Musings about Geocaching: 2008-02-24

Leap Year Day celebrated with a nearly ten-mile hike

Bradybunchboys put out a new cache called BBB's "Widowmaker". It was a long hike, but dillweed was up for it, and there was the chance for FTF, with a FTF prize of a Geocoin. So, off we went in the mist of the marine layer, which was quite a contrast to the bright, warm sunshine at my house. When we got to the staging area, I was sure glad I grabbed my fleece vest at the last minute as I left the house, because I needed it in the chilly, damp air.

This is one area that was scorched by the fire last October and now, after all the rain this winter, the area is recovering, and looking very green.

We hiked and hiked and hiked on through the overcast day and only when we had been FTF on the first cache, and climbed up even higher to another cache that had only been found once before, did the sun finally start to make an appearance.

On the way back, the sound of the water tumbling down the boulders in the canyon below us was fantastic. I could have sat down and listened to that relaxing sound for a while, but we needed to make it back to the trailhead by 2:00.

I took the time to take a few more pictures on the "home stretch" now that the sun was finally emerging from the "low clouds and fog," which is the most common phrase uttered by local weathermen during the months of March, April, May, and June here in the San Diego area, when the "Coastal Eddy" delivers overcast skies to the coast and lower elevations west of the foothills.

This hike was incredible and even without a cache to find along the trail, I should head back out there to take more photographs while the green color predominates. Later in the year, the green will be replaced by tan and brown, and the fire danger will be heightened again . . .

Here is the profile of the entire hike:

My thanks to dillweed for the great company on the long hike, and to bradybunchboys for another FTF Geocoin to add to my collection.

In the Crest area, a fantastic, almost six-mile hike

This is the Profile of our nearly six-mile hike, during which Auld Pro and I found twelve caches.

We started the hike on a city street and eventually made it to the top of the peak in this next picture, at an elevation of more than 1800 feet.

I'll try to add more details later on . . .

A short hike to get a FTF

When bradybunchboys hiked to my newest caches in the Horsethief area, he left two caches, and his cell phone . . . He did not intend to leave the latter item . . .

One of the new caches is a Puzzle cache and I don't know how to figure it out, but I decided to hike to the other one. It wasn't a very long hike, just over a mile, but it was challenging in places because of the burned vegetation. I found the container after a short search and retrieved a White Jeep TB that was in the container.

I only took a few pictures. Here is one of Lawson Peak as framed by the burned chapparral.

This area was easier to walk through because of the height of the burned sticks. I could pick a path through them without having to brush up against the scorched sticks as I had to in other areas where the burned plants had not been so tall.

There were a few mushrooms and tiny flowers blooming. Since we have had so much rain this winter, I expect a profusion of flowers in a few weeks when the temperatures start warming up a bit.

It was a fun little hike . . . and I did look for Lance's cell phone. I wish I could figure out how to solve the Puzzle cache, "Lost my PHONE.................by the BBB's." Who knows, if I get those coordinates, maybe I'll spot the phone while walking to that container . . .

A fun day of hiking in MTRP with dillweed

It was a beautiful day for a hike back up Oak Canyon where the water was flowing. We had to cross over the creak many times, and it was more difficult than the previous Sunday since we had so much rain last Friday and yesterday.

I have some pictures I took in the canyon I hope to post later.

dillweed found about twenty caches, I found five, but that was fine. I don't have to write so many logs at the end of the day. ;-)

The "interesting" container at "Zig Zag," which we did, in fact, zigzag towards, following a non-sanctioned route.