A Little Hike... Straight up.

Yesterday morning after work, I set off to the Summit to get a Geocache that I needed to complete part two of the August Challenges. I had solved the puzzle earlier in the week that told me that I needed a multi, and after searching for the ones within an easy drive of Laramie, I chose one that looked the easiest, and was placed by one of my local caching friends, so I knew that it would be a quality cache as well.

A multi cache involves one where the original coordinates take you to a location that tells you the next coordinates, and so on until you get to the final coordinates where the cache is actually hidden. I had just found the first stage when I was stopped by a law enforcement officer and questioned about what I was doing. Officer Wick initially seemed skeptical of my telling her that I was Geocaching, and asked me to take her to the coordinates to show her. Apparently, there are artifacts out in the area where I was, and it's illegal to take them. She then went on to warn me about the dangers of hiking in the state/national parks. Apparently a Geocacher south of Denver was out searching and walked into a field of 16,000 marijuana plants. He didn't turn back and ended up face to face with two armed drug cartel members. She said that I was only likely to stumble on an occasional one out past where I was, and I assured her that I am very safe, especially since I generally cache alone, and I didn't think I'd be going down into the area where she thought there might be illegal drugs growing. She then seemed satisfied, and thanked me for chatting with her and went on her way. After saying, oh Geocaching is like the original Pokemon Go. Well, maybe, but I have to say I doubt that Pokemon Go will still be going in 16 years, which is how long Geocaching has been around.

My plan was to just get this one cache, and then go home. I looked at my GPSr, and there were a number of caches that were short to no hike at all, so I decided to get a couple before I headed home. My first one was near an old bunker.

I of course had to explore.

The floor was made of metal, and I could tell there was an open space underneath of it, making it a rather more creepy than it already was.  It was pretty cool, though.

I was lucky to be able to find the cache nearby quickly and discretely, as there were quite a few hikers in the area, due to the Wyoming Equality Rendezvous which was set up nearby. It looked like they were having a good time, and I'd never seen so many campers/motorhomes not on an actual campground. In hindsight, I wish I'd stopped in and asked if I could purchase a meal from their food tent, as I made an interesting decision to climb a mountain spur of the moment, and while I did it safely and successfully, I had only had a protein shake for breakfast, and had not packed nearly enough water for my journey.

0.3 miles from the cache at the bunker was another cache. It was rated a level 4 terrain, and I usually avoid anything over a 3, because I like to keep my caching casual. This one was calling my name, however, and I really wanted to find it. It had only been found twice before, back in 2014, shortly after it had been placed. One cacher had posted photos, and she wasn't young, so I thought, if she can do it, I can do it, so I started off. My destination was the little tree you see on top of the rocks in the center of the photograph.

Standing at my car, I was at an elevation of 8280ft above sea level. I had to go down before going up, and that elevation was right around 8200ft, maybe a little lower. The climb to the base of the rocks was about an hour, which included many breaks to rest. It was all bush-whacking, which makes it so much harder. I definitely need to invest in some hiking boots that cover my ankles, because my sneakers collected many pine and sagebrush nettles that poked my feet uncomfortably. Once I got to the bottom of the rocks, it took about twenty minutes to find the safest way up to where I thought the cache might be. I knew that it wasn't at the very top, but close to it, and it was. The top was an easy 30 foot walk up from where the cache was.

This is the tree that was visible from my car.

My car is right in the center of the photo, and is barely visible, so I circled it in this photo:

I got a little frustrated searching for the geocache, because I was hot and tired and dehydrated. When I did find the cache I was impressed that after two years, there was not a bit of moisture in it, and everything was in perfect shape.

I'm the third person to find this cache. I traded items for a 1946 Lincoln Penny. I have collected a number of unique coins from caches over the years, and will be adding this one to my collection.  I had thought that the trip down would be just as hard as the trip up, and while it did have it's challenging moments, mostly because I was exhausted and kept tripping as I bush-whacked my way through heavy under brush, I made it back to the car in pretty good time. I finished my water, and this is when I should have headed straight home (or stopped and asked the Equality folks for some food and drink), because I soon got quite sick from dehydration and sun exposure, that I am pretty sure more water and some calories would have prevented, or at least kept the symptoms bearable.

I found several more caches on my way home, and was very proud of myself for making a healthy lunch (at 3:00pm) choice instead of the greasy burger that I was craving. As I got into Laramie I called in an order to Sweet Melissa and picked up this healthy and filling meal of black bean burger with cheddar and sweet potatoes, and drank my Arbonne after workout drink.

 

This perked me up a bit, but it took Tylenol, Ibuprofen, a nap, and three more liters of water to make the headache go away.

All in all, it was a great day. And today, I am sore but not miserable, and already planning a trip to the top of these rocks, where there is a cache on the edge/under a cliff somewhere. I am thinking next Saturday would be the perfect time for that. It's got to be easier than what I did yesterday.

 After a short nap, I had to get up and go do a petsitting job. I was rewarded with these two different views on my way back home.