On the Seventh Day of Christmas, mrGreen317 hid for me, a green bucket near a scenic view and under a fallen tree!
Please NOTE that at times the gate may be open as authorized vehicles sometimes come back this road, but the signs at the gate would seem to indicate that no unauthorized motor vehicles are to go beyond the gate itself. Please do not get stuck behind this gate by driving in and then having it lock behind you. Only pass the gate if a placard has been placed near the gate by the State Game Commission giving explicit permission to travel (and note what dates are listed on the placard for this permission).
Welcome to the Twelve Buckets of Christmas (12 BoC). Each cache is an on-coordinates letterbox-hybrid cache in a festive-colored 5 gallon bucket, all placed in one of our fine PA state game lands (SGL).
On May 3, 2000, a GPS enthusiast named Dave Ulmer "placed his own container, a black bucket, in the woods near Beavercreek, Oregon, near Portland. Along with a logbook and pencil, he left various prize items including videos, books, software, and a slingshot. He shared the waypoint of his "stash" with the online community on sci.geo.satellite-nav..." (text from geocaching.com) Well, you know the rest of the story, and here we are twenty years later!
Since this year, 2020, is the twentieth anniversary year of the origin of geocaching, 12 buckets are to be placed as a Merry Christmas to all our friends in JAGA-land at the close of the year. As has been stated for the past three years of the various 12 ?oC series, the traditional Christmas season actually runs from December 25 through January 5, the "Twelve Days of Christmas". So here is another year-end series of caches hidden for the "Twelve Buckets 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 the specific Christmas-themed letterbox stamp in each of the bucket caches. These notes about the stamp designs may come in handy for a future cache to be published (series final).
This cache location is designed to provide a hike in a new area of SGL (for any Christmas series cache), an area that is starkly barren in some ways, but yet provides for some great scenic views of the Clearfield Creek valley down the back of the Allegheny Front. Parking is suggested near the non-Christmas gate cache, GC7HA89. You will hike past the Stranded (GC7GTCX) stage one vehicle and then uphill towards the view spot (see provided waypoint on this cache page), with the target bucket just up a short SGL side trail beyond that.
If you follow the wide SGL road to the waypoint and turn towards the cache, you will be in state game lands the whole time. Please note there are nearby private/posted lands, so please do not trespass. You will not need to trespass to get to this geocache. Remember that either "Posted" signs or purple blazes on trees may be used to indicate the edge of private land.
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.
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.
Series Information for the Buckets of Christmas
- Each of the Twelve Buckets should have a letterbox stamp in a plastic latching container inside the bucket. Each stamp is different, and the designs will be related to a later series final (aka bonus) cache. PLEASE leave the stamp and inkpad with the latching box in the cache container, either with the log book or somewhere in the cache that is easily accessible. The inkpad/stamp are NOT swag items.
- In the case of a missing stamp, each log book is stamped on the inside cover with the corresponding stamp design for use with the final/bonus cache.
- These caches may be found simply at the published coordinates, like traditional caches, or if preferred, some letterbox-style instructions are provided below, starting from the parking waypoint.
- FTF on each series cache: There is a nice FTF prize with each cache, either in a cloth bag or a cover-stock paper gift box (and labeled accordingly). There will be no additional "FTF Games" at the close of this series as in past years, so all FTF gifts will be collected from each of the caches themselves by the FTF geocacher. An "FTF Leaderboard" for the series may still be used, just for informational purposes. Any additional prizes awarded after the series will be at the discretion of mrGreen317, but these will not look like the online "FTF Games" of past series.
Optional letterbox instructions from parking: From the SGL parking area, hike down the wide SGL gravel road past the gate towards the "Stranded" truck (see cache GC7GTCX). After passing the truck, continue on the road an additional 0.3 miles until you get to an SGL side road/path that leads to the left (see waypoint provided if needed). The view at this side road intersection can be spectacular, especially in winter of the snow on the distant hills amidst the stark barrenness of the land in the foreground before you. Once you have made the turn off the main gravel road, continue uphill on the side road until it comes to a level area (about 240 feet past the intersection of the main SGL road) and the road goes right, with a bit of a stub of road/level open ground to the left as well. Right at the corner of woods adjacent to this upper clear area, you should see a pile of a lot of logs, sticks, and so forth to the left, at the edge of the wooded section. The bucket is hiding behind all that, with a good bit of sticks and more logs for geocover.
A congratulations on FTF goes to ??? . Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Merry Christmas from the 3 "E"s!
(mrGreen317, Sage-Hippo, and littleEEE)