you don't know how good it is (when they aren't home ;-) ). Head up to take a shower and I have 2 ticks on me - son of a gun. Pull them off, squish em and take a nice, long shower. Came downstairs and logged the WG$ and finds.

 

I've printed this entire post and its in an envelope addressed to your wife.

Now, for a small fee, I might just toss it in the garbage.

[+Team DEMP]

Brian you dog! Of course, if she posted, she might say that the best part of her week is when I go out caching and the house is quiet ;-)

 

Here's my wife's address if you want to mail it:

NJ Admin

P.O. Box GEO123

Waldwick, NJ 07463

[+JMBella]

I had a great day in Jersey myself. My Wife had to go to a dance competition in Edison so of course I was more than happy to driver her. Hung out for a while and watched her kids dance (they won a gold medal BTW!) then ran out and bagged 9 caches in 3.5 hours. Had fun caching, not so much fun driving. I still don't get the concept of making a right in order to make a left. Or my favorite part of driving in NJ. A sign that says U-Turn with a arrow pointing right, you make the right and the first sign you see is NO U-TURN!!! I think you just like to see us New Yorkers get freaked out. Other than the driving and the "Not 'Reely' Hard" cache (that was disgusting) it was a fabulous day!

 

BTW, Giant steps is one of my all time favorite caches.

[+Perfect Tommy]

Survival! is an evil cache (Gwho is the evil genius behind it). To find it on your own is quite impressive. I tip my hat (metaphorically, at least).

 

P.S. Thanks for hitting the George I left