Uphill Both Ways...

This was one of our first geocaches. Interesting adventure it was, especially since we had NO clue what we were doing and we kind of forgot that the sun would set long before we were done with this cache...

 

The log reads "What a hike! It would have be nice and simple, if we had actually read the directions more carefully, and followed them. But I am just not the kind of person who usually bothers herself with directions, how hard could it be to find this one anyway, it said 'easy hike'.

Believe me, we managed to change this one into a five stars hike, the route we took was almost impassable, actually totally impassable for the 3yo and the 5yo, who needed to be carried part of the way.

 

We parked close to the underpass under the 89 and then followed the GPS onto a not well traveled trail. Ran into a bunch of trash, and a kind of side trail, which looked like it was going into the right direction. Now if only some one hadn't put 8,736 logs and branches on that trail. It went up pretty steeply, and in combination with the branches, it was a hard climb. But that was ok, we were sure it was going to be better soon. Little did we know...

We bush wacked for at least a mile, and that was real bush, not the wimpy stuff you read about in books. This was jungle like, ferns higher than the 3yo, fallen trees all over the place, moose scat, deer scat, mud, quick sand. OK, maybe not quick sand, but it could have been! Prickly blackberry bushes, vicious trees attacking us, and a chorus of complaints from the kids. Usually I think their complaints are a bit over the top, but this time, I admit that I could see their point. Although I didn't really expect us to die right there, unlike my 12yo :-)

 

We finally made it back to the trail and hiked another mile or so to the cache. My 11yo found it pretty easily and the kids spent quite some time, making just the right exchanges. We took a glow in the dark frog, a moose VT bumper sticker (which is on my van now), digimon cards, and I think one more trinket, not sure what. We left a die, a Dutch coin, a toy soldier, a little Roo figure, and maybe more, don't remember that either. We also left Zack the Elephant, who wants to go to the ocean, but for now will have to live with a bit smaller body of water.

By now it was so late, that it was starting to get dark. So we ended up hiking for at least an hour in the pitch dark with seven very tired kids. I found that the GPS light was just enough to almost see where we were going, if I pointed it towards the ground. Only stepped in about seven mud puddles on the way back :-)"

 

Even although it was pretty intense, this cache still is one of my fond geocaching memories. Maybe it was the way Cees would stop and glumly state "We are all going to die..." Maybe it was the beautiful pond and the stunning sun set. Maybe it was just the cache hunting and coming up victorious against all odds.

 

I do remember that after this cache we were so tired that we went to Friendly's, where we proceeded to cover their freshly mopped floor with mud... I am sure they must have loved us.

 

Fun sighting at Friendly's was a skunk with a few baby skunks. They were right there in the parking lot. We were careful to stay a bit away from them.

 

My friend's log reads ""This is a wonderful 2 ½ hour round trip walk on an old dirt road through the woods to a very remote pond." However if you don't put in the first way point and do follow your GPS on the left fork right after the underpass you end up going on one of those adventures of your lifetime - especially if there are 7 children with you ranging from 3 months to 12 yrs of age - and some of them are a 3yo and 5 yo as well. We used the GPS to get us up and down a few ridges with no trails, deer scat, boggy fern patches with loads of deadwood hidden beneath their fronds AND boggy foot sucking up wet spots, and then there was all that dead wood to cross when we were trying to cut directly through toward the pond, but finally used the GPS & a stream to direct us toward the first point by the tree in the photo. Everyone was so happy and energized to see the trail that we headed toward the cache. Got some beautiful photos of the pond, 11 y o found the cache where we exchanged a few things. I left a New Hampshire Toll token and two 29 cent fishing flies stamps since the theme by the pond was fishing and there were some lures with hooks in the cache. Took the christmas CD.

We knew it would get dark by 8 pm so we headed back after snacks and water, but as the light got dimmer with the canopy of trees, returning was equally challenging. Let's just say that the light of a cell phone and the GPS gave faint illumination of the trail and we walked the last half out essentially in the dark. Loved that squishy mud and cool water on my feet.;-) Found the van at 9 pm or so. hurrah!"

 

For some reason we haven't really done any geocaching this summer, we should remedy that soon!

2018 Update:  Most of these kids are all grown up now and doing their own things. I was reminded of this adventure when I was researching new bloggers for the Sunshine Blogger Award and stumbled up Nadia Nelson's adventure in New Mexico. Go check out her blog!
Have you ever been hiking in the dark? Or other intense hiking adventures? Pray tell!