What if trail access changes?

[Guest zeta]

I went on my first hunt earlier today. Had a good time, and enjoyed some time outside for a change, but at the same time was just a bit discouraged - never got to the cache.

 

My wife and I went out on this together, and we intentionally chose a level 1 cache.

 

When we got to within 500 feet of the cache it was pretty clear it was going to be on a hill.

 

To make a long story short, my wife waited while I climbed and hiked around various trails that were open, and between driving and hiking went around most of the hill.

 

From what I can tell, the only trail that looks like it went up the ridge where the cache should be was closed to hiking, biking, and other activity.

 

Using terraserver after I got home I see another possible trail from the far side that might go up, and I'll go check it out another time.

 

The whole process got me wondering. In different parks and recreation areas it isn't unusual to have trails closed for a variety of reasons. What happens when a cache is isolated and the only way to get to it is to ignore trail closings?

[Guest andysolo]

well, everyone, and unless a certain area is protected or being studied, I have no qualms about walking anywhere. In your case though, there were signs about the trails, so perhaps I would have hesitated...

andy

[Guest jeremy]

I was recently contacted by a park ranger about a Geocache location, and have some insights about this. I'll send out a larger email and modify the FAQ a bit, but here's what I'd do -

 

1. Don't go on that trail. There may be a lot of reasons for the sign, and the trail may be unsafe or you may harm the environment by taking the trail.

2. If there's an alternate trail take it instead.

3. If you can't access it any other way, let the hider know and we can archive the hunt until the off-limits sign is removed.

 

I have a cache that I hid, forgetting that they actually close the 2.3 mile tunnel you need to use to get there. However there is an alternate route that is longer, but will get you to the spot.

[Guest zeta]

In this particular case I saw the trail that was closed first and figured that was the one I probably needed.

 

Since there were several others that went around the base of the hill I needed to climb, I figured there might be an alternate route. I took every one I could find, even the branches (you should see my log plotted out). Most ended at places with high brush and other plant growth. One ended at basically what was a cliff that dropped off into water (on the coast).

 

It was frustrating, not because I couldn't find the cache, but because I had gone around almost the entire hill and knew based on heading to the cache where it was (on the hill), and I think I saw the cache. But, I couldn't find a way up the hill that was open or would not involve blazing a new trail.

 

Sure I could have just blazed a new trail, but that's not in the spirit of treading lightly.

 

I would not expect most caches to be directly on a trail, but I would wager that you take existing trails up to a pretty close point, and don't go blazing new trails. At least, I hope so.

 

In some areas there isn't a problem going in your own direction and creating new trails or exploring new areas. But, if there are signs in an area closing off one trail, then you should probably pay heed to the sign and not forge a new trail that runs a similar path.

 

Now in my case, I did more homework and used the terraserver to pull a 1 or 2 meter satellite image of the hill. It's 4 years old, but it shows the trails going on this hill, and even though I tried what I thought were all of them, I did find a new one. I've already programmed the new trail's location in my GPS so I can find it next time I go out. Hopefully this trail is still open.

 

Something all of us need to think about. Yes these parks are here for all of us to enjoy, but as more people go into the parks and recreational areas, it is even more important that all of us pay attention to the little things. Things such as bringing back any trash you may find along the way. Or doing your best not to damage the surroundings if you leave a trail. Or even paying attention to signs that close off a trail or area. This is just my opinion, but these little things will hopefully leave the place in such a condition that the next person can enjoy it.

 

Otherwise, geocaching is going to face the same hassles that off-roaders, mountain bicyclists, and in some cases hikers have had to contend with -- their favorite areas being closed to the activities they enjoy.

[Guest zeta]

Well, for better or worse I decided to just go up that trail. It was another adventure with the wife, this time she stayed in the truck while I went off wandering. Either the sign I saw was not for the direction I was going, or everyone just ignored the sign. Either way there were several people out and using that trail today.

 

On the plus side, I logged my first successful find today. 1/1/1. What a way to start a new year.

[Guest zeta]

Well, for better or worse I decided to just go up that trail. It was another adventure with the wife, this time she stayed in the truck while I went off wandering. Either the sign I saw was not for the direction I was going, or everyone just ignored the sign. Either way there were several people out and using that trail today.

 

On the plus side, I logged my first successful find today. 1/1/1. What a way to start a new year.