the hermit crabs: We went to pick up the cache today. As we crossed the bouncy plank bridge, we heard lots of voices coming from the cache site -- it turned out to be the final group of finders, who had arrived just minutes before the container was to be removed. Good timing!
We're amazed that previous cachers had been so strong and so persistent that they were actually able to un-weld the lid and open it the "normal" way! (For those who did not see it in its original form: the cache was an elaborate joke; our brother-in-law Bill had welded an ammo can shut and had cut open a secret panel in the bottom, held in place by a very strong magnet. The name "The other end" was a hint for how to open the cache, and the publishing date of April Fool's Day was another hint that the container was a joke.)
Thanks to all who found it!