K2 at Robin Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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Strenuous 14 miles round-trip overnight hike with high elevation change. Tiny blue metal Bison container hidden under a rock. Great views.
Word of caution before I describe the cache:
You must have good backpacking and mountaneering experience prior to this hike. While it is non-technical (meaning no fancy climbing gear required), the trail is very steep and rocky, and you must make sure you bring everything needed to spend a night in the mountain, and know how to use it.
Some general info about the hike can be obtained online: type "Tuck and Robin Lakes" in Google. Vtrail.com has a good description and pointer to maps.
The Hike:
Overall, there are two approaches to getting to the cache area:
(1) Hike in full gear all the way up to Robin Lakes and spend the night there. That is what I did. If you also want to explore Granite Mountain and nearby lakes, do this. Disadvantage is that the Tuck-Robin stretch is very strenuous, the trail is very rocky and marked by cairns. Doing it with full pack may not be to your taste. FYI, there are many excellent campsites around Robin. If you get there at dark, here are the coords of one camp site: 47 35.067 N 121 06.199 W.
(2) Sleep at Tuck Lake and hike up in minimal gear to Robin. I saw many people do this, and it is easier. However, there are fewer good campsites at Tuck and they get taken since they are more accessible.
Either way, don't forget the trekking poles at home! :)
The Cache:
It is under an oval stone, about a foot / 30 cm in diameter (could be larger, did not measure). It is a small metal keychain-type blue Bison microcontainer. I put it under a rock only because the wind or some animals could otherwise take it; there are no trees with clever hiding places just at that spot. The spot itself is a rather nice vista point. It looks across the valley (Cle Elum river and Hyas Lake) towards what I call K2 (most likely Mt Daniel:) Elevation as I was holding the GPS at chest level above the cache: 1864 meters. Coords should be rather precise as I had good signal and did averaging right over the cache.
I am including some photos with this description. Please look at them and even print them. They show you the stone itself; the general site as you are looking uphill; and the view in the opposite direction. Pics were taken very early morning when I placed the cache.
I wish you luck with this one; the hike itself is worth it. Do not hesitate to ask questions prior to heading out there - I want you to have a nice trip and find my cache :)
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