Journey
into the Heart of Mordor
So, you may wonder
what all this Lord of the Rings and Bling, Hobbit, Hobbit
-sympathizer, dwarf, orc, Smeagol Nazul, Mordor thing is all
about. Well, if you don't scroll on down you can skip all the
story mumbo jumbo stuff and get right down to the detail about what
we are planning!
It all starting when
an innocent little Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins thought it would be
entertaining to place a few caches to celebrate his young nephew's
exploits to conquer the evil one. They were all puzzle
caches, which ended in various length hikes that involved some sort
of incline. Now all was quiet and peaceful in the land
of the Hobbit-sympathizers. (For the uninitiated, that
implies North Alabama.) That is until the
group known as the Zen Bassmasters happen along. Now some
would come to think of this festive troup as a bunch of evil
dwarves, orcs, and other such vile creatures. Now in reality
they are quite nice, and actually write a very nice blog.
(Check
it out!) They discovered geocaching this past year,
and on their first outing they decided to tackle one of these
puzzle caches Bilbo left out there. To make a long
story short, checkout the logs on the
Lord of the Bling:Fellowship of The Bling
cache. Apparently this led to a small battle
between the hobbit and the Bassmasters over the territory we now
call Mordor, also known by normals as Wells Hill Park.
If you check out the cache listings of several of the caches in
this park you might notice some smack talk going on, but it is all
in good fun.
The Bassmasters and
Bilbo think this is a very interesting and scenic area. We're
hoping to share this with the community by providing a guided tour
through the park, that is a Journey right into the Heart of
Mordor. (Warning, legend has it that Cave Trolls still roam
these hills.....)
So, Let's Get
Down to the Details!
What are we
doing?
As was explained
in the "story" above, we are hunting several caches hidden in
Well's Hill Park, just South of Fayetteville, TN in Lincoln
County. This park is the site for the original water
works for the county, with Wells Creek running through it.
There are several springs and at least a couple small waterfalls
here. This will involve a hike of about 3.5 miles through the
park. Our hike will be along a system of old road beds runs
through the park with hills rising steeply on each
side. For the most part these road see very little
elevation change. You will be able to find
several caches along this road. Some of the caches, however
will require that you crawl up these steep hills, but you can
always choose to watch from below as those other crazy people go
uphill for the slip sliding. In case you are interested in
what caches we will be hitting, the current plan includes the
following GCZG3V, GCZHTQ, GCZC23, GCZDZ6, GCZF9H, GCZGE1, GCZG4D,
GCZBWY, and GCZE47.
We will start the
event at 11:00am at the pavilion at Wells Hill Park, starting with
a meet and greet type affair. We will be breaking into
smaller groups of 5-7 to hunt the caches. Each
group will be led by either a Hobbit -sympathizer or a
Hobbit-Hater. This will allow everyone to enjoy the
opportunity to find each of the caches without the cast of millions
tripping over each other. There will break groups up
according to interest. Those interested in attacking the more
challenging caches will go in one set of groups. Those less
willing to live on the wild side will be allowed to travel in a
saner group. We will start our journey at 12:00pm sharp, so
don't be late.... or least let Bilbo Baggins or a Zen Bassmaster
know so we can help you catch up with the group. When we're
done, we'll head out for an activity that Hobbits, dwarves, and
orcs alike enjoy, that is aside from caching, FOOD! We
will meet at LaFuente's Mexican Restaurant at 5pm just a little
North of Wells Hill Park. Coordinate to restaurant to be
provided. Watch this cache listing for more details.
We will probably
be hiking and caching for 3-4 hours, so bring plenty of water,
snacks, and whatever else you need. Wear comfortable hiking
shoes. Be warned, this park was the water source for
Lincoln County for decades. That would imply the prescience
of much water. Bring a change of socks and shoes, as it is
possible that your feet MAY get wet or muddy. (That is if you
are a Pigpen....) Bring some trade items, as there are a some
nicely stocked caches here too.
So, how do you get
to the park? Well, you would think a group like this
would have no problem, but just in case.... From Fayetteville head
south on 231 - or from Alabama head north on 231. Turn
west on Well Hill Road. There is a little itty bitty sign
right at the intersection. Drive straight on till you
see the small park, pull over park, and you're there.
Please log a Will
Attend log, if you think you MAY come. If your attendance is
tentative, please indicate so in your log. Please indicate
what parts of the event you will participate in, M&G, Hiking
Tour, or Dinner. We need a rough count for planning
purposes. (Please don't let the lack of a log prevent you in
coming.)
Link to Mordor Travel Service: Click
Here!
The Mordor Travel service has maps,
directions and GPX files that will be useful concerning your
journey to Mordor. Please check this web page regularly
for helpful information and tips concerning your visit!
So, to summarize-
hiking, caching, good company, fun - 11am M&G, 12pm Hike,
Well Hill Park, Dinner and War Stories 5pm, 1/27/07
SEE YOU
THERE!
Mordor
Remembered....
Mordor is not in our
part. The memories of this journey is now in our
past. The remainder of this cache listing now contains
various remembrances of this extraordinary journey to Middle
Earth. The logs and pictures in the gallery below
chronicle this great journey, however many of our traveling
companions have skills that extend beyond the ordinary log or
picture. I hope that you enjoy this!
The Zen Bassmasters' Blog of this
Event
Saintseester's Video Log of Dinner