This is a challenge cache which IS hidden at posted coordinates. For the specific challenge requirements to log this find online, please keep reading...
This cache also serves as the final chapter of the ongoing "Geo-Friends Saga", which has included a Mystery cache (GC7A00T), a Multi-Cache (GC7C8G0), a Letterbox-Hybrid (GC7D9TW), and a Traditional (GC7FJJC). This last chapter is also listed as a "Mystery/Unknown", but more specifically, it is a "challenge". Nearby in this SGL 118 are two gold cans, one hidden by mrGreen317 and friends for OddMushroom and one hidden by OddMushroom and green nikki for mrGreen317. To keep with the theme of the final chapter, this challenge is about making that "gold find", the big 1000 milestone.
If you meet the challenge, you can log the find online. If you do not yet meet the challenge, you can still find and sign this physical geocache, but any online logs for geocachers who do not qualify for the challenge as outlined below will be subject to deletion (as per current challenge cache guidelines).
The challenge: Find at least 1000 geocaches of any kind. Your main cache find profile statistic should say "1,000 finds" (or more). It is customary for the challenge cache itself not to count toward the total, however, if you are at 999 finds and would like to log this cache for the milestone number 1000, I am not going to quibble with that, and your log will stand. (Plus with so many other caches popping up in the area, getting another after this to hit 1001 on the same day won't be too hard, so you are probably covered...)
Use the handy challenge checker provided below to easily see if you already qualify or to find out how much further you need to go to meet the challenge.
mrGreen317 has fulfilled the requirements for this gold challenge.
This geocache is located in State Game Lands, so please be sure to observe all normal game land rules and wear orange during hunting season. During the primary hunting season following Thanksgiving, possibly avoid geocaching Monday through Saturday of those weeks. There is no hunting allowed on Sunday, so that could be a safe time to find the cache during those heavy hunting times. Hunters have priority in the game lands, so please be respectful of their presence.
Chapter One
The Legend of Odd Mushroom, GC7A00T, recalls a 'legendary' hike, just before a 'legendary' change-of-caching name.
Chapter Two
From Legend to Lock(e) Ridge, GC7C8G0, introduces two new friends and a fun hike along a scenic ridge.
Chapter Three
Cemeteries, Christmas Trees, Quagmires, and Poker, GC7D9TW, introduces the original geo-friend and recalls fun adventures deep in the fold of Brush Mountain where two of mrGreen317's hiking companions finally got to meet each other.
Chapter Five
This Cache, GC7P2C8, completes the narrative and introduces more geocaching companions related to two gold cans hidden in this very SGL.
On 12/27/16, a sequence of events was commenced that brings us to the final chapter of the 'Geo-Friends' series. mrGreen317 and jax-man (introduced in Chapter 2, GC7C8G0) had been working on a puzzle idea for OddMushroom's big 1000k Gold Can. Not long after those efforts began, green nikki came on the scene (see Chapter 4, GC7FJJC), and she became involved in the process. Along the way, two more friends, r.e.s.t.seekers and ted28285 (introduced here) became aware of the gold can plans through a run-in with jax-man at an FTF for OddMushroom's GC6X977 on 12/19/16. So on a nice, sunny, but cool December day (12/27/16), during the Christmas holidays, mrGreen317, green nikki, jax-man, ted28285, r.e.s.t.seekers and two geo-pups (Rosie and Duncan), headed up a fairly steep and rocky hillside searching for some rocky places to hide a gold can for OddMushroom. The can itself was still not ready yet, so a plastic "placeholder" was put in its place, and mrGreen317 put the final can in place later on in January of 2017, once green nikki had the official can all painted and prepared. That day in December was all about scouting the location and having a nice hike with friends.
As part of the scouting of this gold can, the entire December 27th outing was kept a secret from OddMushroom. There were plans for jax-man, the two 'greens', and OddMushroom to find GC3MJ5W later that day in Altoona (which they did), but OddMushroom was none-the-wiser that the three friends that joined him after he finished work that day had already been together geocaching the entire day, including the scouting hike for a spot for his tribute cache. jax-man and green nikki pretended to "bump into" each other in their logs for that day, and mrGreen317, playing geocaching tour guide to them, refrained from logging any of those caches that day as they drove from Williamsburg back to Altoona and Hollidaysburg for some mostly cache-and-dash geocaching, waiting to meet OddMushroom for the scheduled group cache at GC3MJ5W.
When OddMushroom made his big milestone find for 1000 on 1/21/17 at GCPRGX, just moments after his find, a 'surprise' notification went out on the local group's Facebook page mentioning a soon-to-be published puzzle cache, GC6YJZP, OddMushroom's own gold can that he had no idea was set up and waiting for him. green nikki had sent the secret alert over text message to mrGreen317 that OddMushroom was officially certified "gold", and the new Facebook notification quickly popped up on the phone of a very pleasantly surprised OddMushroom.
On 1/28/17, a week after OddMushroom hit "gold", the same group of hiders re-convened to hike up with OddMushroom to find his gold can, and the associated GC6ZA51 prize can. It was fun to get back together and share another hike, this time with OddMushroom along, who was still amazed that the group kept the whole gold planning a secret from him.
Between those fun days in Dec/Jan and March of 2017, mrGreen317 decided to push toward the gold as well, and with geo-friends jax-man and rawangio (introduced in Chapter 3, GC7D9TW) along, grabbed his gold at GC59AF on 3/12/2017. The speed with which this milestone quickly approached just three days after mrGreen317 logged #950 hit OddMushroom and green nikki a bit unexpectedly, as they had hidden mrGreen317's gold can and were still in the process of finalizing the cache page. But with amazing speed, that geocache (GC70YF9) was published later that night, and mrGreen317 set to work cracking green nikki's rather tricky puzzle (complete with red herrings) the next day.
On 3/22/2017, the hike to get mrGreen317's can was another fun outing for geo-friends as MrBee&WillowTree and 74vwBusFamily (introduced here) joined green nikki, OddMushroom, and mrGreen317 for a walk in the gamelands to find and log that new gold can and allow mrGreen317 to get that "honorary FTF".
So now, here in SGL 118, the scene for most of this final chapter, enjoy your own quest for this 1000-finds challenge. If you have reached that "gold" status yourself, enjoy this challenge cache - it is for you. If you are still working on that milestone, then keep up the good work. We can't wait for you to hit your own gold mark, and we hope that at some point, you will come and log this challenge cache. Maybe bring along a few friends of your own.
What many of us have learned through the events of this past year, 2016 through 2017 and beyond, is that what makes geocaching so much fun, in addition to all the hunting, searching, solving, hiking, and learning, is the sharing of all those adventures with good friends. So this cache is dedicated to all the good geo-friends out there, those met, and those that may still be met down the road. The story is not complete, and if any names have been skipped over or left out, it is not intentional; we have attempted to share some of those memorable moments through these caches, but we certainly hope to continue making more memories and sharing more fun times with more geo-friends who are out there, looking to join in the adventures that geocaching brings.
Happy Caching!
Bonus Eggs: Look inside this cache container for two bonus gifts to the puzzle-challenged geocacher: the final, actual coordinates for both mrGreen317's Gold Can (GC70YF9), a puzzle, and OddMushroom's Gold Can (GC6YJZP), also a puzzle, are inside two plastic eggs in the cache. The green egg contains a slip of paper with the actual coordinates to mrGreen317's gold can and the blue egg has coordinates for OddMushroom's gold can (which is an easier puzzle than that for mrGreen317's can). Copy down what you might need, but please leave the eggs with the coordinates inside this cache container for other geocachers who may come along. Both gold cans are within walking/hiking distance of SGL parking, although in different directions.
Many thanks to OddMushroom for another fantastic paint job on this ammo can. OddMushroom has met this challenge and has his own gold can not too far away (as already mentioned). He has pre-logged this cache before publication during the hiding excursion on 5/2/2018.
Speaking of numbers, this geocache happens to be the 50th cache hidden with mrGreen317's account. Thanks to all the geocachers for making the hiding part of geocaching so much fun!
FTF Gold!
A congratulations on FTF goes to carels, two good geo-friends we have gotten to know from many events around the area. Way to get that after dark FTF!