Welcome to Huffers Hill! (*gasp, wheeze*)
PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE DESCRIPTION BEFORE ATTEMPTING THIS CACHE!
This short, popular, but strenuous hike is a classic Rocky Mountain National Park destination. The trail takes off from the parking lot of the Alpine Visitor Center, which at 11,796 ft above sea level is the highest Visitor Center in the entire US National Park system. The trail is only 1/3 mile long, but there are many steps and you will end up just over 12,000 feet above sea level. It well deserves its local nickname, Huffers Hill.
There are important things you should know before you head uphill.
1. If you are a flatlander, especially if you have medical problems or just don't feel great, exercise extreme caution. Altitude sickness, and worse, is real and does happen up here.
2. This trail is only open from mid-June through October, weather and snowpack depending. If the entrance to the trail is roped or coned off, the trail is closed. The National Park has given permission for this virtual cache, but any violations of the closures risk loss of that permission and loss of this cache. If I see a log when the trail has been closed, it will be deleted. Do not go around any ropes or cones. Do not (horrors) walk across the tundra; all the area around the trail is permanently closed for tundra protection.
3. You must get to the top and fulfill all the requirements. No smileys for standing in the parking lot, even though it might be sad if the trail is not accessible when you're there. That's just the way it goes in the mountains.
4. Please be aware of THUNDERSTORMS. Do not head up if the weather looks threatening, which it often does on summer afternoons. If you hear thunder, go back down immediately! As the highest thing around, you will be the lightning rod. A smiley is not worth death by lightning. (It has happened in Rocky. It's not just theoretical.)
5. To reiterate from point #2: tundra is precious. Weather conditions up here are harsh, and the growing season is very short. The plants you see are extremely fragile, and you can damage tundra for years with one misstep. STAY ON THE TRAIL!!!
6. And--sorry, but no dogs allowed on this trail, except for bona fide service (not emotional support) dogs.
So how do you claim this cache?
LOGGING REQUIREMENTS--Post a picture as described in A, and message me with the answers to B and C. Logs that do not include all of A through C will be deleted.
A. Since this is a virtual 3.0, post a picture of yourself at the coordinates on top holding up 3 fingers, or if you don't want to include your face, just 3 fingers, or 3 of anything, or the number 3 written on paper, but the picture must be visibly taken at the coordinates and somehow involve the number 3. There's a wooden sign up there that you can include in the background to absolutely prove you were there.
B. At waypoint 1 is a sign, "Takes Your Breath Away," telling you why you are so out of breath. In your own words, what does it tell you about the percent of oxygen at this altitude?
C. At waypoint 2 is a sign, "Changing Times." How much has the average temperature in the Park risen over the last century? How has this affected one or more of our high-altitude animals?
D. (OPTIONAL) There are usually (low-lying) signs identifying tundra plants along the way; they change with the season. In your log, list the names of at least 2 of them; pictures are not required, but they are definitely welcome. Again, STAY ON THE TRAIL!!!
And after all these stern warnings--I hope you have had fun and love it up here as much as I do!
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.