On the Seventh Day of Christmas, mrGreen317 hid for me, a two-stage multi starting at a birch (?) tree!
Welcome to the Twelve Multi(cache)s of Christmas (12 MoC). Each cache is a simple two-stage multi leading to a small-sized latching box in one of our fine PA state game lands (SGL).
While the retailers are packing away the Christmas wares for 2019, the traditional Christmas season actually runs from December 25 through January 5, the "Twelve Days of Christmas". Here are some mulit-caches hidden for the Twelve Multis of Christmas to grab this Christmas season or any other time of the year when geocaching is on the day's agenda.
For this cache series, be sure to note both the design on the stage one item as well as a printed code on the final stage logbook. These notes may come in handy for a future cache to be published.
This cache location is designed to be a new exploration of the area beyond another SGL gate in this section of SGL 108. Parking should be available near the provided parking coordinates, just outside an SGL gate. There is ample parking space for your vehicle outside the gate, so please do not block the SGL gate or SGL road when parking.
A search was made for an evergreen tree for stage one, but such a tree was not located in this area. A kind-of interesting final stage spot was located for the latching cache container, so a nearby tree was chosen for stage one (I think it might be a birch). Along the way, a muddy side trail provides a short climb to a pretty view. That is not part of finding this cache, but a waypoint is provided for it if you want some extra hiking and exercise after (or before) locating the geocache. (Sturdy hiking boots are recommended, as the path going up there may be very muddy.)
Vegetation Note: Since these caches are hidden in SGL in the non-growing months, it is always possible that access may get more challenging during late spring and summer growth seasons. When considering hide locations, an attempt was made to minimize this potential issue as much as possible, but when searching in the late spring or summer, just keep this in mind. Good, sturdy hiking footwear and possibly long pants (not shorts) are a good suggestion. Always be on the lookout for wild animals and ticks in the game lands. With this cache, the stage one might be the more challenging location in higher growth. The final stage is right along the SGL road/path and will likely be less of a problem.
This cache is located in state game lands, so PLEASE observe all state game land rules and wear orange during hunting seasons. During the primary hunting season, finding this cache is recommended on Sunday only.
Warmer weather could mean ticks are present, so please be watchful. Ticks pose a potential health risk, so please be sure to check that any ticks are removed from one's person after seeking the geocache.
Series Information of Note
- Each of the Twelve Multi-caches should have a stage one ornament hanging on a tree or similar object at the posted coordinates. To find stage two/final, replace the decimal portion of the north and west minutes with what you see affixed to the ornament at stage one. (See below for an example with this cache.)
- Each stage one has the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, or 8 incorporated into the ornament hanging wire, but "SIX" or "NINE" will be spelled out in letters to avoid confusion should the digit of a '6' or '9' be turned around, in which case it would be hard to know which is the correct number. At any given stage one, a '1' could look like the "I" in "SIX" or "NINE", but in each case, it should be obvious when there is an "I" or a "1" based on context.
- The log book in each final stage will have a code word, something that might relate with Christmas traditions. You will want to make a note of both the ornament design at stage one and this code word in stage two to get you the needed information for a future "final" geocache.
- FTF on each series cache: There is a small ornament for FTF that either matches stage one's ornament or is somehow thematically connected to it. Since not all FTF gifts exactly match the stage one ornaments, it is suggested that FTF cachers make note of the stage one ornaments for their records if seeking the series "final" cache. FTF will also have a different code word labeled on the FTF gift bag, a code that is different from the cache final's code word. This code is unique to the FTF gift and can be used to claim other additional prizes at the conclusion of the 12-days series. More information will be forthcoming.
Example for solving to stage two: For this cache, the posted coordinates for stage one is at: N 40 40.455' W 78 36.155', so to find the stage two, you would assume N 40 40.??? and W 078 36.???. To fill in the question marks, look for some numerical information at stage one, something that would give you three numbers to go with north and three numbers to go with west to replace those '?' in the previous coordinate formula.
A congratulations on FTF goes to MrBee&WillowTree . Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Merry Christmas from the Green-Hippo household!
(mrGreen317, Sage-Hippo, and littleEEE)