The Ama Dablam Fifteen Series
Ama Dablam (6812m) is known as one of the most impressive mountains in the world, not for it's altitude, but for it's beauty, aesthetics and the pure exposure encountered high on it's flanks. The mountain has gained in popularity over the past years with 2016 being the busiest season hosting over 400 registered climbers. It's common to encounter high altitude Everest veterans having problems with the technical difficulties encountered on the crux pitches of this climb.
geoart
/dʒɪˈɑːt/
noun
- a method to disguise an uninteresting series of repetitive geocaches in a more appealing manner utilising mainly puzzle cache-types. also see power-trail or statistics cacher.
- a challenge set out for true adventurers to find random locations in difficult terrain by only placing traditional and letterbox caches. also known as True Geoart™.
"So boys ... do you still reckon I talked it up?"
Lex Woods
The Series
This is just a walk in the park ... if you're a serious geocacher. However should you be a less experienced offtrack hiker: Welcome to struggle mountain. Once again I was asked the question whether I've wrestled my way through a barbed wired fence, when I came home. Not that I've learned anything from the prequel called Denali 13. If you haven't figured it out by now, you'll need persistence and perseverance in order to complete this adventure.
The geoart resembles the shape of Ama Dablam with its long ridges on each side reaching like the arms of a mother (ama) protecting her child. The hanging glacier thought of as the dablam, the traditional double-pendant containing pictures of the gods, worn by Sherpa women.
As with all offtrack hikes, please be responsible and protect our playground. Do wash your equipment before and after entering the area and especially use bleach on your boots in order to avoid spreading any diseases.
| Fauna: |
You might run into some roos and wombats but that probably doesn't bother you. The more annoying species are snakes and leeches. |
| Flora: |
The whole caboodle can be found - thorny and poisonous plants. |
| Access: |
Although you can descent from the picnic ground, it's better to come up from the south. The trailhead is provided as an additional waypoint in the nearby traditional. Please don't try to access from the north since that would involve trespassing. |
| Containers: |
PVC pipes with screw-tops in various colours. |
| Terrain: |
Creek-beds, cliffs, shrubs, bush, fallen trees and millions of regrowth saplings. |
| Difficulty: |
All caches come with a spoiler picture since due to the terrain I got fairly jumpy coordinates. Yes - they are generic coordinates but I made sure I got several readings and placed the traditional caches at GZ. I can't guarantee that at a different day with a different satellite constellation and therefore other signal reflections, the coordinates might be a tad off. |
| Communication: |
Telstra reception is patchy but not as bad as Denali 13. Most of the times you'll be able to get a signal on the next ridge-line. |
| Safety: |
Check the forecast. You are in the North Central Fire District. This are has been severely burned in the Black Saturday Bushfires. Fill out a trip intention form with all coordinates, let someone know where you are going and don't run over your time limits. |
The Letterbox - Hiking Melbourne
This is a Letterbox-hybrid cache ✉️ so please leave the stamp in the cache-box. Letterboxing is very similar to geocaching but instead of using GPS coordinates for the hunt, the game relies on clues and hints to get to the final container. There is always a stamp in the box with which you stamp your personal logbook you bring along. It's like your online geocaching statistic but only analogue old-school. You can find out more about Letterboxing here. This hybrid cache uses both ways so you can choose if you want to use your GPS or find the final cache letterboxing-style.
Here is the letterbox clue: Go from the listed location 54m 38° TN.
Hint: Uphill of a giant tree
I think that's about it so feel free to write about your journey and post some pictures. I'm more interested in a good log than a favourite point 
;o)
Adventure is out there
Cheers
Philipp
