GC2MMV1 There IS a Safe Way!
Type: Traditional | Size: Small | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: Denali41 @ | Hide Date: 01/13/2011 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N40° 09.823 W105° 22.413 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
                   

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CONGRATULATIONS TO izyspring AND DOGS FOR FTF!!

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This challenging cache is placed very close to the summit of Point 8140, a Ranked Peak in Boulder County. As you drive up Colorado Highway 7 from Lyons, you will pass within 0.51 mile of the cache. Yes, it’s up there, 1,400 feet above you at this closest approach along the highway–the terrain above you looks imposing, and it is!! Wow, 1,400 feet of elevation gain in just one-half mile. Look at the cliff faces and rock towers between you and the summit (and the cache). Wow, again! From the highway, there appears to be no safe way to the top!

So make certain that you carefully study your 7.5-minute USGS quadrangle in advance of your searching for this cache. Look carefully at your approach options. If you are experienced at map-reading and route-finding, you’ll discover a safe way to the cache. In fact, with good route-finding skills you can keep the entire experience to Class 2+. But your route will involve considerably more distance than that initially appealing one-half mile–it was attractive until you saw the terrain!

After your map and route-plotting efforts, go for it. As you get reasonably close to the summit, critically study the terrain between you and the top. You’ll discover the safe way! Proceed up the relatively narrow weakness in the rock that allows your safe access.

Once at the summit find a comfortable place to sit so you can appreciate the incredible 360-degree panorama laid out all around you. Have lunch or a snack. You’ve earned the break. Then experience the pleasure of finding the cache and the special treasure it holds for you–its log sheet. The container you are searching for is a small plastic jar wrapped with camo tape. It's under the lip of a low, flat rock about 8-10 feet in the logical direction from a solitary pine tree.

After you sign the log you’ll probably be thinking something like this: “Geez, there IS a safe way up here!” Yep, there IS a safeway, but there ain’t no Starbucks!

Make certain that you go down the same safe way that you came up. It would be good on you ascent to make a GPS Track that allows you to retrace your exact route while you descend. Be careful.

10/25/2015 By Barngineer
Holy Mackerel, this cache wore me out! I started my hike by slipping on a rock and submerging my right leg in the South Saint Vrain. before I started the big climb, I took off that boot and wrung out my sock, which helped a lot on my comfort level.
I think I'm a lot smarter now than I was when I started this trek; I now am more likely to look for game trails that parallel a ridge than I am to try to try to walk along the top of a ridge. The ridge on this hike was full of huge beautiful rock formations that were pretty tricky to climb through. But enough with the complaining already!
I really liked this journey: The scenery was spectacular, the terrain was challenging, and I didn't see another soul the whole day! The cache was exactly where it should have been, and my respect for Denali41 has increased yet another notch. Thanks for the great cache!

06/07/2014 By Triggur
Wow! Set out to get this guy and after surveying the maps back at home, I plotted my "Safe Way."

Not a huge surprise but once up here I realized the sprint runoff ways going to keep me from the prize today. The river is a raging torrent of death that I dare not cross!

Maybe in a few weeks.

06/06/2014 By RDAD
I teamed up today with the CNC pair, along with Beanbo and Brybit. We hiked up and found the cache still in fine condition with coords that are right on. With the hint in the description, we located the cache without much trouble and signed in.

Our route was also all bushwhacking, but totaled several more miles and more elevation gain than necessary due to a bit of extra climbing to visit another interesting viewpoint.

The views from Point 8140 were truly spectacular, but the highlight of the day was when Beanbo spotted a black bear with a small cub frolicking on the opposite hillside. We really enjoyed watching them for awhile before continuing on.

Thanks for the challenging cache in such a special location! A very enjoyable day.

09/30/2011 By izyspring
Wow! FTF! :-) What a day with my two dogs, Izy and Coada on this ascent today. My plan going from the hint didn't pan out (email to the owner about this) so we took a slightly different route. The first half mile wasn't necessarily the Safe Way but we did make out way. After that it was a little easier, albeit still quite and ascent but we could begin making some time to the cache. Once toward the top, I noticed a definite smell of elk in the area. As I looked around I didn't see any, but Izy had found a fresh bed to roll around in! So I had an elky dog the rest of the way.

The final ascent was how I imagined from looking at the map and after a few doglegs we found our way to the top. We sat and rested for about thirty minutes, had some lunch, water and shot some photos. It was 2.3 miles up and took about two hours. We made it a little shorter on the way back finding an elk trail on the descent from top and eliminating some extra ground I had covered on the way up. All told, it was 4.4 miles and four hours on the hoof today. But all bushwhacking and a tough 4.4 miles!

Thanks for a wonderful challenge. I so enjoyed the day and my dogs did just awesome. I was especially proud of Coada, my one year old pup.

This entry was edited by izyspring on Sunday, 02 October 2011 at 20:34:58 UTC.

01/19/2011 By Alpine Reviewer
Published