Postpile's Fear Factor Adventure Multi-Cache

If you suffer from acrophobia, aquaphobia, arachnophobia, claustrophobia, entomophobia, herpetophobia or ophidiophobia you may want to put this one on your Ignore list.

Seriously, this 5 to 6 mile (loop) bushwhack in the swamp will subject you to the dangers of snakebite, spider bite, alligator attack, drowning, a nasty fall from a tall tree and you could get stuck in a small place. It is not unusual for people to become disoriented and lost out there. During the summer of 2011 several search and rescue efforts were launched here, each involving 50 or more rescue professionals. The lost souls spent an unplanned night or two in the swamp, eventually being found alive. In addition to the natural elements you will be dealing with some tricky cache stage retrievals. For safety’s sake, dependant on your climbing skills and comfort level with unsecured exposure, you may want to bring some climbing rope. Especially true if you are vertically challenged. If you weigh more than 200 pounds you may want to bring a smaller assistant. However, several 200 pound plus cachers have successfully accomplished the squeeze.

For those still interested, the rewards include satisfaction from facing your fears, a high probability of numerous wildlife sightings, experiencing a Florida swamp in all of its glory and as my father would say, “a sense of accomplishment”. Although, I think he was referring to finishing chores, not finding caches.

Explorers that are willing to wander could possibly avoid wet feet in times of extreme drought with the exception a mandatory crossing of the Hillsborough River. To eliminate the river crossing take a canoe or kayak and ditch it in the woods along the way. However, a true adventurer will wade or swim across the river while keeping an eye out for hungry gators. The journey becomes a bit more challenging at the river crossing and beyond. When crossing the river a visible sand bottom is a good thing. There are many options, some better than others. Best case scenario - plan on a water depth of about 3 feet when the gage at Morris Bridge reads 24 feet. Check current gage heights here. Water levels at the gage very rarely (as in only once or twice over the past 40 years) drop below 23 feet but normally will exceed 28 feet at some point each year. Update March 2022: The USGS is in the process of updating their datum to NAVD 1988. Using U.S. Army Corps of Engineers software, the number representing NAVD 1988 in this area calculates to be 0.85 feet lower than the corresponding number for NGVD 1929. Comparisons of the two datums on the USGS webpage for this site would suggest a difference of one foot. Therefore a desirable gage height of 24 feet in the old datum (NGVD 1929) will roughly correspond to an elevation of 23 feet in the new datum (NAVD 1988). For the remainder of 2022 you should be able to see both datums for this site on the linked USGS webpage.

Those brave enough to tackle it solo may want to report their position by cell phone to a trusted (non-cacher) friend before attempting some of the more dangerous feats. With the exception of the river crossing, do not expect anyone to discover your twisted corpse if you injure yourself. Unlike the TV show, there are no safety nets out there. Some may find the adventure only mildly dangerous but others will be better off living vicariously through logs posted by others.

Although the difficulty and terrain are legitimately rated 5 stars, using the hints should reduce the difficulty substantially (to about a 3.5). Some stages will be relatively easy to find, others will be much more difficult without decrypting the hints. PLEASE… No spoilers in your log. Let those who follow benefit from experiencing the full adventure.

Appropriate graffiti is welcome at the final cache. In addition to the traditional log book, feel free to monument your success by adding your signature to the outside of the ammo can with the enclosed Sharpie or marker. Or, for you artistic folks, bring your own paint and small paintbrush to add your colorful signature to the drab green can.

Most importantly, be safe and enjoy.

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