Ecolaphobia
Ecola Creek Forest
A Photo / Field Puzzle
THE CACHE IS NOT AT THE LISTED COORDINATES!
Please solve
the following puzzle to find the cache.
IMPORTANT:
The access road to these caches is sometimes closed. Be sure to check
online for the status of the Cannon Beach Ecola Creek Forest Reserve.
Do you experience acrophobia (fear of
heights), orophobia (fear of mountains) or atychiphobia (fear of failure)?
Fear not! None of those should be much of an issue while solving this
field puzzle!
What you can expect is an
easy-to-moderate hike in an exceptionally beautiful area east of Cannon Beach.
Park and start at the posted
coordinates for this puzzle.
This cache is part of a series of
seven caches.
The text and photos below
will be your guide for all seven caches. My iPhone had one or two
bars of service during the hike. It might be wise,
though, to save the caches for offline access or print out the listing
(quite a few pages!).
The route would be an excellent
choice for mountain, gravel or cyclocross bikes. Expect to hike or ride
just over three miles round trip.
Follow the trail of photos, find the
caches and answer
the questions along the way. Your answers will be used to determine the
coordinates of this final cache.
Don't take off on the hike just yet -
there's a kickoff cache to be found! In fact, it's next to the parking lot
as shown above.
Cache to Log:
Ecolaphobia
1 (GC8R34Z)
And you're off on the hike!
Which phobia might be triggered by
the above trailhead sign?
Chiroptophobia - Fear of bats (A = 97)
Pinophytophobia - Fear of pine/spruce
cones (A = 142)
Anthophobia - Fear of flowers (A = 166)
Ophidiophobia - Fear of snakes (A = 122)
A _____
Above: At your next stop, several hundred
feet up the road, avoid inspecting the post closely if you have this phobia:
Betaphobia - Fear of the letter B
(80)
Trianglephobia - Fear of triangles
(133)
Octophobia - Fear of figure eights
(168)
Pentaphobia - Fear of the number 5
(97)
B _____
Next: A Regular (Traditional)
cache:
Cache to Log:
Ecolaphobia 2 (GC8R354)
And, continue to the next photo site:
If you experience philemaphobia (fear
of kissing), use caution around the "mouth stump", shown above.
Be sure to get the right stump/snag -
match the photo! It'll be on your left and not far beyond Ecolaphobia 2.
RED ALERT!
The "mouth stump" was choppped off and is now only five feet high! Watch
for a jagged 5-foot stump on your left with the top part showing saw cuts.
Examine the back
of the stump, about waist level. Look closely and you might need to gently
move some hanging moss. Scream loudly if you experience:
Ranidaphobia - Fear of frogs (195)
Molluscophobia - Fear of slugs
and snails (243)
Sciurophobia - Fear of
squirrels (170)
Spheksophobia - Fear of wasps (116)
C _____
Continuing, your next stop is for
another Regular cache:
Cache to Log:
Ecolaphobia 3 (GC8R35E)
Avoid your fear of slopes and hills
(bathmophobia) and take the left fork here.
For a variation on cache containers,
check out the next Regular:
Cache to Log:
Ecolaphobia
4 (GC8R35K)
Time for another quick puzzle cache,
the posted coordinates for which will take you to the above site.
Which phobia might be an issue if you
were to look under the south side of the table?
Wasps (Spheksophobia) - The cache is at:
N 45 52.866
W 123 56.405
Mosquitos (Anopheliphobia) - The cache is at:
N 45 52.902
W 123 56.367
Ants (Myrmecophobia) - The cache is at:
N 45 52.848
W 123 56.265
Flies (Muscaphobia) - The cache is at:
N 45 52.856
W 123 56.310
Cache to Log:
Ecolaphobia 5 (GC8R361)
Regarding your search for
Ecolaphobia 5, which phobia would NOT be an issue in finding
it?:
Petraphobia - Fear of rocks (191)
Climacophobia - Fear of climbing
ladders (158)
Potamophobia - Fear of rivers or
running water (113)
Microbathophobia - Fear of tiny
caves or caverns (179)
D _____
Continuing on...
Above: Which phobia might be
activated when looking behind the base of the tree (behind a piece of loose
bark)?
Ovinaphobia - Fear of sheep (100)
Ailurophobia - Fear of cats (209)
Ornithophobia - Fear of birds (133)
Swinophobia - Fear of pigs (182)
E _____
Which phobia is represented near the
above?
RED ALERT!!
The blocks above might be covered by a spreading plant.
Eisoptrophobia - Fear of mirrors (182)
Ornithopathophobia - Fear of disease
spread by birds (202)
Cleithrophobia - Fear of being locked
in a confined space (229)
Tachophobia - Fear of speed (275)
F _____
Bonus! As your reward for
chugging up that hill, there's a Regular cache in the above photo!
Cache to Log:
Ecolaphobia 6 (GC8R36G)
Return to the main road and continue
up.
Continue on to the big bend to the
right shown above. Look around the area on the inside of the bend. Which phobia might be activated
there?
Nomophobia - Fear of regulations (211)
Epiplaphobia - Fear of benches and
furniture (121)
Tuberaphobia - Fear of warts (154)
Rhodophobia - Fear of the color pink
(183)
G _____
Which phobia
is represented near the above photo?
Metamophobia - Fear of dead ends
(208)
Peladophobia - Fear of going bald
(285)
Firehydrantphobia - Fear of fire
hydrants (170)
Metrophobia - Fear of poetry (222)
H _____
At the risk of startling those
experiencing bovinophobia, holy cow! It's time to solve the final puzzle
for Ecolaphobia 7.
XXX = The sum of your answers for A
through D.
YYY = The sum of your answers for E
through H.
The cache is at:
N 45 52.XXX
W 123 55.YYY
You can verify your solution
here.
Alternate route for your return trip
(but NOT necessary for finding the cache): On your hike up, you passed a
trailhead sign just after answer "E". You can take that trail on the
return trip, then turn left when you reach the next road and follow the road
back. BUT, it will likely involve wading Ecola Creek which can be several
inches deep. It's a beautiful alternative, though!
Phobias can be serious anxiety
disorders. This puzzle is in no way intended to disrespect that fact.
Enjoy the puzzles and the hike!