Team Rod & Tod w/KAboom, you've likely seen this name used on
many a hide and find around the Manitou Beach area, we've had our
share of fun! Tod, our friend and caching partner, was killed in a
motorcycle accident Tuesday, August 12th 2008 while on his way to
work...a careless driver pulled into Tod's lane causing him to take
evasive actions which in turn caused Tod's bike to flip, throwing
Tod.
Tod was a caring father, a loving brother and son...and my best
friend and caching partner, he will be and is sorely missed! Tod
was well-known in the caching community (how many of us can
remember that cheerful chuckle, the twinkle in his eyes and that
bright, smiling face???), he has touched many hearts. The world has
lost a great person. Tod wouldn't have wanted us to mourn his
passing, he'd never want us to be saddened because of him...he'd
simply make a joke or do something funny and lift everyone's
spirits...True Tod at his best!
Tod, Kaleb and I (Team Rod & Tod w/KAboom) had worked a LOT
on a super tough 5/5 tree-climbing cache, we made over 5 tours of
the entire multi layout! The total distance from start to end for
the 5/5 would have been over 3 miles of some of the most unfriendly
undergrowth one could find in the Hudson Lake State Park area. The
final was set in a tree which overlooked a quiet pond, the various
stages took us on a tour of some of the most beautiful areas in the
area!
This is a 3 stage multi, it'll lead you to the "end of the
road". The road was flooded when Hudson Lake was formed, the homes
which dotted this roadway were then bought up or abandoned. The
lake is a NO WAKE lake, the fishing is great! Muskie grow huge
here, so bring the proper tackle if you come...and don't dangle
your feet while in a boat fishing!! Hudson Lake offers rustic
camping, a boat launch, beach and picnic areas as well as
playgrounds and even a star viewing "dark" area ideal for watching
the night skies!! Come for the day or longer, enjoy the few other
caches in the park!
WARNING: THIS IS AN ADVENTURE CACHE!!! This cache is in true
form to our Hayes State Park Adventure Series, TONS of poison ivy,
lots of bushwacking and a lot of unfriendly undergrowth!! Although
the main trail is an abandoned road, it IS rugged in spots! You
WILL come in contact with poison plants, you could be eaten alive
by skeeters. Ticks are found here in the spring time ONLY, we did
NOT encounter any ticks during the final hiding of this cache, nor
did we after early spring!!! Cache IS NOT in any tree, no climbing
required for this cache!
Before everyone stops reading and looks for a different hide,
Kaleb and I wore shorts to place this cache! Nurse Nanna and
LadyBee4T also walked the entire hide, even as LB4T was fighting a
bad cold! Wear proper clothing, bring bug spray and walk carefully,
you'll enjoy this if you go in knowing!!
Tod loved coming back here, we spent many a night walking
various sections of this hide! Tod was a night lover, we'd often
plan our visits to make sure we'd be in some of the deeper areas
well after nightfall!! Tod was an avid fisherman and we dreamed of
bringing our equipment back in the near future...this never came
about sadly! NOTE: the small section you will travel for this cache
is only about HALF of what the original hide would have covered, we
really had a bad one planned for you! If you investigate a bit
(read as bushwack your way) to the east of the final, there's a
land bridge separating the main lake from a quiet pond, what a
beautiful area to stand and relax while taking in all that's
afforded here! Another section of the lake is nearby, we stopped
and watched the fish (around 4' muskies) feeding just off shore
during the early spring.
This cache was placed in loving memory of Tod by myself and
Kaleb (Team Rod & Tod w/KAboom), Nurse Nanna and LadyBee4T...we
also had Tod's help as Tod picked a few of the locations himself!
PLEASE, if you have any memories or pictures you'd like to share,
post them with your find!!