Several days ago Olivia and I set forth to place a cache for
Olivia's good friend and Playmate Jack. We constructed a big cache
with a lot of kid friendly toys inside, and took it to the area
where we wanted to plant it (GC2BYVZ). Unfortunately, the cache we
constructed turned out to be too big for the area. Olivia and I
pressed on to possibly find another location for the cache along
the same trail. That is, until we located a little opening in the
bushes to our left. Approximately 150 paces ( meaning the number of
times my left foot hit the ground), farther up the hill is the
entrance to the trail.
Curiosity got the best of Olivia and I, and we headed down the
path. The path seems to be visited every so often, but all the
times that we have been on this route, we never noticed this
path.
Olivia was in her jogger, and I was pushing it for a while. The
farther we followed the path, the more our inquisitiveness grew.
The trail begins with a decline, then levels off, and then there is
a left turn. It was at this left turn that we had to abandon the
jogger and continue on foot. With Olivia in my left arm, we headed
up the hill side.
The path ranges from approximately one foot to three foot in
width. It is mainly composed of loose dirt, and very little rock.
Olivia and I continued up and up and up, not knowing where the
trail would take us. I noticed footprints in the dirt, which means
that it had been traveled recently, and I also noticed some tire
tracks, most likely left by a mountain biker.
Olivia and I continued on farther and farther, until we reached
this spot. Our hike that was suppose to last less than an hour was
nearing the two hour mark, and we still needed to get back.
Suddenly it dawned on us that we were going to have to answer to
not only our tardiness, but our dirt covered clothes as well to the
most beautiful, wonderful, and greatest wife and mother around.
I took three different coordinate readings, however, I am not
positive that these are right on the mark. If you find this cache,
please list the coordinates that your device shows so I can make it
more accurate, in case it is off.
To find the cache, in case the coordinates are off, or you want
to do this without GPS, here is the course of action: Follow the
path from the trail head, and just keep climbing up. You will climb
some very steep slopes, walk some straight-aways, and take several
turns. As you are making you ascension, look for six rocks in a
row. As you are climbing up, the rocks are positioned at the point
of an apex, and they will be on your right. As you make the corner,
and you see the six rocks at your feet, to your right, continue up
the path approximately 20 to 30 feet. On your left hand side you
will see a large plant that is accessible from the path. YOUR FEET
SHOULD NOT LEAVE THE DIRT! Look behind the plant, and you should
see the cache. There is no poison oak near the cache.
The cache itself is a bright red plastic box, approximately 10"
x 6" x 3". It is hidden from plain sight, but if you poke around a
bit, you should find it with no problem. I had attached pictures to
help in the finding of this cache.
There are bugs, snakes, critters, poison oak, and various other
items along the path. When I placed this cache, I was carrying
Olivia in my left arm, using my right to grab and maintain balance,
and I was wearing shorts. When I got home, though I was covered in
dirt, I did not have one bug bite, snake bite, or poison oak
"bite." However, I may have just been lucky, so I am just giving
you fair warning.
I am rating this climb at 4.5, however, please feel free to let
me know if the rating is too high.
THIS IS NOT A KID FRIENDLY AREA. PLEASE DO NOT BRING YOUR
CHILD, EITHER IN A CARRIER, OR WORSE, IN YOUR LEFT ARM!
There are plenty of toys inside the cache, feel free to take
anything you want and pass it off to the child that you wanted to
bring along!