GC5AZ17 Blanca's Playground
Type: Traditional | Size: Small | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: keslen @ | Hide Date: 08/31/2013 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N37° 34.312 W105° 30.112 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
     

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Small container hidden in the pile of rocks. You will either have to hike up the trail to this one or have a well equipped vehicle.

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Blanca Peak is the fifth highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado. The 14,351-foot (4,374 m) ultra-prominent peak is the highest summit of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the Sangre de Cristo Range, and the Sierra Blanca Massif. The fourteener is located 9.6 miles (15.5 km) north by east (bearing 9°) of the Town of Blanca. Blanca Peak is known to the Navajo people as the Sacred Mountain of the East: Sisnaajiní (or Tsisnaasjiní), the Dawn or White Shell Mountain. The mountain is considered to be the eastern boundary of the Dinetah, the traditional Navajo homeland. It is associated with the color white, and is said to be covered in daylight and dawn and fastened to the ground with lightning. It is gendered male. Summitpost notes that "the first recorded ascent of Blanca by the Wheeler Survey was recorded on August 14, 1874, but to their surprise they found evidence of a stone structure possibly built by Ute Indians or wandering Spaniards.

08/27/2017 By pmodell
Found geocache at 20170827-12:50. Not difficult to find at all. There was only one small piece of paper in the cache container, so I added an index card. My GPS unit indicated 12179 feet elevation at the cache location.

Did not summit Blanca or Ellingwood due to rain, hail, and thunder. I could handle rain and nickle size hail, but I didn't want to risk a lightning strike.

TFTC!

08/04/2017 By Keslen
I plan to maintenance this cache soon. Have all the stuff just need the time to make it down there and then up. Thanks for adding some paper to the cache in the meantime.

08/03/2017 By WingsAndTales
It was raining on our way down from Blanca and Ellingwood but this was close enough to make a quick stop. Fortunately I had a spare bit of paper but this could use a better log. Nice spot. TFTC

08/03/2017 By COpackrat
Stopped by on the way down from the summits. W&T put in some paper to act as the new log, and we rehid it well. Thanks for the cache.

07/18/2017 By DrPowercat
Made it to the top of Blanca, but had to pass on Ellingwood. Stopped and looked for this on the way down. Found what I believe was the cache as described under a pile of rocks. Lid was partially off and no log in container. Found piece of swag nearby. I had no paper to replace the log, but I replaced the lid and tucked the cache back into its hiding spot. Beautiful spot.