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Nothing like taking a caching selfie and discovering there's
a freaking zombie lurking right behind you.
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A couple of old farts — Robgso (a.k.a. Rob Isenhour) and I — embarked this
morning on a mission out to Caswell County to find a fairly new multi-cache
called "Return of the Caching Dead" (
GC5EHKW), set up by frequent geocaching companion and aspiring old fart himself,
Rtmlee (a.k.a. Robbin Lee). Back in February 2013, an earlier version of the
cache existed (see "
The Caching Dead"), but a clandestine government organization took issue with Mr. Lee's
revealing of certain dark, damning secrets, and he was forced to alter the setup
significantly. Pity for Mr. Lee, but good for us as far as having a new,
high-quality multi-cache to seek on a near-perfect late autumn morning. As it
happened, just before we left in the Damned Rodan Mobile, two new caches were
published not far from the domicile, so we made a side trip that netted us a
pair of very nice first-to-finds. Then we were on our way to an experience that
we suspected might be fraught with terror and intrigue. After all, we know the
cache hider and have at least some clue as to how his deviant mind works. This
fact worried us more than you could know.
Like the "The Caching Dead" before it, this cache has four stages, and I knew
stage one would be something different from the original. Indeed. Once we
arrived at ground zero, we saw immediately we could be venturing into dark,
forbidding territory. As you can see in the self-portrait above, you never know
what sort of strange things the camera is going to capture. We managed to find
the stage without undue difficulty, though we heard bizarre sounds in the woods
— issuing from things unseen, whispering and gibbering, possibly speaking some
unearthly language. Once we had recorded the coordinates for the next stage, we
made haste from there, escaping with our lives if not our sanity.
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We could only guess at the kinds of secret
experiments that once occurred here.
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The coordinates to stage two led us to a familiar installation — ostensibly, an
abandoned community center far out in the middle of nowhere, but it seems clear
that at one time this facility was used for some nefarious purpose. The
interior, as seen from without, appeared just as it had a couple of years ago —
all signs indicating some sudden, catastrophic event that resulted in total
evacuation. Reaching our objective here required us to follow a path into the
woods similar to that of the original cache, but this time, we did encounter
some honest-to-god horror: it was becoming clear that whatever malign, inhuman
influence resided here, it had begun to work on Mr. Isenhour. I managed to get a
photo or two before he came to his senses; and once he did, we rushed out of
those woods, followed by the disconcerting voices of the unseen things that
still clearly lurked in the forests. As we put some distance between the old
installation and the Rodan Mobile, Mr. Rob seemed a bit more himself.
Regardless, I kept a close eye on both my hands, as I wasn't particularly keen
on losing one.
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For a brief time, Rob succumbed to the siren-song of the things in the
woods
and treated himself to a nice handwich.
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Stage three coordinates again led us to relatively familiar ground. I had a
feeling what we might find there, and I was quite correct. It wasn't pretty.
Some poor sod — perhaps also a geocacher — had come to a bad end here, but we
knew that if we interpreted the evidence properly, we would find a clue —
hopefully — to lead us to our final objective. A thorough examination revealed
all we needed to know. We left the remains exactly as we found them because it's
only a matter of time before someone else follows in our footsteps, seeking the
answers to the forbidden lore concealed by the diabolical Mr. Lee. We would so
hate to see them disappointed — or worse, end up like the chap whose decomposing
skull we discovered.
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Rob doing his best to get ahead.
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The route to the final stage led us to a remote lake, deep in the hostile woods,
a location I had visited once before — not only for the predecessor of this
cache but for an entirely different quarry. The setting
seemed the same,
but there was a subtle change from before: an almost corporeal presence,
something we knew would prove quite dreadful if we happened to encounter it. So
far, we had been lucky in that the coordinates provided by Mr. Lee had all been
good, allowing us to quickly find the clues we needed to reach this last stage
of the game. We were forced to park the Rodan Mobile some distance from ground
zero, so we had to make our way on foot farther than was comfortable under the
circumstances. But thanks to Rob's sharp eyes, we almost immediately had the
secret, hidden container in hand so we might complete our mission. Yes! Done!
Now we had to vacate the premises with all haste because we both were beginning
to feel the terrible pangs of an unspeakable appetite.
Happily, we were able to satisfy our carnivorous cravings at one of our favorite
dining establishments —
The Celtic Fringe
in Reidsville. A good pale ale helped calm my nerves as well. It was, indeed, an
incredible venture out in the wilds of Caswell County today, and I'm pleased to
say we conquered every obstacle placed before us, not only without dying but
with some semblance of style and grace.
Next time Mr. Lee joins us for a caching outing, he may find himself having to
look over his shoulder perhaps a bit more than usual. Old farts never,
ever forget.
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Some ghostly apparition captured by the camera?
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What 
