On the Ninth Day of Christmas, mrGreen317 hid for me, a green bucket under an SGL Christmas tree!
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 an invigorating hike up the hills of this SGL above the beautiful Clearfield Creek Valley below (with nice views along the way). There are caches from two other years of the Christmas series, the 2017 gate series, and the 2019 multicache series. This cache takes you just a bit farther up that hill from last year's multicache stages. Parking is suggested at the 2017 12 Gates of Christmas, Day 3, GC7GA0T cache. Please be sure not to block the gate or the SGL road with your vehicle (there should be ample parking to the left of the area in front of the gate).
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 parking coordinates, proceed past the SGL gate walking uphill along the main SGL road to the multicache: The 12 Multi(cache)s of Christmas (12 MoC): Day 12 (GC8H4DC). Just past the stage one hanging ornament of that cache is an SGL side path that goes uphill to the left (see provided trailhead waypoint on this cache listing if needed). Proceed up the hill along this side path past stage two of the multicache, which you will pass on your way (if you have not already solved and found that one from last year, you could consider searching for that one as well when you find this bucket). Going on past that multicache's final stage a bit more uphill, the SGL trail will come up to a wider trail, where you will turn left and head towards the powerline towers seen in the distance (that is "THE power line" that crosses the ridges of our region across a number of SGLs and even has some caches along it at various points to the east of here). About 420 feet past where you met the "wider trail", along the left side of the trail is a nice looking SGL Christmas tree, with branches covering all the way from top to the ground. The bucket is under that tree, close to the trunk, covered from view with the tree's branches. Avoid searching around the very back of the tree due to thorns. An approach should be found as you leave the path and head over to the tree, near, but not directly at the back of the tree. If you push some branches aside, the bucket should be there, just like a nicely-wrapped present awaiting an eager, expectant geocacher under this tree...
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)