2013 was our busiest Geocaching year yet! We reached 1,000 caches, cached in one new state and 3 new countries! We had our longest streak of 76 days, and started our very own geo-blog. Let's highlight our top 6 geo-moments of 2013 (in no particular order)!
Number 6: Reflections (GCH308)
Reflections was our first night-time caching experience. I happened to stumble upon it while I was headed south on the interstate looking for new, easier caches during a sleet/rain storm. A few days later, I convinced BelgianSquiggy to go out with us for this unique cache.
If you aren't aware of how night caching works, apparently instead of the cache being at published coords, you go to a starting point and follow a set of reflectors toward the cache. Most of the time, the reflectors are arranged in patterns that give you directions (two reflectors on the left side and one on the right might mean turn left, etc.). In order to see the reflectors, it will have to be dark out and you will need a flashlight.
So after dark, we all loaded into the Belgian's truck in Security. We checked our flashlight batteries and away we went! It was a little creepy at first, and probably wouldn't have been as comfortable going after the cache had we not been in a group. Since it had just rained (and looked like it might rain some more), we saw lots of frogs on the trail. We had to have one flashlight out ahead looking for reflectors, while another one was scanning the path below to help us avoid stepping on our new amphibian friends.
One of the many frogs scattered along the path to Reflections
We found it fairly easy to follow the reflections - that is until the end. We ended up walking for about a 1/4 mile without another reflector before we turned back around and try to find what we missed. Upon returning to the last reflector, we walked just a few feet down the path and noticed a geotrail. We shined our lights down the small trail and finally noticed the final reflectors.
Arriving at the end of the geotrail, we split up and looked around in obvious spots for the hide. it only took a little searching and stirring up one snake. It was an excellent cache, highlighting a fantastic cache experience.
Us and BelgianSquiggy on the Reflections trail. Yes, we wore reflective jackets!
Number 5: Cartoon Cache (GC39BWA)Cartoon cache was the third Multi that Juli and I completed together. It was a whole lot of fun and the various stages were extremely unique.
We knew of the park, as we grew up in this area. We hadn't done much caching up here, but decided to give it a shot. It was a little chilly and foggy, so we pretty much had the area to ourselves.
The first stage was actually outside of the park, but still a fairly cool puzzle. Once we figured it out, we decided to pick up the required tools (listed in the cache description), and then continue our search for the next stage.
The second stage was quite difficult to get to. We couldn't quite find the best way to get from where we were to the cache. After some serious soul-searching, we decided to go with what looked like a game trail (though we are in town, so it was probably more like a trail left by kids from the nearby school). It led us over a creek. We got past the creek and headed in what we thought was the proper direction. Of course, once we got to a point to re-check the GPSr, I realized we had gone to far. I saw the likely spot for stage two, and what do you know - we found it.
I don't want to give away the details of the various stages, so I will just say we used one of our special tools and acquired the next clue. All of the clues had a Disney theme - and lucky for me, I happen to have a Disney Encyclopedia for a wife! We deciphered the clue and had a destination for our next waypoint.
All of the waypoints have the same basic theme. Hike into the cache area, use a special tool to acquire a clue, and decipher the clue to find out the next stage. All in all, we hiked in a spiral that totaled of about 1 to 1.5 miles.
The final stage is the actual cache - a rewarding ammo can filled with goodies! We even found some trackables to trade out! This Multi has a little bit of everything - challenging puzzles, fun hikes, and a few unique 'containers' at the various stages. Definitely one to remember!
The view from part of the hike through Cartoon Cache. There was still some snow on the ground in March
Number 4: Brennan7's Sophomore IB Project -- Multi (GC42Y5Q)
This was another exciting multi-cache Juli & I completed together. This one we spread over 2 different days. We started on a Tuesday before a bi-weekly appointment Juli has in the area. We got as far as we felt comfortable without being late to get to the appointment.
The first stage was a great indication as to how awesome this cache would be. The puzzle was just that - a literal puzzle! We assembled the puzzle and soon realized the next set of coordinates was written in permanent marker on the back of the puzzle. After a few failed attempts at figuring out how to flip the whole puzzle over in one piece, I reluctantly disassembled the puzzle while reassembling it upside-down. With the new cords in hand, we continued on to the next stage.
Instead of simply moving on from stage to stage, we found the first stage of another multi which started on the same path, and found a traditional that was just a small distance off of the path. Finally making it to stage two, we found and solved the puzzle at that stage. We then had to turn around to get back to the vehicle to make our appointment. Saving this puzzle for a later date.
Just a little over a week later, we decided to finish up the multi. It was raining (early May rainstorms), but we didn't let that stop us from trying. We made our way to the third stage, solved the puzzle in the rain - and got the cords for the fourth and final stage.
At the final, we were a little confused as to where the cache actually was, and finally found it about 40 or so feet off of coords. To get into the cache, there was a padlock requiring the answer to one of the clues from the puzzle. However, the numbers on the padlock were wearing off. We ended up having to take a few guesses as to the combination, and finally got it open.
After signing the log, we went back to the truck to retrieve a trackable and try to put the symbols back on the lock.. Best Multi we had done up to this point.
Number 3: Alphabet Soup: The Final Dish (GC45EPB)
Alphabet Soup was a great first experience for us. It was our first time completing a cache series in a single day, and it was also our first non-traditional FTF.
We went after this series the day after it published. It happened to publish on a Monday night, and we always have Tuesdays off. One of the fun things about this series is that it pretty much covers the entire city. If you have friends and/or family coming in from out fo town who also happen to be geo-nuts, this series is perfect for taking them all over our fair town. Most of the caches (except for the final) can even be done on a day with bad weather.
There are 26 traditional caches in this series - each named for a letter in the alphabet. Inside each of these traditional caches (I was told by a reviewer they are called "feeder" caches) is a cryptic clue that will help you get the coords for the final. Once you have gathered all of the clues, you must find out how to decypher them into a set of usable coordinates.
We set out in the morning to find the 26 'feeder' caches - hoping we could get a FTF. Each cache we went after, we found at least one signature already on the log (most of the time two, some times up to four!). There was one of the letters toward the east side of town that we simply could NOT find. We spent extra time searching after refreshing the cache data and seeing nobody had found this one yet. After about 30 minutes of searching - we left a DNF log and hoped we could still figure out the clues with one piece missing.
While driving to the next feeder north of us, I got an email from the Cache Owner. She offered help with the cache we couldnt find and left us her phone number for future PAF calls (Phone A Friend). She told us there was an issue with the original location for the one we couldnt find, and was in the process of updating the coordinates to reflect its new hiding spot (some 150 feet away!). After finding one more of the feeders, we went back to find the missing cache. A short search turned up success, however we were the second to find this one. We shrugged it off and continued our journey.
By the end of the day, we had found all 26 traditionals. Just in time, too - as the sun had just finished setting for the day. We stopped at Panera Bread, because all of this talk of soup made us hungry. After ordering our soups, we went back to the truck to grab a notepad. Might as well try to work out our clues while we are eating, right? Organizing the 26 clues was a challenge in itself. Should we put them in the order they were found, or is there a different pattern we are missing? In the end, we used up two full sheet on an old yellow legal pad before the clues starting coming together to form workable coordinates. After double checking our work, we looked up the final location on Google Earth (middle of a hilly, rocky area with no potential to street lights), looked outside at the darkness, and faced a dilema. Do we dare venture out in the cold night to find the final? The snow hasn't even melted from this year's storms, and we haven't gotten FTF on any other caches today, so the odds are against us making FTF on this one. On the other hand, even though we weren't FTF on any of the caches we found, we noticed not one of the other cachers who were before us on the 26 traditionals had signed all of the traditionals, yet. It was possible we were the only ones who had all of the clues! That is enough of a possibility to make us get excited and brave the dark and the snow to go after this final!
A closer look at google earth revealed there may be a trail leading to the cache from a neighborhood cul-de-sac. However, when we got to that area in the dark, the trail was actually a drainage ditch between two homes. We decided to check the slightly longer way (from what we saw on the map). Upon reaching that 'secondary' access point, we quickly realized in was entirely private property. We managed a three-point-turn on the one lane driveway/road and headed back to the original access point.
Parking on the side of the road next to somebody's back yard we grabbed our jackets and flashlights and started making our way for the final. At first there were a lot of footsteps in the snow on the trails above the drainage ditch, assuming from the nearby school. However, they soon faded to just a couple of pairs of tracks. after following the tracks around for a while, and doubling back more than once, we decided to stop following human tracks and follow some deer prints that seemed to be headed in the right direction. Wouldn't you know it? The deer path led right up to the cache! Shivering from a mix of cold and anticipation, we opened the container. All of the listed TBs were still there. We opened the log book, and squealed with glee as we realized we were FTF! We signed the log, traded a couple of trackables, and made our way back to the truck.
One thing we found amazing about this particular FTF was that we were not first on a single feeder cache. There was always one (if not three or four) cachers that beat us to all 26 traditional caches. It was VERY exciting to be the first to find the 27th cache for the final!
Number 2: The Sangres (GC4DGW5)
Our first long-distance FTF! I was bored one night at work and needed to keep myself entertained. I ended up pulling up the search list of caches from my home cords and sorted it by date last found, so the caches that hadn't been found would be at the top. There are a few intimidating ones that have been published for years and not found, and a few brand new caches that I believed were probably found, just not logged yet. I then spotted this puzzle cache. It was perfect! Hadn't been found for a month, and was a puzzle I could solve in my downtime using research from the internet.
Work stayed relatively slow throughout the night, and before my shift was up I had successfully extrapolated a good set of coordinates from the puzzle. The problem was, this cache was a long distance from home, and I wouldn't be able to take a small road trip for a few more days. I hoped I would still be able to make FTF, and stored the cache and new coordinates in my phone.
The next Tuesday, Juli and I had a day off, and I convinced her that a drive out to Westcliffe would be fun. She agreed, as she had crafts she could do along the way, and we never made that particular drive. We headed out - driving straight for this cache without detour - in case someone else was going for it the same day.
We arrived without incident at GZ, and began our search. There were lots of conspicuous looking locations where we thought we would easily find the cache, however our searching turned up no results. We expanded our search radius by 100 feet or so, checking from one fence line to the other. I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as the thought crossed my mind; maybe this cache hadn't been found because it's not here!
Right at the point I thought we were about to give up and call it a wasted road trip, Juli spotted something odd. The smallest detail, in one of the first hiding spots we checked. Upon further investigation, we realized it was the cache container! I'm not giving away the camouflage or the hiding location, just know that this cache is among the best palced and camoed I have ever seen - and I would not have noticed the small detail that Juli noticed.
We signed the log as FTF, claimed our First To Find Reward (a $1 bill) and headed out to grab a few more on our way back home. This cache was very memorable as the first time we have driven more than 15 miles in hopes of a FTF.
Number 1: Warcrack - Stormwind - Meet the King (GC3B349)
I was showing one of my geo-friends (BelgianSquiggy) the Warcrack series I stumbled upon. I had the cache series saved on my phone, so we used his computer to investigate all of the caches. While we were looking at page for the final, he noticed there was a Geocoin in the cache that hadn't moved for a long time. After looking at the logs for the traditional 'feeders' leading to the final, I tried to let him down softly - there was a good chance that the clues leading to the final were lost forever. Well, apparently I didn't do so well at quelling his desire to find that trackable, as the next time I met him to go caching he said the thought of that coin being lost haunted him.
Off we went on a quest to retrieve this missing coin. The Belgian brought his step-son and went out to a nice trail in fountain where the feeder caches were located. The first couple were easy enough, however the third traditional was the troublesome one. Upon arriving in the area of Ground Zero, we quickly realized where the cache should be. After a tiresome search, involving BelgianSquiggy completely disappearing in a culvert, we realized we were destined to become among the many DNFs for this missing cache. Judging by the location, we all assumed a heavy rainstorm caused high water that destroyed the cache. We continued on to the last feeder in the series, which was rather trashed, however findable. There was no clue on the damp log, and the cache container was quite literally a piece of trash (old Coke bottle). After signing the log, we started trekking back towards the vehicle.
I sent out a mass of messages to previous finders to try to retrieve the missing clues, thinking that maybe they saved them somehow. Meanwhile, we went in search of other caches nearby, just to kill some more time as we try to figure out what to do. While hunting for one near a red caboose, I got a phone call from Hartsdale - the original FTF on the puzzle. He told me he didn't keep the clues, or the coordinates from solving the puzzle. However, he could try to talk us into it, giving me directions like a letterbox. He gave me directions from the caboose, and we were off.
When we got to the area near the final, we were a little freaked out. The place Hartsdale described as GZ was right between two driveways on what seemed to be private property. After a short search, the Belgian pulled the cache out of it's hiding spot. We excitedly opened the cache, and retrieved the lost coin. After signing the log we put the cache back and wondered if we would be the last ones to ever find it. Turns out, we were, the reviewer ended up archiving the cache for lack of maintenance on the feeders. It was a pretty unique experience - however it probably would not have been the same if we hadn't had to use the caching community to help locate the final.
BelgianSquiggy going the extra mile for a find (this pic was actually at an unrelated cache)
And now we begin the year 2014! It took us until after the new year started, but we finally set some geocaching goals. We made 3 goals - and here they are, ranked from easiest to most difficult!
1st: A FTF every month for the entire year. We kind of started this back in July with a FTF near our house. We figure we should be able to keep this up for the rest of the year pretty easily.
Nothing like a blank log to make you smile!
2nd: We are going to have a streak going through the entire year. That's a cache find every day from January 1st to December 31st - 365 days straight! Our longest streak up to this point was 76 days (from our July FTF to our September wedding) - so 365 is going to be quite the challenge.
Nothing like a nice Lamp Post Cache to keep a streak alive!
3rd: The most difficult goal I think we could set, we are going for 2,014 finds in 2014. Our best year was 2013 - and we found 626 caches. As a matter of fact, combining all 4 years leading up to 2014 we barely got over 1,000 finds. This is going to be the toughest goal to reach.
Powertrails sure are going to come in handy!
Wish us luck, as we move forward into 2014 with our lofty goals. I'm certain there will be some fun new geocaching experiences in the future, and many surprises along the way!
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