The Twelve Labors of Hercules: Labor Seven Traditional Cache
The Twelve Labors of Hercules: Labor Seven
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This cache is a singular cache that can be done on its own or as
part of a larger series of caches that make up "The Twelve Labors
of Hercules"
Hercules is the Roman name for greatest hero in Greek mythology.
Like most authentic heroes, Hercules had a god as one of his
parents. Hercules was the son of the supreme deity Zeus and a
mortal woman. As Hercules was growing up he was a victim of a
number jealous attacks and antagonisms that eventually led him to
kill his own children. To atone for his crime, he was sentenced to
perform a series of tasks, or "Labors", for his cousin Eurystheus,
the king of Tiryns and Mycenae.
Labor Seven: The Cretan
Bull
Poseidon had sent a beautiful bull to Minos, the king of Crete, for
a sacrifice. However once Minos saw the splendid bull that was sent
to him, he decided not to sacrifice the bull. This action greatly
angered Poseidon. To punish Minos for his disrespect Poseidon made
the bull rampage all over the island of Crete. In addition Poseidon
caused Minos' wife Pasiphae to fall in love with the bull. As a
result the infamous Minotaur was born and it was eventually shut up
in a giant labyrnith underneath the palace.
For the seventh labor King Eurystheus requested that Hercules go to
Crete, capture the bull, and bring it back to Greece. This labor
proved to be a walk in the park for Hercules. He quickly returned
from Crete with the bull and presented it to King Eurystheus. The
king then released the bull and the bull terrorized Greek citizens
until another hero, Theseus, ended the bull's rein of terror.
... and now onto the cache
The cache is hidden at the top of Robledo Mountain.
Robledo Mountain is the highest peak in the Robledo Range and it
towers over the surrounding farmland and Rio Grande River. The peak
is only 1.25 miles from the bank of the Rio, but it rises nearly
2000 vertical feet above the river. I wouldn't suggest coming
directly up from the river, but I would be interesting in hearing
about it if someone decided to do it!
There are no established trailheads in the Robledos and very few
trails. Your hike to this cache will involve a substantial amount
of off-trail hiking, but the reward is well worth it! Keep your
eyes open for wildlife! I saw a pack of 6-7 javelinas on my hike.
Once again Greg Magee's excellent book "Day Hikes and Nature Walks
in the Las Cruces - El Paso Area" is a great reference for this
hike. In addition I posted a page on Summit
Post that describes the mountain.
*** When you find the cache be sure to write down the two or three
digit code inside the front cover of the log book. That code will
be needed to find the final cache in the series. ***
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ovt nzzb pna whfg bss bs gur fhzzvg... qba'g sbetrg gb rawbl gur ivrjf!
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
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