San Bruno Mountain Alternative Multi-cache

San Bruno Mountain State and County park is a landmark of local regional significance, standing as a unique open-space island surrounded by adjacent urbanization. Over 2,000 acres of rugged landscape offer excellent hiking opportunities and outstanding views of San Francisco and the central Bay Area.

There are already a few caches on San Bruno Mountain - why another one? Well, this one offers a different experience than the others. It is a relatively flat walk to the cache. There are picnic facilities on the way, and while the view isn't quite as good as the others, you also don't have to hike 4 miles and up 500 feet of elevation to get there!

You will, however, have to pay attention to where you are going, because to find this cache, you need to do some observing, and some math.

San Bruno Mountain State and County Park is run by the San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Department and so the usual San Mateo County rules apply - park closes around Sunset, and no pets allowed. Bikes, however, are allowed. Parking is off Guadalupe Canyon Parkway. You can park for free on the side of the road. There are posted no parking signs there, but lots of people park anyway. Do so at your own risk and PLEASE be careful crossing the road. If you enter the park gates, you will be charged $5 for parking. Remember that there are at least 3 geocaches within the park, as well as a picnic area. There isn't usually a ranger at the gate during the week, so you pay on the honor system. San Mateo County does a good job with their many parks though and I personally think that the $5 parking fee will be well spent if you choose to pay it. You can also purchase a San Mateo County Parks Pass for $60 which gets you into all San Mateo County Parks for a year.

The cache is not located at the co-ordinates listed above!

To find the cache, use the following instructions: Wherever you park, find the big metal gate marked "Day Camp Gate" (it's just past the gatehouse near the entrance of the park) - With your back to the gatehouse, the Saddle Trail passes in front of you from left to right. Turn right, and follow the paved path. Before you start though, you need to start looking and counting the signs along the path. To give you a start, right near the gate, there is a sign adjacent to the trail that says Saddle Trail with a double-headed arrow - that's your first sign worth 1 point. You need to count this and similar signs from this point to the co-ordinates listed above. To ensure that you are on the right path, follow (and count) the signs for the Saddle Trail. It will start on a paved path, lead through the picnic area, become a a gravel path, and then become a dirt path as you leave the picnic area. Use the chart below to tally a score which you will need to find the actual cache.

Some notes:

• If multiple, identical or almost-identical signs are on the same signpost, they count as one sign. For example, if a post has a Saddle Trail sign on two sides, only count it once. Also, the Joggers signs may have different numbers on different signs on different sides of the same post- count them as one sign.
• There is at least one post with two or more DIFFERENT signs on it (for example the saddle trail sign and the bike sign) be sure to count them both in those cases.
• Do not count signs that are just visible from the path, only count signs that are directly adjacent to the path (within 2-3 feet or so).
• STAY ON THE MAIN PATH until you get to the co-ordinates above. There are several shortcuts on secondary paths, but you will miss some signs, and will not have the right co-ordinates to the actual cache location.

OK, now add up your points once you reach the co-ordinates. There will be an obvious item at the co-ordinates to let you know you're there. If this item is a post, add an additional 3 to your score. If it is a concrete bench, subtract 3 from your score. If it is neither of these, leave your score alone. Now, use your score to look up the location of the cache in the following table: (you can use the first hint (encrypted) below to clarify your count)

Now that you have the location of the cache (hopefully the CORRECT location) - take a few moments to enjoy the view. On a clear day from here you can see (the former) Candlestick Park, the Cow Palace, the Bay Bridge, the Financial District of San Francisco, the San Mateo Bridge, Oakland, Berkeley, and Sutro Tower. Admire them for a moment (or not if it's foggy) and then head off. Some things to remember:

• PLEASE note that the cache is within 5 feet of a primary or secondary trail. If you are trekking cross-country STOP - you're going the wrong way. Please stick to established trails.
• The cache is not down a steep slope, nor is it in those prickly gorse bushes. If you think your GPSr is leading you that way, something's wrong.
• Do not post the actual cache location in your log entry - even if you encrypt it.
• There is a disposable camera in the cache. Please take a photo of yourself and/or your caching companions. If you take the last frame, please just note it in the log and I'll replace the camera, develop the photos, and post them here. Please do not take the camera.

Other original cache contents: two laminated Canadian $5 bills, some glowsticks, two AA batteries, an eyeglass repair kit, a miniature deck of cards, a mini Dilbert book and some Get out of Hell Free cards.