Cache In the woods (was with benefits) Traditional Cache
CC: Had a good run. Time to free the area.
Cache In the woods (was with benefits)
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(other)
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The cache is a bit off trail and requires some navigation through the brush and trees.
For some time I have been venturing to parts of the park not normally visited. I weather rain, wind, fend off snakes and pick off ticks. I navigate along pig and deer trails, get freaked out by dead deer bones, weave around and through poison oak and suffer nicks, scratches, cuts and bruises. This is all in the pursuit of going somewhere different and maybe finding something interesting. Much of the time I look up and see some high point and think "I should go up there" and sometimes, I do.
A year ago, I ventured off trail following an old road then an animal trail until the trail became unwise to continue on. On the way back to the main trail, I placed a cache assuming I would post the cache as a traditional. I continued on a couple more miles and ventured off trail again after I spotted what might be an interesting place to explore. I found it really interesting and placed a marker on a tree with a hand written code. The cache became a multi or puzzle. Time would tell. Over the next few months, I visited a few more interesting places placing similar markers with codes. I narrowed the stages from eight to three plus the final. I waited about six months and checked the stages and found 3 of 4 still as placed. Stage one was missing and was my fault for not securing it better. It might still be there but I could not find it. So, I replaced it. If you find the original, you will know.
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The original idea was to have you, the intrepid cacher, access multiple areas of the park, venture off trail up and down hill and maybe want to open a beer. You would have to be a serious Almaden Quicksilver cacher ready to test your fitness to finish this cache!
Unfortunately, there are some slight discrepancies with the cache placing guidelines and these places are too close to physical caches and thus, you don't have to find any codes or visit these places.
About the final location. I strolled up from the Mockingbird trailhead and followed a well worn foot path off trail a short way. Just a few feet past where most folks stop, there was an old road which was very overgrown. On the edge of the road I could see two knobs before me. The trail I was on weaved through the brush onward. The other was well used animal trail that went off to the right to the other knob. I was torn on which know to explore but eventually carried on forward. i was able to weave through the brush and avoid contact with just about everything. There was no poison oak to dance around so I continued on quite a distance as I found nothing exceptional about the knob other that it was new place to explore. On my way back I stopped at a tree that I found interesting on the way in. i examined the tee to find a perfect sized opening to slide in my bright yellow beach floaty. I tied the lanyard around a branch that was against the tree and slid the container into the slot. Coordinates were average 10 minutes, and verified another day.
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