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Caching The "hard Way"?


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Have you ever looked at the map when planning your next cache and thought, "why walk up the trail when I could climb those rocks or walk across that creek?".

Bushwhacking is not a prudent idea in the back country. There is a cache somewhere near the end of the blue trail, and the dotted line is not a trail from the red one up the hill. So staying on the trail has some benefits.

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Have you ever looked at the map when planning your next cache and thought, "why walk up the trail when I could climb those rocks or walk across that creek?".

 

 

Yeah almost every time and I usually wish I took the trail after I was done. Most of the time the trail is the longer, but much easier route. They put trails there for a reason.

Edited by briansnat
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Several months ago, three of us set off into the woods to find a cache. I was the one with the pocket query, so I should have read the page a little closer and discovered that there was a posted parking spot that led to a trail that led directly to the cache. I didn’t notice that. Ooops.

 

Instead, we got 250 feet from the cache and discovered a lake in our way. The vote was 2 to 1 to try to find a way around the lake and to the cache. How hard could it be, right? The lake didn’t look all that big and there was probably a path around the outside of it. We headed to the right.

 

We should have gone left.

 

There was no path.

 

The lake was pretty big.

 

Two hours! It took us two hours to get to the cache 250 feet on the other side of the lake. Two hours of bushwhacking through the brush, jumping little creeks, running run through the briars, brambles and the places where the rabbits wouldn't go. All the while thunder off in the distance.

 

That was two hours of talking to each other, laughing over the stupidest stuff, trusting each other, helping each other and celebrating together after a two-hour search led to victory (and a cache).

 

We found the path on the way out. If we had taken it in the whole trip might have taken 10 minutes…15 tops.

 

I’ll take the hard way in any day.

 

Bret

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I always manage to find the hardest possible way to get to a cache, though never intentionally. This also goes for any other situation as well, such as trying to drive around traffic during rush hour. I've made trips that should have only laster 10 minutes, last an hour, or more.

 

What can I say, it's a gift. :(

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I always manage to find the hardest possible way to get to a cache, though never intentionally. This also goes for any other situation as well, such as trying to drive around traffic during rush hour. I've made trips that should have only laster 10 minutes, last an hour, or more.

 

What can I say, it's a gift. :(

i couldn't have said it any better.

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It's not about easy or hard, it's about how lazy you are.

Once I decided to be too lazy to go and check how much of the path dropped off and took a different path - at least half a mile out of my way and ended up in knee deep mud. The path I thought quit? I easily hopped across it on my way back.

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I ALWAYS have to find a cache the hard way it can be 20 feet from me but I will walk across the fallen tree and jump back across th ecreek before I find it. It is a sort of joke between the group that I will cache with that we have to make everything harder than it sould be. :blink:

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Instead, we got 250 feet from the cache and discovered a lake in our way. The vote was 2 to 1 to try to find a way around the lake and to the cache. How hard could it be, right? The lake didn’t look all that big and there was probably a path around the outside of it. We headed to the right.

 

We should have gone left.

 

There was no path.

 

The lake was pretty big.

See .. all that walking when a quick swim would solve your problem :blink:

 

.. no, I'm serious!

 

10 minutes in the water vs. 2 hours in the sticks ... easy one! :lol:

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Oh Ya - but the map doesn't show much - and the directions say take the most direct route - to me that says follow the GPS - NOT! That was a real mistake - he meant the trail! That is not direct in my mind.

 

I'm basically lazy and the shortest is usually my choice - until I started caching - NOT! I now follow the trail as much as I can. Bushwacking is hard work - and can be dangerous too.

 

The topo maps help.

 

:blink:

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When there is a trail, I follow it. It's always easier and often quicker. I never plan for an off-trail route unless I know there is no trail -- then I do my research, use topo maps and plan a route that I download into my handheld.

 

Just to put this in context, I'm used walking in remote wilderness areas with 10-25 km distances. It's a different situation in different areas. Your situation may be different where you live.

 

You also have to be sensitive to the land, whether you are in an urban or wilderness area. It's amazing how fast a few people following a route can start erosion or damage vegetation and streambeds, not to mention animal and/or fish habitats.

 

If you're going to be a low-impact land user, stay on the trails unless you have to go off them.

 

In similar vein, I think it is irresonsible to place caches in areas where people would have to cross sensitive terrain or bushwhack heavily. Even in areas where there are no trails, there are always more environmentally friendly routes to take -- old creekbeds, rock formations, gravel or scree, etc.

 

Regards,

Anthony

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Have you ever looked at the map when planning your next cache and thought, "why walk up the trail when I could climb those rocks or walk across that creek?".

When you travel off-trail, you negatively impact the area. Most forest and park areas controlled by some governmental agent have restrictions about venturing off trail. On privately controlled lands, thats another matter.

 

On a related topic, I own a 4WD truck and go out 4x4'n all the time. People that drive their vehicles/motorcycles/ATVs/etc off marked trails are destorying the land and ruining the experience for others.

 

Please be smart and stay on the trail. Also, if you see somebody else travelling off-trail, EDUCATE them about what they are doing.

 

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Edited by ShowStop
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Like the picture posted above I have learned that for the most part there is always a trail and to follow it. Being a jeeper I have tried to maintain the letter of the Tread Lightly following. Sometimes though it is NOT wise to approach a wheeler that is drunk and in a sensitive/off trail area; a picture can speak volumes and having a gun waved in your general direction in never fun.

Back on topic- I'll admit though that in my geocaching infancy I have bushwacked out of being lost where no trail could be seen and the drive to find the cache.

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