How far would you hike for an earthcache?

[Trekkin and Birdin]

Jeremy,

Can you share the cache of yours you mentioned? I do like the notion first expressed by Doc and echoed by some others that sometimes, a cache like that can be a destination, especially for a milestone. Personally, if it looks interesting to us, we’ll do it no matter the distance.
I’m thinking of KVR-HILO, which was about 7 miles of challenging hiking, with 10 waypoints along the way for one smiley. It is one of the best caches we’ve ever done. We didn’t even use it for a milestone, although I know natloh did.

Lately, trudging miles through knee deep snow or subzero windchills has opened our eyes to the value of P and Gs, but I still much prefer to do “destination” caching.

Thanks for the input, everyone. I’m not concerned with getting tons of visitors to anything we place, but if few hardcore cachers would have an interest, it can be a lot of work to arrange. If that were the case, we’d just choose to go for the hike and let a potential cache placement go.

Jeremy, never mind, I figured out which one you meant. I’m planning that one this spring, when the awesome birding opportunities return to Wyalusing!

[Lostby7]

@Jeremy wrote:

Putting out several earthcaches in the same area (even if they are all fairly difficult) would probably drive more visitors there.

No probably about it….I have already changed my travel plans to include this one if it ends up located where I think it will be…..and in March the park is free to enter.

[zuma]

@Trekkin’ and Birdin’ wrote:

Gary,

I’m hoping this one will be up and running in a week or two. For this one, the hike is 2 miles round trip, but the waypoints were so interesting, it didn’t seem that long when we hiked it on Sunday. lagrac’s earthcache is just downriver from here, about five miles driving. It’s a wonderful little corner of Iowa to explore, one that dispels the popular image of the state as nothing but cornfields.

I do agree that earthcaches should continue to bring us to interesting places and features. In the case of this one, the seeker is looking at how the area geology shaped the culture that became known as the Moundbuilders. Their descendants today are the Ho-Chunk, therefore the sites at the Monument are sacred ground. Hence the need to handle this one with care (as all should be, actually!) It’s really been fascinating to me as a storyteller to read all the controversies surrounding the mounds and their meaning, when the oral traditions of the Ho-Chunk explain it all.

The view at the highest point is to die for, by the way. The confluence of three rivers, a string of mounds along the ridge behind you, the blufflands along the river….ah!

Thanks for putting this great cache out. I am planning on hitting it this coming Sunday, and then heading on down to lagrac’s just south of yours.

I posted a note in the “Looking For Someone to Cache With” forum, to see if anyone wants to join me. Looks like a great place to walk with friends.

zuma

[Lostby7]

@zuma wrote:

@Trekkin’ and Birdin’ wrote:

Gary,

I’m hoping this one will be up and running in a week or two. For this one, the hike is 2 miles round trip, but the waypoints were so interesting, it didn’t seem that long when we hiked it on Sunday. lagrac’s earthcache is just downriver from here, about five miles driving. It’s a wonderful little corner of Iowa to explore, one that dispels the popular image of the state as nothing but cornfields.

I do agree that earthcaches should continue to bring us to interesting places and features. In the case of this one, the seeker is looking at how the area geology shaped the culture that became known as the Moundbuilders. Their descendants today are the Ho-Chunk, therefore the sites at the Monument are sacred ground. Hence the need to handle this one with care (as all should be, actually!) It’s really been fascinating to me as a storyteller to read all the controversies surrounding the mounds and their meaning, when the oral traditions of the Ho-Chunk explain it all.

The view at the highest point is to die for, by the way. The confluence of three rivers, a string of mounds along the ridge behind you, the blufflands along the river….ah!

Thanks for putting this great cache out. I am planning on hitting it this coming Sunday, and then heading on down to lagrac’s just south of yours.

I posted a note in the “Looking For Someone to Cache With” forum, to see if anyone wants to join me. Looks like a great place to walk with friends.

zuma

I’d come with ya but I’m gonna drag my family to this one while we Trudy camp (actually a cabin) in a few weeks.

[Author]

Posts