The Twelve Labors of Hercules: Labor Ten Traditional Geocache
The Twelve Labors of Hercules: Labor Ten
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
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 Ten: The Cattle of
Geryon
In creating monsters and formidable foes, the Greek mythmakers used
a simple technique of multiplication. Thus Geryon, the owner of
some famous cattle that Hercules was now instructed to steal, had
three heads and/or three separate bodies from the waist down. His
watchdog, Orthrus, had only two heads. This Labor took place
somewhere in the country we know as Spain. The hound Orthrus rushed
at Hercules as he was making off with the cattle, and the hero
killed him with a single blow from the wooden club which he
customarily carried. Geryon was dispatched as well, and Hercules
drove the herd back to Greece, taking a wrong turn along the way
and passing through Italy.
... and now onto the cache!
This cache is located atop the Rabbit Ears Plateau in the Organ
Mountains just east of the city of Las Cruces. As you can see, the
weather is not always conducive! The cache will require some rock
hopping and navigation of steep rocky slopes that can be loose and
dangerous for the unprepared hiker. The hike to find this cache
takes the intrepid traveler through a wonderful cornucopia of
manmade structures and beautiful natural settings.
Directions to the TH. From US 70 east of Las Cruces and just west
of San Augustin Pass exit at NASA Road and head south on Baylor
Canyon Road. 3.7 miles after turning onto Baylor Canyon Road you'll
find a cattle guard immediately followed by a road heading east
into the mountains. It is possible to drive this road for an
undetermined distance (depending on your vehicle), but it gets
rough quickly and it is better, IMHO, to begin the hike near Baylor
Canyon Road.
From your parking spot, follow the old mining road past an old hut
(Topp Hut) and to an old mining area that currently hosts another
geocache. From this mine area (watch out for open mine shafts),
follow a use trail NE to the next canyon north of the current
canyon that you are in. Use the waypoint "Use trail" provided for
the start of a nice use trail that leads over to this northern
canyon. Once in this canyon you will follow it NE and then SE as it
winds its way up between Rabbit Ears Plateau and the three Rabbit
Ears. The rest of the journey involves some cactus dodging and rock
hopping as you make your way to one of the best viewpoints in the
Organ Mountains!
Looking east at the Rabbit Ears from Rabbit Ears
Plateau
*** When you find the cache be sure to write down the 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 information about Rabbit Ears Plateau can be found at
Summit Post. .
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre