Tuesday morning we woke early and decided to tackle a cache we had been eyeing up on 903- Cracks Crevices Corners Cliffs Caves and Caverns. First we stopped at Piggy’s in Lake Harmony for one of their amazing sandwiches. Everything at Piggy’s is huge so we were not surprised that the ham egg and cheese on kaisers were enough to share. Well fortified we headed for our cache. The pull off area came on us quickly so of course we passed it and had to turn around. Parked, put on our hiking boots, geared up Bear and headed across the street into the woods. The trail to the first part was well marked with blue and orange markings on the trees (apparently from an old trail where bird houses had been placed once upon a time). We got to the hinted “hallway” and I had to laugh. There was no way I was going down the hall but Paul, ever the good sport headed down for our clue.
Having plugged the new coords into the Garmin we plunged across the rocks- cracks and crevices and all. It can be unsettling walking through the deep woods stepping over hundreds of big crevices and wondering who lives in them. Bear was his usual mighty self, hopping from rock to rock. Eventually we came to an area that confused us and we chose to go up. Up the cliff. Now only in geocaching can you walk through dense woods, struggle across rock fields, climb a cliff and then realize that someone before you has not only come here but carried an extension ladder and put it down into a hole in the ground that leads to a maze. You know which one of us climbed down the ladder. :)
There were explicit directions for Paul once he entered the maze- unfortunately we had entered at the rear not the entry so it took us awhile (Paul in the maze with creepy crawlies, me sitting on top calling down directions) to find the final clue. Apparently it involved sticking your hand into a dark and spooky place above your head. Paul was so excited.
%5B2%5D.jpg "C5 maze (2)")
The final clue in hand, he emerged from the maze.
Of course you cannot keep the clue so he had to climb back down, stick his hand up over his head and plunge it into a creepy hole he could not see into. In a cave in the woods. Apparently the thrill does not wear off the second time you have to do it as he expressed that he was just as thrilled. :) :)
The final came easily for us- Paul hopped about across the boulders while Bear and I opted for the slower safer route of climbing up the side of the cliff area and across the top. Cache found, log signed, time to leave. Now you have to realize that the whole time we are not all that far in from 903- just a several minute walk. Back the way we came or- hold on- a SHORT CUT up the giant hill to the road. Yes, we decided to bushwack the shortcut. What were we thinking. Back down our cliff, across a rock field, through the pickers headed for the hill. Then up the hill, not to bad if you dont mind crawling up a hill on all fours, clawing at the dirt and hanging onto roots. Almost to the top, covered in dirt, (Bear by the way had scampered along as though chihuahuas were part mountain goat) we had fifty feet to go. Then we spotted them. The pickers. Fifty feet of dense picker bushes. Now Bear had to be picked up and held over our heads like we were on safari and he was a basket. A position that made trying to cross the picker field just that much more enjoyable.
Did you know you can actually get stuck to a picker bush? I mean stuck unable to move. Trust us, it is possible. Well that took awhile. We took turns freeing ourselves, passing off Bear, (still over our heads) and then pulling the other person out. You would think we may have decided to turn back but we truly are a stubborn pair and the road was SO CLOSE! I think it took longer to cross that final fifty then the whole trek in. Finally we were near the edge, we made a final push, Paul emerging first, me a minute later. We had never laughed so hard in our life. As odd as it sounds we laughed the entire time. Just watching each other was enough to send you into a fit of hysterics. We climbed the final twenty feet of ninety degree incline to the guardrail and pulled ourselves over it. That is when we realized how we must look- covered in mud and blood streaming down our legs- (nothing serious but a hundred scratches), climbing over a guardrail while clutching a chihuahua. A short walk down the road to the subaru and we cleaned up, rehashed our trek and headed off to see what adventures lie ahead. We truly thank Team Getz for this hide and bringing so much fun into our lives on this hunt.
