GC2J8PN Can You Approach Me?
Type: Traditional | Size: Regular | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: Denali41 @ | Hide Date: 04/13/2010 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N40° 09.164 W105° 20.729 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
         

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CONGRATULATIONS TO SUPERDOLPH AND BILLYGOAT RUSS FOR THEIR FTF ON THIS CACHE!!

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Hello, geocachers, and welcome to my home page! Let me tell you a little about me.....I’m a “regular”-sized cache, and I’m hidden in an exquisite place a moderate distance from the summit of Point 8315. That peak has a summit register on it that you can sign, but signing IT doesn’t count for logging a “found it” on me! You need to find me first, and take out and sign MY cache log. You shouldn’t have any real difficulty in locating me. I’m easy! I reside on a shelf under a large, sloping rock, and I’m concealed by a bunch of sticks that probably don’t look very naturally placed. A large, rotten log is just south of my home. I really should be a slam dunk for you, once you get to my general vicinity. That’s why I’ve given myself a “1.5" rating for Difficulty.

Now my Terrain rating, on the other hand, is a “5". That’s because you’ll need to figure out an optimal route for your approach to Point 8315 and my hidey hole. You have several options, each having its special challenges for you. None requires rock climbing–just other things such as distance and steepness and maybe some bushwhacking, and perhaps (by one approach route) some land access restrictions. But I’m all worth it, once you decide on a route and get to me. You’ll enjoy where I live. I want to share it with you. My Owner chose the shortest route when he carried me up here, the one with possible access restrictions. That might work just fine for some of you. Others might wish to avoid that approach. There are several other ways to get to me. It’s really up to you.

I expect to be here for a long time; I don't anticipate that many of you will be joining me over the coming years. But I’m MUCH more fun than those caches that are hidden beneath sleeves at the base of lamp posts in parking lots! I guarantee that you’ll have a much different type of experience with me....come find out. Oh, and bring a pencil or pen. My Owner doesn’t always remember to leave one. He thinks he left one in me, but just in case...

And when you come, make certain that you bring a pack that contains some fluid, food, and extra clothing. And tell someone who isn’t accompanying you, the route that you plan to follow, and then check back with that person after you have finished with me. And have lots of fun!! That’s what I am...fun.

10/24/2017 By benji55545
To be fair, I DID stay on public property the whole way... just not land open to the public :P

I thought it would be okay if I stayed on the road since the road goes to private property further up and I could get to Forest Service land from the road, but I didn't bother to check if it was an officially designated access road or not. Turns out, not.

10/08/2017 By Denali41
Congratulations to benji55545! I feel very badly about his experiences that resulted in a fine for going out-of-bounds at Heil Ranch, but laud him for his persistence to reach and log this cache! Yes, this is a challenging one--in part because of the terrain that needs to be addressed, but also because it requires careful evaluation of maps to choose possible routes that avoid trespass issues. As the cache name "Can You Approach Me?" suggests, this analysis is the crux. The cache can be reached entirely on Public Land for those willing to make the required evaluation and to deal with the terrain alternatives. But this recent Found it log made me reconsider the Difficulty rating I've given the cache, and I've modified it. I hope this does not cause problems for previous finders who needed the former D/T combination for their Fizzy needs. Thanks, benji!!

10/08/2017 By benji55545
Attempt #2 at this cache (I'm counting the first one, even though I aborted it very early). This attempt proved to be much more successful (yay!) but also much more costly (boo!). My previous approach via Fairview Peak resulted in some badgering from a landowner, even though I was ALWAYS on public land, which I didn't much feel like dealing with again. So I mapped out another approach that would be a little bigger net elevation gain, but would be more straight up as opposed to losing elevation along the way.

I'll spare the details, but long story short, I made it to the top and found the cache! For any future cachers wondering if you can approach from Heil Valley Ranch, the answer is technically yes, but it is very much NOT allowed. The ranger saw me on my walk out along Greer Canyon Dr., stopped me, and gave me a stern lecture in addition to a ticket. So unless you want to make this a very expensive geocache, find another way, hah!

The cache itself in great shape. I had a difficult time finding it with three years of plant matter piled on top and my head still slightly buzzy from the steep ascent, but persistence paid off.

02/27/2016 By benji55545
Not today! I reached Point 8588 with plenty of time to spare, but the snow on the northern side was way too deep. I started down, postholing up to my waist in some cases. I made it about 300 feet down, and realizing I still had another 700 or so feet to lose I decided I would enjoy the hike a lot more with snowshoes or in summer.

05/04/2014 By icezebra11
Why yes, we can approach you! Barngineer and I got together for some back country caching today and this cache was right at the top of the list of "must finds" for both of us. After the Mountain Fire Escape we gazed across the drainage and weren't too excited about all the elevation we were about to lose. But, one must go where the cache is, so off we went. Made our way down to the saddle between the two high points and headed up the hill. This was much more enjoyable than the climb through all the burned deadfall. Got to GZ and made a quick find of the cache. As has been reported, the container was pretty chewed up. Barngineer brought a new container and replaced it in its lonely hiding spot. Had some lunch while taking in the view of the elevation we had just lost and now needed to regain. This was the last cache of the day for us and so we headed back south and west to where the truck was waiting for us. We did this hike 100% on Forest Service land, leaving from Road 87J. It sure helped to have a HuntGPS chip in my unit so we were able to avoid the private land all together. Thanks Steve for this great cache that few will ever visit.