Unleash Your Inner Indiana — Raiders of the Lost Cache (GC2HN2H) — Geocache of the Week

The Ark of the Geocachers and its guardian. Photo by geocacher andGuest

Some geocachers align themselves with pirates sailing across the sea in search of buried treasure. Others liken geocaching to being a secret agent on a special mission to recover a coveted piece of intelligence. Personally, I’ve always had an affinity for pretending I’m a certain brown-fedora-wearing adventure-archaeologist on a search for a forgotten artifact. If you’re anything like me, you’re going to enjoy this week’s Geocache of the Week.

Why did it have to be snakes?! Photo by geocacher Uncle Fuzzy
Why did it have to be snakes?! Photo by geocacher Uncle Fuzzy

Raiders of the Lost Cache (GC2HN2H) takes you on a quest that parallels the plot of the movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Even though you (most likely) won’t encounter any gigantic boulders to smash you, bloodthirsty tribal leaders trying to eat you or booby-trapped temples, this geocache isn’t easy. The difficulty is only a 1.5, but the terrain is all the way at 4.5—so make sure you’re prepared. The geocache creator, mikehoffman, tells the story of hiding this geocache, “I like exploring the back parts of the woods off trails. One day I was following a boulder field in the back area of Mount Gretna, and I found a bunch of caves…I found the top entrance to [the cave where the cache is located] first (not really knowing if there was a good way out) and lowered myself in. I looked at the general layout of the room and it really reminded me of the movie. I watched the movie again that week and knew that I had to try to use the cave to recreate it…We got permission from the park…and placed it. We got a ton of really strange looks carrying it through the woods that day. We then had it published and have been doing periodic maintenance since.”

The time and dedication that went into this geocache shows. Over 400 geocachers have earned their smiley and left nearly 300 Favorite Points. Geocacher Pokehead11 had this to say in their log, “Wow! I had heard rumors of this cache. I wanted to experience it myself so when grizzlycacher called to say they were going after the ark I had to tag along. It was worth every scratch, scrape, bump and all of my muddy clothing! Thanks for a great experience!!!!”

Another successful find of the ark! Photo by geocacher cachematty
Another successful find of the ark! Photo by geocacher cachematty

In response to all of the positive logs and incredible reactions to his geocache, mikehoffman says, “The logs are great. Everyone has been extremely positive. I do appreciate all the great logs. I would also like to thank those who have added decorations. I originally recommended people bring snakes since it kind of goes along with the theme and  think people have gone above and beyond. I find a new decoration every other time I visit.”

Geocaches like this one showcase the true nature of adventure, just like our favorite adventure-archaeologist. What is the most adventure-filled geocache you’ve ever found? Tell us in the comments.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@geocaching.com.