This event is Dedicated to a truly HARD CORE crew of cachers from Ohio!

Get ready and get set for another challenging Hard Core Event!  Those who dare will be journeying into a very wet swamp in search of five [5] Traditional and one [1] Multi cache.  There’s safety in numbers when venturing into the swamp so come on out and join the crowd…besides the gators enjoy a little variety in their diet.

The 5^th Annual Hard Core Event is scheduled for Saturday, March 19^th beginning promptly @ 8am and lasting until approximately 12noon, or until the last cachers drag themselves out of the muck.  The weather will have no bearing on the event…literally is gonna happen no matter what the weather is.

WARNING: The terrain for this event and the caches that you will be attempting IS very treacherous so keep that in mind.  You will likely encounter a lot of marshland, briars, smilax, 7’ tall cat-tails, ticks, poisonous plants and/or reptiles and with a little luck perhaps an alligator…or two.  There are many downed trees in the area and large holes where stumps burned out from a fire that occurred years ago.  In some areas the ground is quite soft even though it may appear solid or firm.  It is possible to sink in up to your knees at least if you aren’t careful.  I would recommend a walking stick/pole to be used as a probe to test the area where you want to step.  Or…..stay at the end of the line and watch where everyone else steps…HA HA.

ENTER THE SWAMP AT YOUR OWN RISK DURING THIS EVENT AND DO NOT BRING CHILDREN.  YEARS AGO A CACHER TOOK A 12-YEAR OLD WITH THEM TO ATTEMPT ONE OF THESE CACHES ON THEIR OWN OUTSIDE OF THIS EVENT. THE CHILD MADE CONTACT WITH A WATER MOCCASIN AND WOULD LATER LEAVE THE SWAMP IN AN AMBULANCE. HE WAS RUSHED TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL WHERE HE WOULD REQUIRE SEVERAL DOSES OF ANTIVENOM.  YOU ARE ENTIRELY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY AND SURVIVAL ON THIS EVENT.  NEITHER THE ALABAMA STATE PARK SYSTEM, THE CACHE OWNER OR GEOCACHING.COM [GROUND SPEAK] ARE LIABLE FOR ANY INJURIES INCURRED DURING THIS EVENT.

There are no snack kiosks or water fountains where we are headed so bring plenty of what you need in order to keep your energy level at its peak.  A BIG breakfast is a good preparation but you’ll quickly discover that you are either thirsty and/or a little hungry when we reach the midway point.  This is NOT your typical “walk in the park” by any means.  I look forward to logs where people mention how many steps they took or calories they burned via the data they get from their wrist devices.

Event Day

Find a place to park while at GZ and we’ll form up into a group for introductions and a brief Q&A.  Afterwards we will break into two [2] groups.

Group 1 – consists of cachers that want to seek the five [5] Traditional caches and then vote en route as to whether they want to attempt the one [1] Multi.  I find it best to make that decision as a group once we are almost finished with the Traditionals because you’ve already made it more than halfway and might feel more empowered to knock them all out while you are there.

Group 2 – will consist of cachers that are only interested in going after the Multi.

Group 1 Route:

A. They will walk approximately 1.1 miles down the asphalt paved trail known as Gulf Oak Ridge Trail; this is considerably the easiest part of the day.

B. From this point we will search for either a fire trail or path that will take us down the steep incline into the marsh.  Our destination is Hard Core - Dragonfly [GC3335E].

C. After Dragonfly, things seem pretty easy for a while.  Next in line is Hard Core – Island [GC3336Q].

D. After this you will make your way, mostly along a tertiary dune to Hard Core – High Ground [GC3337P].

E. Up to this point it has pretty much been all fun and games and you might be wondering what all the fuss was about.  From here things tend to get really ugly, really fast.  You will go through deeper and just a bit slimier swamps here than any other part of the journey.  The goal after all is Hard Core – You’d Have To Be CRAZY! [GC34EEW].

F. Now a decision needs to be made.  Have you had enough and believe you have tempted fate long enough or do you want to go for GOLD and get the Multi Hard Core – Just Plain Mean [GC5030W]?  If so, then we will save Hard Core – Cold Feet [GC471W0] for last because it will be easier that way.  If not, then prepare for some deep water wading as you head for Cold Feet and make your way out of the swamp.

G. Once out of the swamp all that is left to do is find your way back to your car.  I would encourage you to travel NW along Park Road 2 to get back to the starting point where we all met to begin this madness.

Group 2 Route:

A. Begin at GZ and walk SE along the road until you reach another road to your left located @ [N30 16.067 W087 39.014].  Take a deep breath and plunge into the swamp wherever you please.  There may be a Geo-Trail from last year’s exodus still visible.

It will be up to you from this point forward.  At each stage you will find a “pre-form” zip-tied to a bushy thing that was green when initially placed.  The final stage is a 30 cal ammo can.  The total number of stages is a secret as requested by the original cache owner.  The route you take to get each stage is up to you.  Your success is up to you and your team members…it is after all named Just Plain Mean for a reason.