OK guys & gals. This is my first attempt at a Wherigo cache, and I'm as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Let's hope it works!
This quest is a tour of 10 natural, free flowing springs I've located within the forest. At the end of your journey, you'll be guided to an ammo can. The Riffster Clan has long been fascinated by natural springs. Watching the bountiful water flowing from the heart of the earth, it's easy to see how native peoples from all over the planet viewed them as magical and mystical places. Many theologians argue that the creation principles of our world's most prominent religions stem from older, aboriginal myths based upon free flowing springs. Even if the closest you've ever been to spirituality was in college, kneeling in front of a commode, praying you, (or your partner), weren't pregnant, you should still be able to appreciate the beauty of these locations.
How it works: This is a Wherigo cache, requiring a Garmin Colorado or other comparable equipment, such as a smart phone, with an applicable Wherigo app. Go to the Wherigo website, at the below link, and you'll get a down-loadable "cartridge", which you'll install into your device. This cartridge is a series of zones. As your device senses that you've entered each zone, it'll display information, telling you where to go next, not unlike a virtual multi cache.
https://www.wherigo.com/cartridge/details.aspx?CGUID=7c61d069-8376-4687-8eaf-8b8d35e3ea0f
This patch of nature sees very few visitors, so there are still lots of critters about. During my journeys building this cache, I encountered black bears, deer, otters, raccoons alligators and various snakes, to include a couple venomous ones. Because I journeyed mostly in shorts, I also became quite intimate with chiggers and ticks. Long pants, snake boots, insect protection and a pokey stick should be required equipment.
The D/T rating was based upon the assumption that you'll be driving to each parking area, which will give you a total combined hike of around 4.5 miles. I know some folks are just crazy enough to actually enjoy hiking, and will park at the entrance, hoofing it in. For those folks, the hike will be 20+ miles. How to enter: As you drive down the main access road, you'll come to a pay station. Go to the Reserve America website, and pay the day use fee of $2.00. Ahead of you, you'll see a locked gate. If you call the Division of Forestry, at (352) 360-6675, you can get a free vehicle access permit, including the gate combo. If you do this ahead of time, they'll E-mail it to you. You'll need to have this permit available, while in the forest, as they do check on folks in there.
As a further bonus, each of these 10 springs is listed as a Waymark. How kewl is that?! You get an amazing natural experience, a Wherigo find and 10 Waymark visits, all in one trip!
http://www.waymarking.com/wm/search.aspx?f=1&uid=4a13a182-83b0-41c4-9c89-ec29a141a163&st=126&wft=2
Good luck! -Sean
(FTF prize is a 1959 silver Canadian half dollar)