 |
| Getting ready to head up yonder |
Early Saturday morning, friend Diefenbaker (a.k.a. Scott) and I got together in Greensboro to hunt a bunch of newer geocaches that have come out in the area over the past few days. Friend Fishdownthestairs (a.k.a. Natalie) joined us for a brief while before she had to tend to other business. Scott and I made quite the day of it; at the end of the run, we logged 50 caches, a one-day total I haven't managed for several years now. We could have gotten many more than that if we weren't a couple of old and tired men, but we were, so we didn't.
Saturday evening, a new multi-cache ("The Multi-Cache of DOOM," GCB3JA4) came out in Rocky Mount, about 30 miles north of here, but Ms. B. and I had plans for Sunday: an excellent brunch at Hamlet Vineyards in Fieldale with friends Bob & Yvonne. A nice couple, Scott & Jamie, whom they had met at another recent event, joined us. For local wine, Hamlet's is very good, both reds and whites, and their food ain't half-bad. I had a very tasty gumbo with shrimp, chicken, and sausage; Brugger went with fresh-baked bread with an assortment of prosciutto, hummus, and spinach & artichoke dip. We give Hamlet very high marks all around.
This morning, I got up early and set out for Rocky Mount. A couple of times recently I had cached on the ridge where this new cache lurks, and I can tell you, the terrain up yonder is some kind of serious. Very steep; rocky; thick with brush, brambles, and briers; and covered with a carpet of cacti (last time, I brought home quite a few very annoying, hairlike needles in my hand). This multi-cache took me up the back side of the ridge, the lower slope of which you see in the photo above; in the past, I've gone up the other side, which may be marginally easier. Once you get into those trees up there, making forward progress becomes a real bear.
Upon arrival, I quickly found the first of the three stages, which lay close to the parking coordinates. The second lurked just inside the trees at roughly the highest point you see in the photo there. It was in a target-rich area, so it took me a while, but I eventually snagged the little bastard. Then... into the worst of the terrain. Whew! It didn't help that I ended up reaching the final stage by way of the most difficult route I could have chosen (needless to say, the descent was somewhat easier). The cache itself was a mint, 50-caliber ammo can, loaded with swag. So, I managed to grab the almost-coveted first-to-find honors here.
Upon arrival, I quickly found the first of the three stages, which lay close to the parking coordinates. The second lurked just inside the trees at roughly the highest point you see in the photo there. It was in a target-rich area, so it took me a while, but I eventually snagged the little bastard. Then... into the worst of the terrain. Whew! It didn't help that I ended up reaching the final stage by way of the most difficult route I could have chosen (needless to say, the descent was somewhat easier). The cache itself was a mint, 50-caliber ammo can, loaded with swag. So, I managed to grab the almost-coveted first-to-find honors here.
A physical ordeal to be sure, but a hell of a lot of fun. And now, back to the cactus...er...salt mines.
