We wanted to create a night cache that did it all! Mr. Jangles will
take you through the grounds of Ardlock Acres in Dudley, MA. We
were not able to get you in through the main gate as excessive
flooding made the entry trail unpassable. So we’re taking you in
the back door.
We estimate this to be a bit over a mile walk, round trip.
Please make all trade exchange items things that either light up
or glow, are creepy or Halloweenie (no candy) or items that are
skeleton-related. Batteries are welcome for future cachers.
Travel bugs of all kinds are welcome.
EEEEEEEEEEERIE
GREEEEEEEEEEETINGS!
Mr. Jangles awaits you on this creepy night cache. The
coordinates above take you to the parking spot, the secret entrance
to his haunted lair. This cache is on property that is not
owned by the two civilian houses on its edges, but please do not
act suspiciously by shining your lights on/near the houses. Do not
block the trails with your vehicle in case someone needs to get
out, and do not drive your vehicle into the woods (you will
not be able to get out based on the journey we will take
you).
There are multiple trails on the grounds, and no real
bushwhacking is required. Your journey will follow dirt trails,
only having you leave them by a few steps to find the actual
containers. Part of Mr. Jangles’ hunt will have you pursuing
reflecting spirit guides; part of it will be done by using your
GPSr in the dark. Mwah ha ha haaaaaaaa.
To find Mr. Jangles….take the trail that goes straight in (don’t
take the left trail) and follow the glowing firefly spirit guides
on the trees, best observed with a flashlight in pitch dark
shining your light at eye level. At dusk the fireflies do not work
well. When you see triplet lights (on one tree) leading you in a
direction, go there. There will also be another strong glowing
marker there. His lair is within 30 feet of the marker. Mr.
Jangles gives sensible hints on how to best access the upcoming
pursuits, so be sure to read carefully.
Will the haunted aura of the woods sometimes send your arrow in
the wrong direction? Yessssssssss.
Will you sometimes have to walk about 1/3 of a mile thinking
you've missed the trail? Mwah ha hahahahaaaaaaa. Yesssssssssss.
Will you eventually come upon a trail that will get you there if
you listen to Mr. Jangles?
Yesssssssssssssssss. His is the sensible route.
Mr. J will lead you through his domain (mostly in the dark after
the first find, with occasional spirit guide help), and will direct
you to the glowing final (also found in the dark with minimal
firefly help). Ultimately, the spirit firefly guides will lead you
back to your vehicle when your adventure is complete. As a last
resort, you can use the GPSr to return to your vehicle if the
spirit guides let you down. Please note the positions of the
containers as you retrieve them, and re-hide all containers exactly
as you found them, if not better. These are well-populated
trails and we want to avoid muggles finding this cache as we worked
very hard to make it happen.
We recommend bringing the following:
A strong, bright flashlight with fresh batteries for each member
in your party. Headlamps work great and are at the right level.
A spare flashlight
GPSr with spare batteries
Bug repellant (there is water nearby, so we expect some nights may
be buggy)
The cache page printout
An adventurous spirit
A bit of courage, heh
A buddy to go with you, as no one should walk alone in the
dark.
Glowing or skeletal swag, if you wish to trade.
Please mark your parking coordinates, which we conveniently
made the default coordinates on this page to help you find the
parking spot as well as to find your way back to your car. The
track-back feature may be enabled on your GPSr if you feel more
comfortable with that.
No bones about it, very young children may become frightened in
the dark, though older children will love the memorable adventure
and magic this cache provides.
The final is in a medium-sized lock-n-lock box, camouflaged and
with a small reflector on it. We’ve stocked it with glowing frogs,
mini-flashlights, glow sticks, fish key chains that light up when
squeezed, reflector stickers, and a couple toys that light up.
Please keep the glow/skeleton-theme in the cache box if you wish to
trade.
This cache is gratefully dedicated to MUSHTANG, who generously
shared his idea for Mr. Jangles’ eerie code creation.
The hints below are in the order of each of the 3 stages,
and each slash marks a moderate and then easy hint.