GC26C63 Profiles of Greyrock Mountain--Northeastern View
Type: Traditional | Size: Small | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: Denali41 @ | Hide Date: 06/30/2010 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N40° 44.035 W105° 16.033 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
             

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Greyrock Mountain (elevation 7,613 feet) in Larimer County has a highly distinctive profile from Interstate 25 and other eastern vantages. Its steep southern aspect shows dramatically in silhouette as seen from the east. Many admirers of this Ranked Peak do not realize that the mountain’s lines from other directions are also remarkable and highly distinctive. This “Profile Series” consists of seven Traditional caches placed on Ranked Peaks that surround Greyrock Mountain, as well as a Multi-staged cache. Views of this mountain from each cache location and from the stages of the Multi are breathtaking, and each provides a special profile dimension of Greyrock. If you have as an objective finding all eight caches in this series, you will eventually view this marvelous mountain from many angles. To attain these views (as well as the treasures of the log books in all the cache containers) you will have hiked dozens of miles and have reached some remote areas. A major challenge confronting you will be discovering the most efficient approaches for accessing certain of these caches. Once you have logged all eight caches in the series, you will have satisfied the goals for a special challenge cache that I’ll be establishing. Don’t worry...I’ll have the challenge cache in place before you reach all of the cache destinations in this “Profile Series”! So enjoy this particular profile cache, and then work at the others. Enjoy your adventures as you “Profile” Greyrock Mountain!

"LADYBIRD BEETLE PEAK"

Almost equidistant between the marvelous EarthCaches on Greyrock Mountain and the traditional cache on Livermore Mountain is an unnamed, Ranked Peak identified on the USGS quad as X6945. It's position is northeast of Greyrock. It’s a fun mountain to reach the summit of; from its top, sit down on a soft rock and spend some time viewing the marvelous foothills terrain, Seaman Reservoir, and the valley of North Fork Cache La Poudre River. The north side of Greyrock Mountain, as seen from X6945, rises up “in your face”, and is spectacular. It’s rarely seen from this perspective! And make certain you appreciate the ladybird beetles (lady bugs) that call this summit area their home. My puppy Teewinot and I have been to the top of this peak on three occasions, once during winter, and each time the rocks at the summit have been teeming with these lovely, benign creatures. I refer to this mountain as "Ladybird Beetle Peak".

The climb up Ladybird Beetle Peak is an easy one. The difficulty you’ll have is determining the “best” way to get to its base, and then actually reaching it. I know of four possible approaches, but each of them involves a lot of hiking to get to the peak. Routes from the south may allow you to collect an EarthCache or two on your approach. The best route from the north permits strong hikers to also find Livermore Heights cache (GC26C5Y), for a “double” on tough back-country caches in a day’s effort. Do some map work, choose an option, and go for it. When you reach the cache vicinity, sign the summit register that’s tucked under the rock cairn at the highest point. This isn’t the cache. With a little searching, you should easily locate the container.

Make certain that you carry extra clothing and plenty of water and food. It’s a long hike into the cache, no matter which route you select. And tell someone who is not accompanying you on the hike, your approximate route and destination. Have fun with this one. I’ve truly enjoyed the three times I’ve been to this lovely location.

03/03/2018 By ArkF
Thanks for the challenging cache! Got to Gateway natural area early this morning and had my choice of parking spots. Took the one closest to the trail and headed up towards the reservoir. Once I got to the end of the trail I headed up the hill towards the cache. I got most of the way up the steepest part and realized I had left part of my gear down at the delta. So I got to do that part twice.

Had solitude and fresh air on my way up towards the right peak. I spent some extra effort digging through the pine needles and dirt since it had been 5 years and a day since the last find and I didn't want to miss it under 5 years of debris. It was unnecessary since the cache was easily visible once I looked in the right spot. Someone had chewed through the lid and eaten part of the log, so I traded containers (with permission) for a more resistant one I had brought for just that reason. Had to take the deck of cards since it wouldn't quite fit anymore.

I did see a lot of ladybugs, including 20 or so climbing up my leg while I ate my sandwich.

03/02/2013 By icezebra11
After the 9" of snow we had in Loveland last weekend I figured I'd need the snowshoes today so I strapped them to my pack and drove up the canyon to the trailhead. When I got to the parking area all I saw was brown so the shoes stayed in the car. I approached the cache from the SE route, parking at Gateway NA. I hiked in along the west side of Seaman Reservoir to a point at the north end where I started climbing the ridge. It was a little steep for the first couple hundred yards but the rest of the way was pretty decent slopewise. About 4.4 miles one way from the parking area. Had to dig a little in the snow but came up with the container. Took the globe marble and left the T-Rex TB. THANKS!

08/10/2012 By Denali41
Post-fire maintenance check. The Hewlett Fire burned to within a foot of the cache, but surrounding rocks protected it. The container and contents are in perfect shape. The entire forest down-slope from the cache burned very hotly, and the landscape is remarkable. I saw an American Three-toed Woodpecker very close to the cache site. This woodpecker is a fire specialist, moving quickly into burned areas and finding insects by scaling charred bark off burned trees. It's a fairly unusual bird in Colorado. Watch for it. I also came within 4 feet of a very large Western Rattlesnake as I made my way through a rocky outcrop on my way to the cache. Be careful.

12/13/2011 By atcresci
Found this with Dctrspott on a long and beautiful hike!

12/13/2011 By DctrSpott
After a hell of an adventure today, was able to nab this. Dropped off a TB, and some swag. More tomorrow, after my achy body rests.

Edit: So, this trek was quite an adventure. Parked at eagles nest, took a questionable route that may cut through private property, saw what appeared to be a helicopter search party for a lost hiker, and trekked a little more than a half marathon. Totally amazing, perfect weather, and great views. I summarized my adventure in a blog post at CacheCrazy.com. Check out the cool pictures! (And maybe, plan a better route....)

This entry was edited by DctrSpott on Tuesday, 27 December 2011 at 19:02:03 UTC.