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Same miserable cache, unfound now from 2 directions!

knowltonGeo

By knowltonGeo
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knowltonGeo

+knowltonGeo

Posted
Posted (edited)

There is a cache a few miles from our home.

 

We attempted it once, and were unsuccessful. It was not fun trip. The blasted thing was on a pretty steep hill. We looked around in several places that looked like likely cache hiding spots, but came away empty handed after having trudged through knee high grass, sticker bushes, bees, wasps, mosquitoes (sp?) etc.

 

About 3 weeks later my son went out with me again. We found 3 out of the 4 that we had planned for that day. The 4th one was not showing-up on our GPS which only shows 20 cache locations at a time.

 

Well, on a whim, I asked my son if he wanted to try and find one not on our list. So we picked one at random. We ended-up walking down a dirt road. Then we had to climb-over 2 barbed wire fences. I was in shorts and it scraped my leg all to heck. Then we trudged through all of this thick underbrush and up this incredible steep hill.

 

And then it dawned on us.

 

We'd come to the SAME STINKING CACHE again....only this time we had come from another direction! Such that we didn't recognize the terrain until it was too late. Again, we spent considerable time looking high and low...and again no luck. I requested the CO to check on the status of the cache, wondering if it has been muggled.

 

I never intended to visit this cache again...at least not until the CO confirmed it was, indeed, still there and in good repair...just a challenging find. I don't mind a challenge. But I don't like a wild goose chase...especially through terrain like that!

 

Some mild frustration...but my son and I are still excited about finding more!

 

Tom

Edited by knowltonGeo
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Chokecherry

+Chokecherry

Posted
Posted

Once in awhile I like to go back and try those unfound caches again. One of my ones had been sitting all summer. In the spring when I went to it it was a muddy mess by the river on a rainy day. Dead fall and slippery logs on a hill side with a bouncing GPS... not fun. Decided a couple weeks ago to do it again. Except now the area was all grown up and the trail was gone... bushwhacked in. Went through nasty trees on a hot and humid day. Waited for trees to fall on me. Zig zagged down the hill because dang it I wasn't leaving this time without it. Got out... and got poison ivy... but boy it felt good to get that off my list.

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Cardinal Red

+Cardinal Red

Posted
Posted

There is a cache a few miles from our home.

 

We attempted it once, and were unsuccessful. It was not fun trip. The blasted thing was on a pretty steep hill. We looked around in several places that looked like likely cache hiding spots, but came away empty handed after having trudged through knee high grass, sticker bushes, bees, wasps, mosquitoes (sp?) etc.

 

About 3 weeks later my son went out with me again. We found 3 out of the 4 that we had planned for that day. The 4th one was not showing-up on our GPS which only shows 20 cache locations at a time.

 

Well, on a whim, I asked my son if he wanted to try and find one not on our list. So we picked one at random. We ended-up walking down a dirt road. Then we had to climb-over 2 barbed wire fences. I was in shorts and it scraped my leg all to heck. Then we trudged through all of this thick underbrush and up this incredible steep hill.

 

And then it dawned on us.

 

We'd come to the SAME STINKING CACHE again....only this time we had come from another direction! Such that we didn't recognize the terrain until it was too late. Again, we spent considerable time looking high and low...and again no luck. I requested the CO to check on the status of the cache, wondering if it has been muggled.

 

I never intended to visit this cache again...at least not until the CO confirmed it was, indeed, still there and in good repair...just a challenging find. I don't mind a challenge. But I don't like a wild goose chase...especially through terrain like that!

 

Some mild frustration...but my son and I are still excited about finding more!

 

Tom

Can you provide a GC #? I would like to read that cache page.

What kind of GPS are you using?

 

Is it considered normal / acceptable to climb over barbed wire fences while caching in Utah?

I would have had concerns I was on private property.

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kunarion

+kunarion

Posted
Posted (edited)
Some mild frustration...but my son and I are still excited about finding more!
With luck, next time you'll end up at a different cache. :laughing:

 

Is it considered normal / acceptable to climb over barbed wire fences while caching in Utah?

I would have had concerns I was on private property.

There are many miles of barb wire in forests here in Georgia. Much of the area where I live was farm land, and when the parks were designated, a lot of the old fences remained. The wire holds up pretty well, even after 50 years or more. So cachers in the woods need to be on the lookout for that. Edited by kunarion
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7rxc

7rxc

Posted
Posted (edited)

A lot depends on WHY the barbed wire is there... fences don't always mean to keep people out... in many cases the wire is to keep cattle etc. away from hazards... like that steep, inhospitable area... just a thought!

 

I agree that not trespassing is a good idea and should be mandatory behaviour...

 

Doug 7rxc

 

edit: Re reading it sounds like the fence was a boundary, maybe not...

Edited by 7rxc
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Andronicus

Andronicus

Posted
Posted (edited)

...Then we had to climb-over 2 barbed wire fences. I was in shorts and it scraped my leg all to heck. ...Tom

Do you need leasons on crossing barbed wire? Try

or this tutorial

 

If you have two people, you can have one person simultaniously lift the top strand and push down on the middle strand. Then the other person can sneak through the opening.

 

PS: I have a cache about 300m from my house that I have DNFed about 12 times. It is frustrating as heck, but I will eventualy nail the bugger.

Edited by Andronicus
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snoopsters

+snoopsters

Posted
Posted

Some mild frustration...but my son and I are still excited about finding more!

 

I hear your frustration. I spent a considerable amount of time this afternoon, first climbing down a steep hill with plenty of thorny bushes to slow my decent, and then bushwacking my way through seriously dense bush/trees. I swear something grabbed my leg at one point. My GPS showed that I was right on top of the cache, but it was no where to be found. I managed to leave the area with a 6" gash on my leg dripping blood (yes I shouldn't have been wearing shorts). But I'm still looking forward to my next cache :)

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Take A Hike!

+Take A Hike!

Posted
Posted

Some mild frustration...but my son and I are still excited about finding more!

 

I hear your frustration. I spent a considerable amount of time this afternoon, first climbing down a steep hill with plenty of thorny bushes to slow my decent, and then bushwacking my way through seriously dense bush/trees. I swear something grabbed my leg at one point. My GPS showed that I was right on top of the cache, but it was no where to be found. I managed to leave the area with a 6" gash on my leg dripping blood (yes I shouldn't have been wearing shorts). But I'm still looking forward to my next cache :)

 

After three years of Geocaching the Arizona Deserts and Mountains, my Caching Mantra is " I Feel the Need To Bleed. Let's Go Geocaching!" It's hard to put on long pants when it's 100 degrees outside!!

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knowltonGeo

+knowltonGeo

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

There is a cache a few miles from our home.

 

We attempted it once, and were unsuccessful. It was not fun trip. The blasted thing was on a pretty steep hill. We looked around in several places that looked like likely cache hiding spots, but came away empty handed after having trudged through knee high grass, sticker bushes, bees, wasps, mosquitoes (sp?) etc.

 

About 3 weeks later my son went out with me again. We found 3 out of the 4 that we had planned for that day. The 4th one was not showing-up on our GPS which only shows 20 cache locations at a time.

 

Well, on a whim, I asked my son if he wanted to try and find one not on our list. So we picked one at random. We ended-up walking down a dirt road. Then we had to climb-over 2 barbed wire fences. I was in shorts and it scraped my leg all to heck. Then we trudged through all of this thick underbrush and up this incredible steep hill.

 

And then it dawned on us.

 

We'd come to the SAME STINKING CACHE again....only this time we had come from another direction! Such that we didn't recognize the terrain until it was too late. Again, we spent considerable time looking high and low...and again no luck. I requested the CO to check on the status of the cache, wondering if it has been muggled.

 

I never intended to visit this cache again...at least not until the CO confirmed it was, indeed, still there and in good repair...just a challenging find. I don't mind a challenge. But I don't like a wild goose chase...especially through terrain like that!

 

Some mild frustration...but my son and I are still excited about finding more!

 

Tom

Can you provide a GC #? I would like to read that cache page.

What kind of GPS are you using?

 

Is it considered normal / acceptable to climb over barbed wire fences while caching in Utah?

I would have had concerns I was on private property.

 

I will reveal the GC code. It is in a colored font same color as my background between the brackets:

 

[[ GC148K2 ]]

 

My aim here is not to complain about the cache, the difficulty, the fact I didn't find it, the cache owner...or anything else. In fact...the cache has been archived now, because apparently there's been some problems with it.

 

The first time I went looking for it....I didn't research it before attempting to find it.

 

The second time, I thought I had chosen a different cache...I didn't have any notes or any ability to lookup the cache to see if I had tried for it before. And because I tried it from another direction...at first I did not recognize the terrain as someplace I had been before.

 

;)

 

Oh...as far as crossing barbed-wire fences...errrrrrrrrmmmmmm. Yeah. :S I think it was on Public Land. I remember seeing a sign saying that it was a designated wetlands or something. The sign said no ATVs were allowed, but it said nothing about people on foot. It was either cross the fences or try and come back from another angle. I guess when I get in "hunt mode" I feel very determined and was not thinking about the fact that I was going over barbed wire fences. I just saw the fences as "part of the challenge" I guess. Maybe I am just making excuses. Interestingly...I could see a clear "cache path" where other people had walked through before us. ::: shrug ::::

 

As far as what GPS I am using...it is a Geomate Jr. ??? It is like THE cheapest GPS I think you can buy anywhere. :D

 

http://mygeomate.com/Home.action for details...

 

It does not have the ability to enter your OWN coords. Instead...it comes pre-loaded with 200,000 plus cache locations. It comes this way out of the box.

 

You can only see up to 20 cache locations at one time. The 20 closest locations to your present position. There is an ability to "save" the caches you have found. When you do this, then that one no longer shows up on your list, and another one drops on. No pocket queries supported. :)

 

I am pretty sure I will want to upgrade to a nicer GPS unit. Not really a matter of "IF" .... just "WHEN". B)

Edited by knowltonGeo
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knowltonGeo

+knowltonGeo

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Posted

lol i know it can be frustrating, but from where i'm sitting it is funny and some day you will see the funny side of that adventure too :D

 

good luck!! B)

 

:) Indeed.

 

My son and I will never forget.

 

My son even tried to tell me that he thought we had been there before. To my chagrin, I ignored him...

 

I consider my minor scrapes and bug bites "warrior wounds". ;)

 

I hope twice is enough. The second time...the way we tried was MUCH more difficult. I'm not in great shape. With the heat and the uphill hike back to our van...I thought I was going to have a heart attack (kidding...sort of....)

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knowltonGeo

+knowltonGeo

Posted
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Posted

...Then we had to climb-over 2 barbed wire fences. I was in shorts and it scraped my leg all to heck. ...Tom

Do you need leasons on crossing barbed wire? Try

or this tutorial

 

If you have two people, you can have one person simultaniously lift the top strand and push down on the middle strand. Then the other person can sneak through the opening.

 

PS: I have a cache about 300m from my house that I have DNFed about 12 times. It is frustrating as heck, but I will eventualy nail the bugger.

 

LOL.

 

It was not that kind of barbed wire, friend. :)

 

This was the kind that had horizontal AND vertical wires...with no gaps big enough to squeak through. What I did was go over first, then help my son cross over. He fared much better than I did...

 

The cache that has cost you 12 DNFs..........it is still active? Just can't find it? Sure it has not been muggled? What do previous logs say, and how recent are they? I admire your tenacity. ;)

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knowltonGeo

+knowltonGeo

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Posted

I have DNF'ed the same caches several times only to see them when hiking or hunting in the area without my GPS. I DNF'ed one only to find it while coaching my daughter's softball game when chasing after an errant throw. Don't give up!

 

Feeling much better now. :)

 

I feared I might be the ONLY ONE IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF CACHING that had done something like this!

 

;):DB)

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knowltonGeo

+knowltonGeo

Posted
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Posted

Some mild frustration...but my son and I are still excited about finding more!

 

I hear your frustration. I spent a considerable amount of time this afternoon, first climbing down a steep hill with plenty of thorny bushes to slow my decent, and then bushwacking my way through seriously dense bush/trees. I swear something grabbed my leg at one point. My GPS showed that I was right on top of the cache, but it was no where to be found. I managed to leave the area with a 6" gash on my leg dripping blood (yes I shouldn't have been wearing shorts). But I'm still looking forward to my next cache :)

 

Strangely...the experience....miserable BOTH times.....has done nothing to dampen my enthusiasm!!!!

 

Mostly I posted just to share the HUGE joke on ME that this experience has turned-out to be!

 

My grandpa and I went canoeing once with a guide and a few other people. After about 100 yards we both leaned the same way at the same time and tipped over. The guide just looked back with an expression on his face like he'd seen this happen, oh, 1000 times before. LOL.

 

I am so grateful...NOW....for that experience. I don't remember anything else about that trip.

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knowltonGeo

+knowltonGeo

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Some mild frustration...but my son and I are still excited about finding more!

 

I hear your frustration. I spent a considerable amount of time this afternoon, first climbing down a steep hill with plenty of thorny bushes to slow my decent, and then bushwacking my way through seriously dense bush/trees. I swear something grabbed my leg at one point. My GPS showed that I was right on top of the cache, but it was no where to be found. I managed to leave the area with a 6" gash on my leg dripping blood (yes I shouldn't have been wearing shorts). But I'm still looking forward to my next cache :)

 

After three years of Geocaching the Arizona Deserts and Mountains, my Caching Mantra is " I Feel the Need To Bleed. Let's Go Geocaching!" It's hard to put on long pants when it's 100 degrees outside!!

 

LOL... awesome attitude!

 

I'd rather be scratched-up than HOT for sure!

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meshmom&crew

+meshmom&crew

Posted
Posted

There is a cache a few miles from our home.

 

We attempted it once, and were unsuccessful. It was not fun trip. The blasted thing was on a pretty steep hill. We looked around in several places that looked like likely cache hiding spots, but came away empty handed after having trudged through knee high grass, sticker bushes, bees, wasps, mosquitoes (sp?) etc.

 

About 3 weeks later my son went out with me again. We found 3 out of the 4 that we had planned for that day. The 4th one was not showing-up on our GPS which only shows 20 cache locations at a time.

 

Well, on a whim, I asked my son if he wanted to try and find one not on our list. So we picked one at random. We ended-up walking down a dirt road. Then we had to climb-over 2 barbed wire fences. I was in shorts and it scraped my leg all to heck. Then we trudged through all of this thick underbrush and up this incredible steep hill.

 

And then it dawned on us.

 

We'd come to the SAME STINKING CACHE again....only this time we had come from another direction! Such that we didn't recognize the terrain until it was too late. Again, we spent considerable time looking high and low...and again no luck. I requested the CO to check on the status of the cache, wondering if it has been muggled.

 

I never intended to visit this cache again...at least not until the CO confirmed it was, indeed, still there and in good repair...just a challenging find. I don't mind a challenge. But I don't like a wild goose chase...especially through terrain like that!

 

Some mild frustration...but my son and I are still excited about finding more!

 

Tom

 

We were in a similar situation while on holidays this summer! I msged the person who had most recently found it & asked if they could give me any tips without giving it away! Turns out, they had same prob. as me - ended up ignoring my gps & sticking with the clue & finally found it!

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knowltonGeo

+knowltonGeo

Posted
  • Author
Posted

There is a cache a few miles from our home.

 

We attempted it once, and were unsuccessful. It was not fun trip. The blasted thing was on a pretty steep hill. We looked around in several places that looked like likely cache hiding spots, but came away empty handed after having trudged through knee high grass, sticker bushes, bees, wasps, mosquitoes (sp?) etc.

 

About 3 weeks later my son went out with me again. We found 3 out of the 4 that we had planned for that day. The 4th one was not showing-up on our GPS which only shows 20 cache locations at a time.

 

Well, on a whim, I asked my son if he wanted to try and find one not on our list. So we picked one at random. We ended-up walking down a dirt road. Then we had to climb-over 2 barbed wire fences. I was in shorts and it scraped my leg all to heck. Then we trudged through all of this thick underbrush and up this incredible steep hill.

 

And then it dawned on us.

 

We'd come to the SAME STINKING CACHE again....only this time we had come from another direction! Such that we didn't recognize the terrain until it was too late. Again, we spent considerable time looking high and low...and again no luck. I requested the CO to check on the status of the cache, wondering if it has been muggled.

 

I never intended to visit this cache again...at least not until the CO confirmed it was, indeed, still there and in good repair...just a challenging find. I don't mind a challenge. But I don't like a wild goose chase...especially through terrain like that!

 

Some mild frustration...but my son and I are still excited about finding more!

 

Tom

 

We were in a similar situation while on holidays this summer! I msged the person who had most recently found it & asked if they could give me any tips without giving it away! Turns out, they had same prob. as me - ended up ignoring my gps & sticking with the clue & finally found it!

 

 

There are many takes on GPSing.

 

Some people pride themselves on never researching caches before they go. They say that is the reason they find it fun.

 

Some people feel it is prudent to do some research before they go...to at least ensure that the cache is still healthy and active and has not been muggled and not replaced.

 

So far every cache I have attempted without doing some research first has ended in disaster. :)

 

In many other threads I've seen people say, "If it isn't fun...then take a break"

 

This is all voluntary. Nobody is twisting our arms making us go looking for this stuff. Understanding the reality of this helps a lot with keeping it fun and maintaining a positive attitude even when your find does not go well.

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