Lock and Key

06/30/2019 By TigerFinder
Wow what a cache! I also found the first stage on the ground. A shred of weathered duct tape laid nearby, making me concerned that the waypoint was missing. But it's fine! I took a picture of the directions (after reading them) because I literally read them, returned them (to an opening at the base of the tree, wedged it in a bit and added a stick to hold it in place but it will likely dislodge again, especially if it goes a year lonely), walked ten steps away and said 'What did it say?' Made my way to the final and, sadly, it's in rough shape. The two keyed locks were open (but attached) which made for quicker work. I still read that clue, found the puzzle (the parent container for the final puzzle is worn and brittle now and no longer protects the inner puzzle). I was able to get in and sign the log. Having the keys made it easier to 're-assemble' (I think). What a fun puzzle and a beautiful area. However, this one does need to be checked on to make sure it's still up to par. TFTC!

Because this one was more than a year lonely, it qualifies me for the Cache Revival Challenge!

06/17/2018 By KylandoGt
Definitely hard to find had to look hard for numbers

05/18/2018 By Back Country Horsemen
I was up for a good hike & I had ridden my horse up here once before so I was familiar with the area. I would have ridden back up here again but he is older now & he has sadly developed some breathing problems especially in steep terrain & this is definitely that! It looks like the mountain bikes have discovered this steep trail down the power line from trail 715 to 4WD Rd 718 so now it is decomposed granite ball bearings in a narrow V ditch so my hiking pole came in very handy.
I found WP1easily but like the last finder reported it is no longer attached but on the ground. I found a little cubby to tuck it into. When I saw what the next requirement was I knew I was in for a challenge. A little hint here, it will probably help if you can do this with a partner, or two or three or four... I was by myself and my dog wasn't going to help. Believe me I got plenty of extra exercise & ended up having to get a hint from both the CO & the previous finders who I was grateful replied while I was still up on the ridge. Fortunately I had started my day at this cache so I had plenty of time to work on it before I had to get back down the hill.
I found the final stage and yet another challenge which stressed me at first but in the end ended up being pretty fun.
I finally completed the tasks, got my name on the log, wished I had some neat SWAG to leave in the full sized container but now I had to reassemble everything. There again, a 3rd or 4th hand would have helped, but I finally got it buttoned up. My dog sure was ready to head down the hill after all the shenanigans I had gone through to solve these field puzzles.
Unless you are an extremely sharp or lucky geocacher better plan for some extra time to do this one. All together (not including the hike up or down) it took me well over 2 hours to complete this.

01/20/2018 By Bokmeow
ps we hiked up from trial 715 using waypoints for the 318 adventure #1 waypoint coords what a day!

01/20/2018 By Bokmeow
oh my word! too funny that we looked at this and said "do we really want to do this? we haven't gotten any caches yet today be it could take a while." well an hour later we couldn't just give up. what a trip that was!!!! this was a toughy! we repaired the first stage which had been dislodged from its holder and placement then walked the road about four times until we finally spotted what we were looking for. thanks for such a fun and challenging multi! fave point awarded. co might want to replace stage one with their own container. we didn't have camo tape for the repair. just regular silver duct tape. the picture is why we found before we found stage one on the ground about 15 feet away.

03/27/2017 By brennan7
This cache is now a premium-member only cache. Unfortunately, after having to replace all of my geocaches every year (except "Slender," which until now was my only premium cache), I've decided to make this cache exclusive to the people who are here to geocache for real. I take pride in hiding exciting geocaches that are different and fun to find, but I am forced to trust that people will handle the cache the right way. I understand that most people are good geocachers and follow the rules, but it really makes me mad when things are completely taken apart, not put back correctly, or flat-out destroyed because someone doesn't want to take the time to solve a puzzle or get a clue. I am sorry for this, but this has to be the way it is going to be from now on. It is too time consuming and expensive to fix all of my geocaches every year.