Let's keep playing with facilities attributes! We've already riffed on wheelchair accessible, parking nearby, drinking water nearby, and both public transportion & picnic tables nearby. These were all caches in which the named attribute was fulfilled...in a sense.
In this case we can check off 'telephone nearby' if you count your own smartphone, which you'll need to solve 2 simple puzzles. Talk about a legacy attribute! Time was, a payphone was a useful and potentially life-saving geocaching landmark. Now I wouldn't have the change to use one even if I could find one.
It is with more complicated feelings that we could also check off 'camping nearby.' We've all seen more tents pop up in parks over recent years, and this ravine is no different. Even as I give them a wide berth while geocaching, I have a strange fellow-feeling. After all, we are both using public space in unconventional ways, and both feel better going unnoticed while we do it. Please note that the 'campsites' that I have most recently observed were only in the eastern half of the park, and all cleared out with the onset of winter.
Other caches in this series were easy to find but hard to open. This one is the reverse! The cache is NOT at the starting co-ordinates. What you'll find instead is informative signage about St. Clair Ravine Park, where the cache is hidden. If you use your phone on the signage in the right way, you can complete the W co-ordinates needed for GZ.
From that sign you can cut to the next stage by picking your way along the south shore of Taylor Massey Creek, but that's a very narrow ledge next to a steep drop. (See what I mean in the bottom left of the picture below.) A better option might be to walk along St. Clair Ave. E towards the bus stop at Santamonica Blvd. If you look to the left of the park sign there, you'll find a gentler access into the ravine. At no point should you need to go east of the bus stop so long as you enter by one of these two routes. Either way, be prepared for bush-whacking in leafier months.
Once you find the next stage, you'll realize that you need to use your phone in a completely different way to complete the N co-ordinates needed for GZ. So don't attempt this cache unless your smartphone has internet access, a working camera, and an OS from 2017 or later. Remember that you may need to hold it very still or use a flash depending on lighting levels. Read the waypoint descriptions to receive more pointed directions for these sites.
The actual GZ is where the terrain rating fully kicks in. Approach carefully in slippery conditions, and remember that you can see and reach things more easily from high ground. Please note that the log is purposefully weighted. Started with a pencil, monetary swag and something for any Akira otaku.
Don't forget that the park belongs to animals at night, including the coyotes who probably made these tracks...
Congrats spidermonkey09 & bmuzzin 😊 FTF 7 Mar 2026 @ 10:15am
Credit to Lichat for the 'ceiling' idea.