[One Paddle Short]

@Timberline Echoes wrote:

Any one interested in getting together with us after? We live under 30 miles away, or will everyone have to be heading home before dark?
TE

Yeah, us too.

The kids are of the age we’re happy they’ll come along at all- and they have some plans for the evening so we’ll have to head back afterward too. However, in talking it over I realize we’re going to be hungry after this thing as we’ll be getting out pretty late for lunch. So I talked to Mrs. OPS about this problem and…

She says we can have a lunch there! That’s right, not only cookies, hot chocolate, and hot apple cider in the morning but when we come out we’ll have hot barbecue sandwiches, chips, and soda! It won’t take too long once we’re out to heat up some barbecue (I have a couple of white gas backpacking stoves).

Maybe you folks could join us for the morning social? You’re welcome for lunch too but we won’t have exact timing on that. Either way it would be great to see you again.

[One Paddle Short]

@Trekkin’ and Birdin’ wrote:

Oh heck, I don’t think we even got there until noon and we were out by dark.

Shhhhh, I’m trying to build a little suspense… 😉

[One Paddle Short]

We’re starting in at 10:30AM- but nobody said we’d be out before dark. 😯

[One Paddle Short]

@cheezehead wrote:

Maybe…just maybe. Have to see how things play out with the inlaws.
Any objection to 3 labs tagging along? They are good at breaking trail!

I like dogs. But they must be better than the Golden that we had- she didn’t break trail but tried to climb on the back of my snowshoes!

[One Paddle Short]

Ok,

Let’s try to set some solid plans.

Snowshoe to Eagle Source
Sunday, December 27th 2009

Meet at service gate off Atkins Road
N45 40.906
W089 00.654

Time:
With some folks contemplating four hour drives let’s say-
Meet and Greet 9:45-10:20
OPS will provide hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and cookies.
10:30 Start Time

If anyone wants a copy of my track log from our failed attempt (the out tracks will be useful for our in), or would like a cell number for contact- email or pm me.

OPS WILL be attempting this cache at that time. The only thing that would call it off would be extreme cold or bad roads. We will make a confirmation post some time around 5:30 AM if there’s any question regarding weather.

We only need a rough count of folks planning on attending. Actually it really doesn’t matter because we can bring lots of extra cookies! But, here’s a tentative list.

Planning on Attending
OPS -4
Bailey- 1?
TBC- 1?
Benny- 1
Furfool- 1-2

Maybe?
THB
rsplash40?
Mathman and SirCumference
Cheezehead/ labs

[One Paddle Short]

I don’t think these Robins are hanging around on purpose. When you see a Robin still here in winter you know that’s one of those minority Magellan users. The Garmin Robins are feasting on juicy worms well south of here. 😯

[One Paddle Short]

@Team Black-Cat wrote:

Why dont you just pop the balloons and spit in the punch bowl…

Actually, I thought I talked to you about this a couple of months ago.. doesn’t that count? Barring craphasy weather or something coming up at the last minute, I’m planning on joining in.

Great! Well then,…

Aw c’mon, Mike! It’ll be FUN! 😈

[One Paddle Short]

@Team Black-Cat wrote:

@RSplash40 wrote:

But now you have me thinking…

Aw c’mon, Mike! It’ll be FUN! 😈

Foul! You can not use peer pressure unless you are signed on to the expedition. Now, if you say you’re thinking of attending you may use peer pressure in any way you see fit. 😉

[One Paddle Short]

@raslas wrote:

I have never tried walking in snowshoes but someone told my husband that it is really a work out and you can’t go very far without stopping for a rest! Don’t know if this is so but sure would like to hear some other opinions.

This is one of those things where there are apples and oranges. I have a pair of wooden and sinew snowshoes with leather bindings. Big, lots of flotation, but HEAVY. And I used to use a heavy pac type boot too. That’s a lot of weight on each foot and if you’re going a long way it really adds up. Now we have the Northern lites and they weigh nothing compared to my wooden shoes. I also use a wool sock and a pair of cordura thinsulate boots and that is SO much lighter than the pac boots. So, the combined weight difference makes snowshoeing so much more fun. There is a trade-off with the smaller shoes and that is you lose the additional flotation in deep and powdery snow. But I’ll trade the flotation for the lighter weight 90 percent of the time.

We’ve also found that the older members of One Paddle Short like to use trekking poles with snow baskets on them for additional stability (the younger half is not much interested in using poles). We also added gaiters to our equipment and they are really nice when breaking trail in the deep stuff. Finally, snowshoeing is a lot of work and one mistake we used to make is to not remember to bring lots of drinking water. You don’t think of that in the winter but you really need it if you’re going to snowshoe any distance.

I know the snowshoes appear to be expensive at first but really what else are you going to get into for a winter activity for a couple hundred bucks? Downhill skiing? Don’t think so. Snowmobiling? Not a chance. Cross Country skiing? Most folks use trails and some of them have fees. All you need to snowshoe once you have the shoes is winter snow and a woods to explore. Better yet add a full moon.

[One Paddle Short]

@furfool wrote:

Anybody know what the swamps are like, waterwise? If there is not a lot of snow, or if it warms up, is this one of those swamps that holds ankle or knee deep water? Or just a few inches that kind of seeps up? I would like to be prepared on all fronts if possible.

If you look at the winter photos on the cache page you should have a pretty good idea of what we’ll be going through. I don’t think wet will be a problem- I think things will be frozen (I hope so anyway). It is just really thick in places. However, as I’ve said, knowing how to avoid the arrowhead swamp will make this much, much easier than what we experienced last time.

[One Paddle Short]

Well, I’m up for the planning and strategizing, but partially based on the date and mostly on the physical challenge I’m pretty sure i’m out.

Well, I’m enjoying all the planning as it’s fun to hear different ideas and see different maps. But, if you can survive the Three Bad Ribs I think this would be very doable. It’s the first person breaking trail that gets worn down, once the trail is established the walking isn’t so bad at all.

If we know which cardinal direction we should be heading in, we just check the compass. (Not that anyone needs our advice.)

Very good advice that would have saved the day last year had I actually heeded it. I didn’t take the cache seriously enough and I didn’t have a back-up GPS or a compass along. If I hadn’t been stubborn and just kept the GPS in front of me and the trekking poles on my pack we wouldn’t even be planning this as we would have found it last year. We made several mistakes and it cost us finding the cache.

Found out at Scouts last night, that Jacob is parking cars for the Packer game on the 27th. So we won’t be able to tag along on that date. Bummer!

Sorry to hear you won’t make it but happy to hear that Jacob is in scouts. It has been a very worthwhile part of our kids’ lives.

The 29th would work the best for me. After that, I’m not sure. I personally would probably pass on the later date due to having work the next day.

I’m guessing you mean the 27th (the 29th is a Tuesday)? I like the 27th better for the same reasons you mention even though my drive isn’t as long- it’s still a good ways from home.

It looks like a parking area directly east of the cache, that turns west off of Atkins.

If you’re going into the arrowhead swamp you’re going without me. 😉

I kind of like the trail directly West of the cache. Depending, of course, on how accessable the “Local Road” to the trail is.

That is interesting. I don’t think we can afford to plan that route though unless we know that we can make it from that access. The service gate has plenty of room for parking (along the road), and no folks living in the area to wonder what’s going on that we’d have to explain geocaching to. I do like the looks of that map and that trail though. Just can’t see committing to that approach without more information.

[One Paddle Short]

With the size of the group planning this, one would think the trail would be packed down enough for someone to go sans snowshoes…

What’s the size of the group? There’s quite a few folks on the thread but only a couple have said they might hike along? 😉

Truth is that last year while the folks in front were busting a trail through some pretty deep snow the end of the line had a pretty nice highway. There may not even be much snow to begin with- I’ll bet you could walk it easy once the snowshoe folks packed it down.

[One Paddle Short]

I’m going to go for Sunday, December 27th. If there are a lot of folks that would prefer a different date speak up but it seems this date works for everyone that has mentioned anything about coming. And, it also gives us a built-in snow date a week later on January 3rd if the 27th ends up being 20 below or the middle of a snow storm. It would be good to get started as early as possible. I suspect it will take 2 1/2 to 3 hours to complete.

Personally I’d like to go in from Atkins road because that’s where I failed from last time. That kind of thing inspires me to go back and succeed. I also have been in from that side and know how to make it to the swamp via a nice hike through the woods. I can’t speak as to how hard or easy the last 1/2 mile will be- but I can get us to that 1/2 mile with an easy hike (for winter on snowshoes).

Next we’ll have to pick a time to get started that works for everyone interested in going along. So, what sounds good? 9 Am, 10 AM? Later?

[One Paddle Short]

OPS, what did you find out about Yellow Birch Landing? I’ll I can find it that “something” used to be there.

I didn’t get around to it until today. The internet is a scary place. When I did a search for historical yellow birch landing the second thing that came up was a link to my post saying I thought it sounded interesting. I’ve since found it several references to it but it’s always just the location- I’ve found no information on the history.

It sounds like a good time. Interested in having another tag along if the date works for me? Last years Trip to the Philippines was a disappointment due to the fact of the impending storm kept me home and didn’t rear its head until well after the fact.

Of course, always room for more folks- but it’s a long ways from Milwaukee!

The credit card won’t support it this year. If we can get three pairs of shoes, we’ll join you. Either date works for us. We’ll update on our status.

We may be able to lend out a pair or two- can let you know as we get closer.

[One Paddle Short]

Let’s throw out a couple of possible days. Honneybunnies say Sunday works best. So how about either Sunday, December 27th or Sunday January 3rd?

Either of those work for folks who are interested in an afternoon snowshoe?

I haven’t heard anything from Mathman but I know he wouldn’t miss this kind of thing…

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