The Return to the Frozen Swamps of Almey Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

kildonan61: A week early, but with the warm weather it's time to archive this one. Like the last finder, I was barely able to retrieve the cache without getting my feet wet. Wherever there was snow left (and there wasn't any left on the usual geotrail, had to crash through reeds) it meant the sun hadn't had a chance to melt the ice underneath. The snow is disappearing fast though. At the cache there was one little blob of snow left that I could stand on.

Thanks to all who came out and experienced the swamp this winter! This winter there were 26 finders, of which 15 were new to this spot! The other 11 had made a return trip, they were amongst the 28 who found the cache last winter.

The swamp took - Wagonmaker's wind-up led flashlight, and 1pmdw1's phone. The swamp left - those who found the cache with some good memories.

I took - the cache. I left - a bungee cord to mark the spot if I decide to hide a cache here next winter. Depends on what the place looks like after the vegetation gets rearranged again over the summer. And, if someone wants to put a cache in here and leave it year round for those who crave a wet swamp tromping experience, I'm not stopping you.

[This entry was edited by kildonan61 on Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 7:57:46 PM.]

More
Hidden : 12/5/2009
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

Back by popular demand! (The voices in my head all told me to re-hide it.)

If you found the original cache last winter, you can safely ignore this one if you want. It'll go away again in the spring. If instead you want to return, you'll get another smiley (and possible wildlife sighting!)

From last winter's listing: For this [hide] I scoped out a place even I've never been to before. So I'm looking at the city's online property assessment maps and see a big slab o vacant land 4 chains wide, north of Almey Avenue. Why hasn't a cache been placed there I wonder. I checked it out and it looks like nobody's tried farming here in a long time (if ever), the land appears to have sunk in relation to its surroundings (or the surroundings were built up), and it's turned into swamp. At least the part closest to Peguis Street. Further west it gets drier, but that's not as intriguing is it.

In winter everything's iced over of course so no danger of getting wet. Few signs of human tracks. There is a family of deer in the area and there are some noteworthy birds too. When I first placed the cache [in 2008] I saw a woodpecker and a great horned owl in the area.

Unless you're a real masochist you'll want to walk from the parking waypoint and keep north of the treeline before "diving in" to the swamp. North of the treeline is not part of the 4 chain-wide parcel of land but it's vacant too up to a point. That point is beyond the cache but I'm including the location of the property pin as a reference waypoint. As winter goes on and the snow gets deeper it'll be harder to know what kinds of illegally dumped garbage (north of the treeline), stumps and fallen logs (in the swamp) might be underfoot [as of December 2009 there seem to be more fallen logs], so tread carefully! Good luck!

Congratulations to yellow_sunflowers who, despite there being no certificate, and a logbook that had already been signed many times over (it's carried over from last winter), ventured into the swamp to be FTF this second incarnation of the cache.

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