Roosevelt Elk Traditional Cache
dkestrel: Too many replacements required
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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You’d be extraordinarily lucky to see an elk here but I keep hoping...
It seemed like a great day for exploring - sunny and clear, so we headed down to the river. The boat ramp lot was surprisingly empty of the usual group of hard core fishermen. This should have been a tip off that some something was awry. As we strolled along the shore I began to notice other signs of trouble. The deer crossing sign was down and was so dented with ungulate prints it looked like a yellow steel drum. We came across a deserted fishing pole. Not one to pass up such an opportunity, I looked around for something to use as bait. Now Doc thinks I considered using him, but we all know that simply wouldn’t be feasible. I found an old school Beta video tape under a fern and set about crocheting a lure. A tape is long and the lure, when finished, was pretty substantial. I tossed it out and waited. I started to feel gentle tugs on the line and then some not so gentle ones. I reeled madly and was shocked to see a huge set of antlers began to emerge from the still water. As I continued to reel, the head of an elk and then the entire beast rose up in front of me. I was surprised at how little resistance the elk offered. He seemed to know that I only wanted to help him. In fact I started to feel a psychic connection with the creature. (Doc denies this, but I think he was just jealous) I sensed that his bitterness over the proliferation of deer signs in the area with nary an elk sign in sight had finally broken his spirit. He went mad, destroying the sign we had seen downriver. In the process his legs had been so badly cut that he could not run to the forest to hide from the shame he felt over his outburst and had sought the solace of the river not realizing those same wounds would sink him. His story tore at my heart and I determined to help him recover. He was despondent so searching for an apt metaphor, I related the story of Teddy Roosevelt, the failure of his “Bull Moose” party (this seemed to rankle so I moved quickly on) and his rebuilding and refocusing which occurred in part on Teddy’s Elk Horn ranch. This really boosted his spirits and I could see a sparkle begin to return to his soulful eyes. The problem of the injuries still remained. I used the rest of the Beta tape to crochet some support hose and the elk limped off into the forest with the sun glinting off his stylish yet functional leg wear. As he disappeared I murmured to myself “Goodbye and farewell Roosevelt Elk with Beta”.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Nobir tebhaq naq haqre onex. Gval fghzc.
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