IATCC – Ice Age Trail Cold Cache Earthcache series

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 10:17 am

A special thank you to the WGA Board for creating this special Earthcache forum area. I had requested it specifically for this project.

The IATCC Project came about because of the vision of Dolly McNulty, a member of the Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation. She was seeking a way to attract more visitors to the Ice Age Trail. After researching geocaching, she found that earthcaches would be a great “fit” because it would be an avenue to highlight the glacial features along the trail as well.

Dolly has worked very hard to obtain permission and “buy in” from just about everyone involved in the Ice Age Trail and the National Geological Society. She contacted me several months ago because several of the earthcaches I created are on the Ice Age Trail. We have been working together to move her “vision” forward. It has been an educational partnership for both of us. She is now working to obtain approvals for an official “Cold Cache” logo.

The IATCC project will involve two phases:
- Assisting with creating additional Earthcaches
- And a neat awards program for FINDING the IATCC Earthcaches!

I have been talking to other WGA members outside the forum to run ideas and this concept by them. It is really starting to all come together so after our meeting yesterday, it was time to make this forum announcement!

What does this mean for WGA members now?

I will be contacting the other geocachers who have existing earthcaches on the Ice Age Trail to ask if they would be willing to add the IATCC and logo to their cache listings.

Later this month, I should have the map locations of the other potential earthcache sites Dolly has identified. The Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation is releasing a new trail guide, complete with waypoints for all the trail heads for the existing trail that we will be using with this project. The GIS volunteer who assisted with this guide is now also helping with the Cold Cache project. As I have this information, I will be asking for assistance from WGA members across the state to create more Cold Cache Earthcaches.

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 10:23 am

Sounds great. Thanks a lot.

zuma

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 10:41 am

I'm looking forward to helping out....But now that there are incentives proposed I will be tougher on the cachers actually meeting the logging requirements for those ECs along the trail. So far in Iowa only 1 of the 4 who have logged my EC have fully met the posted requirements. I'm happy to say that of my 10 ECs in Wisconsin I think I have had three slightly off logs which I was still able to accept in good conscience and one which I had to delete. WTG Wisconsin!

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 10:47 am

Renae, I've heard rumors of this project and am excited it is going to happen. I'd be glad to help near Baraboo, as I am eyeing up a feature in the state park, anyway. The other one I wanted to do over there got nixed. An awesome area is in danger of being closed to the public altogether because of some poor choices of a few. Too bad.

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:39 am

Renee any chance you could talk the foundation into donating a few of the new Guidebooks to prolific EC placers?

From the IAPTF website:

Quote:

20 Mar 2008
New guidebooks now available for preorder
Given all the wonderful new Ice Age Trail segments built or re-routed over the past few years by IAPTF volunteers, it was about time to update the Ice Age Trail Atlas and the Ice Age Trail Companion Guide. The fully revised editions of both books are nearly ready, with an estimated ship date of April 22nd, 2008!

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 12:40 pm

I have been Patiently waiting! Glad it's up and running now!!

Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 8:42 pm

Its a great accompaniment to the Ice Age trail. If I didn't have enough motivation to k=hike it before I certainly do now. Hmmm how do the bills get paid while I am out doing this?

Sing me up for a book too.

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 1:31 pm

The IATCC Project sounds really cool (pun intended). Is there a way to find out what the identified areas are? Although I don't have an earthcache published yet, I'm working on a couple of them that would be along the Ice Age Trail - one in Green and one in Dane counties. I wouldn't want to be stepping on anyone's toes if these areas already have 'dibs' by the project.

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 3:40 pm

I'll try to post the list!

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:03 pm

Existing Earthcaches that may be on the Ice Age Trail

I am thinking most of these are Lostby7’s .. but for general knowledge, these are the other existing earthcaches that appear to be on the Ice Age Trail from the GIS maps. If they are indeed on the trail, we would like to ask the cache owners if they would be willing to link to the IATCC project by updating the cache title "IATCC". And, to include the Cold Cache logo with wording just as soon as we have that finalized.

GC150BF The Niagara Excarpment: Brady’s Rock
GC17739 Scuppernong Marl Pits
GC18MJB Powder Hill: Kame and Kettle
GC1A9G5 Parfrey’s Glenn SNA #1
GCZC69 Greenbush Kettle

And, yes, I had mentioned this project to Lostby7 way back when I was first asked to be part of it .. so I am pretty sure he will.

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:10 pm

Potential Earthcache sites along the Ice Age Trail
List #1

There are two lists of potential sites that Dolly identified. This is the "Gem" list of locations.

Dalles of St. Croix
Straight River (Lake)
Chippewa Moraine
Baldly Mountain
Wood Lake
Grandfather Falls
Harrison Hills
Highland Lakes
Dells of the Eau Claire
New Hope Meltwater Channel
Waupaca Farmington Drumlins
Lower Narrows
Gilbraltar Rock
Lodi Marsh
Table Bluff
Cross Plains
Verona Moraine
Oconomowoc River
Poke Kames

Realize, I do not have the GPS coordinates or trail head information just yet. The Atlas Map pages that are on my list refer to the old book too. It will be later this month before I can give more specifics.

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:17 pm

Potential Earthcache sites along the Ice Age Trail
List #2

There are two lists of potential sites that Dolly identified. This is the "Jewel" list of locations. It is possible they are not along the trail or that there not be trail access (potentially could still be a neat earthcache location).

Pothole Trail
Big Basalt Rock
Mondeaux Flowage
Mondeaux Esker
Moose Mountain
Lookout Mountain
Baldy Hill
Frost Pocket – Big Stone Hole
45th Parallel
Klaver Kame
Mecan Springs
Devil’s Lake – East Bluff South Face
Lake Wisconsin
Devils Staircase
Bald Bluff
Stone Elephant
Lapham Peak
Hartland Marsh
Pike Lake

Kelling's Lake was also on this list. Dolly, Gr8 Eyes and I scouted the Lakes this past Sunday and determined there was no real trail access from the IAT to this location. (However, we might see an earthcache created by Gr8 Eyes from our site work there.)

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:23 pm

At this point I am asking, if you are working on an earthcache in any of these areas, please let me know!

Dolly will be seeking IAT volunteers for their assistance next weekend. I can let her know that we have geocachers working on locations so we are not duplicating efforts. And, if more than one geocacher contacts me, I can let you know that too.

AuntieNae

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:40 pm

* TENTATIVE * PROPOSED * TENTATIVE * PROPOSED *

Ice Age Trail Cold Cache
FINDERS AWARD PROGRAM

The following is a proposed program for people who go out and log the Ice Age Trail Cold Cache Earthcaches. It will be some time before this is fully developed .. so just a preview here ..

Snowflake Level
Visit and log 3 ColdCache sites.
Representing at least 2 different features.

Icicle Level
Visit and log 7 ColdCache sites.
Representing at least 5 different features.

Ice Cap Level
Visit and log 12 ColdCache sites.
Representing at least 9 different features.

Glacier Level
Visit and log 18 ColdCache sites.
Representing at least 12 different features.

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:55 pm

AuntieNae wrote:

Existing Earthcaches that may be on the Ice Age Trail

I am thinking most of these are Lostby7’s .. ...we would like to ask the cache owners if they would be willing to link to the IATCC project by updating the cache title "IATCC". And, to include the Cold Cache logo with wording just as soon as we have that finalized.

GC150BF The Niagara Excarpment: Brady’s Rock
GC17739 Scuppernong Marl Pits
GC18MJB Powder Hill: Kame and Kettle
GC1A9G5 Parfrey’s Glenn SNA #1
GCZC69 Greenbush Kettle

And, yes, I had mentioned this project to Lostby7 way back when I was first asked to be part of it .. so I am pretty sure he will.

I own the bold and I expect to list them as requested once I get the final details and they are reasonable...

AuntieNae wrote:

The following is a proposed program for people who go out and log the Ice Age Trail Cold Cache Earthcaches. It will be some time before this is fully developed .. so just a preview here ......

As I currently own almost half of the EC's on the Ice Age trail at the moment and plan to create several more, I have to wonder if owning an EC qualifies as a "Find" as well?

AuntieNae wrote:

Dolly will be seeking IAT volunteers for their assistance next weekend.

What would be involved?