Congrats to Ian's Dad for FTF!
It's a shame that many people won't even try to find this cache. Put a couple of words together like "micro" and "woods" and some will just run the other way. Oh well, it's their loss as they won't get the experience the fun of running around the Perdido Water Management Area or even make a day of it by finding several other great caches around.
But some of you out there thrive on the challenge for a just reward of finding what many others can't. Well, maybe this one isn't for you either. You see, I've made sure that since the terrain is so difficult, you'd have the information here to find the cache once you got to the coords.
Ever since I got this little test-tube in a cache I knew that I wanted to use it as a cache on its own. Little did I know that even a small official write in the rain log had to be trimmed down both sides and cut into less than half size and rolled as tight as a log roller can get it to fit in this little puppy. But that's what I had to do. So this is definitely a BYOP sort of situation as well as tweezers and a log roller. Or you're going to be unhappy when you find the cache but can't sign it.
This started out as a 5/4, but I have made sure to try to cut down on the frustration (other than finding a path in) and drop the difficulty.
1. You've got a picture of the actual log container right here on the page. You can see the color (I've made sure it's RED so it'll stand out unless you're colorblind that is) and the type of tree branch that it's embedded in. That is worth a drop in difficulty of 2 points right there alone. So now we're down to 3/4.
2. Then I've given you a hint that tells you the right height to look. You don't HAVE to take advantage of that hint; you can leave it encrypted. But if you do, man, we're already down to a 2/4. Certainly you've found a few 2/4's.
3. And I made sure that the coordinates are exact. Well, you know, as exact as you can get with an iPhone and overhead tree cover. But that's pretty exact. The phone says 16 feet, so...I count that as another difficulty point off. 1/4 now?! You've found hundreds of those right?
4. OK, OK. I hear you. But it's in a densely wooded area 3PB&J! You could have stuck it on any side of any tree! you say. Well, I disagree with that assertion, you can clearly see from the picture which side of the branch it's on. But, hmmmmm. You want one more difficulty point off? How about if I say...It's within a few feet North of a pine tree that's about 8 inches in diameter. There aren't many of those around, so that'll help narrow the search even more. So now there's another difficulty point off. I can't even mark this as a 0/5.
We'll leave it at 1/5 just in case you disagree with any of my difficulty-lowering hints.
The FTF may have it easier than those cachers who follow (though I doubt it), as an unactivated sasquatch geocoin trackable on a chain is sitting right next to the cache container as a prize. If you want to be kind, leave some swag of your own right near the cache that might be appreciated by those yet to find it. That sort of hint I'm willing to acquiesce and have you provide to future cachers. I guess.
But PLEASE, if you work however hard you do to find this cache, don't deprive future cachers of the same joy by posting a picture of the wider area or hinting in your logs how they might find it. I think I have been MORE than generous in providing hints for this one.