GC2KM47 Burn Your Hamstrings (Then Waste Your Quads)
Type: Traditional | Size: Small | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: Denali41 @ | Hide Date: 11/18/2010 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N40° 11.072 W105° 22.358 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
           

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There’s a peak in Boulder County that is marked by a spot elevation of “X8422" on the USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle. This number refers to the summit elevation, 8,422 feet above mean sea level. So this Ranked Peak would typically be referred to as “Point 8,422". That’s a fine designation for it when you’re resting in a comfortable chair at home doing map work. But while climbing the peak to collect this geocache, you might discover that you are using "other" names to reference the mountain and the cache that’s near its summit. Silver Trekker, my puppy Teewinot, and I hiked up the very steep terrain from Highway 7 to this Point; by the time we had topped out I was referring to it in my mind with colorful, four-letter words that didn’t sound remotely similar to “Point 8,422"! My hamstrings were complaining from the effort; instead of being elated with my position on the summit, I was already contemplating how my quadriceps might feel during the descent!

Finally, I settled down and began admiring where I was. So when you reach the GZ vicinity take a few deep breaths to calm down, and then start noticing some of the special features visible from this wooded summit. For example, position yourself so you can see the top of Longs Peak projecting above the imposing bulk of Mount Meeker. It’s a pretty neat view from this particular location! Look south at the diverse terrain that supports many of Boulder County’s mid-elevation Ranked Peaks. Try to plot out the locations of back country caches you’ve already found in the landscapes laid out in front of you, as well as the general localities of geocaches on your wish-to-find list.

After this recovery period, search for the cache you’ve hiked up here to find. It’s a pill vial, camoed with two colors of paint. Finding it shouldn’t be terribly difficult, but might require some persistence. Look for the cache near the ground within the overhang area of the large rock near GZ.

And don’t blow your quads out as you descend to your vehicle. Take your time! Enjoy having reeled in this cache. It’s made you work for the treasure it holds–its log sheet!

As a precautionary note, land ownership in the mid-elevation area of Boulder County tends to consist of a matrix of U.S. Forest Service land juxtaposed with private parcels. That's the case in the cache vicinity, too. So be careful.

UPDATE. The cache has been relocated to Point 8249, and the coordinates have been updated. The cache container is now a "Small" size.

11/15/2015 By HighCountryAdmin
N40° 11.072 W105° 22.358
Coordinates changed from:
N 40° 11.025 W 105° 22.706

Coordinates changed to:
N 40° 11.072 W 105° 22.358

Distance from original: 1641.5 feet or 500.3 meters.
Updating coordinates per owner’s request.

HighCountryAdmin
Volunteer Geocache Reviewer

11/15/2015 By Denali41
I'm grateful to icezebra11 for making the relocation of this cache to a vicinity I had chosen that can be reached without the possibility of inadvertent trespass. The relocation preserves all of the special ingredients of this challenging backcountry cache. Reaching it and descending the terrain to return to your parking location will certainly burn your hamstrings and waste your quads!

i will get the new coordinates posted in the cache details.

11/14/2015 By icezebra11
What a beautiful day to go after this cache! The sun was shining and when I arrived at my parking spot, the temp was in the upper thirties. But I was still low in the shadows of the mountain ridge to the south and so after gaining a little altitude it was nice and warm. This one had been on the "to do" list for some time and it is indeed a leg burner. I studied the maps closely to decide where to park and make the climb. It really worked out well. It took me 2 hours to reach GZ with the steepest and slowest part just getting to X7973. From there to the cache wasn't too bad.

I reached the cache location and quickly had the container in hand. I signed the log as just the second finder in the five years the cache has been out!

I had let Denali41 I would be going for this cache and he asked that I relocate the container to ensure it was on Forest Service land. So I took the container back to X8249 and found a new home for it. I put Denali41's pill bottle inside the duct taped glass jar that I had brought as a replacement container and placed it in a nice little nook.

The new coordinates are N40 11.072, W105 22.358. Denali41 will modify the cache page to reflect the relocation.

After re-hiding the container I headed back down the steep ridge to my waiting truck. When I started the GPSr said 1.16 miles as the crow flies to the cache but the round trip was 3.65 miles with 2270 feet of elevation gain. The trip took me 3 hours, 15 minutes.

Thanks Steve for this wonderful cache!!! It's really one that gets the blood flowing alright, my hams and quads are cussing you right now!!!

09/16/2015 By Denali41
Land ownership in the cache vicinity is more complex than that shown on the Geocaching.com map on the cache page. The most straightforward approach from Colorado Highway 7 to the cache crosses private land that isn't shown on this map and has no boundary sign postings. Cache seekers may inadvertently cross this private land. To prevent possible issues, the cache will be relocated to a nearby place that should eliminate such possibility. The coordinates will be updated once the relocation has been made. Don't worry: ascending to and descending from the new cache position will still "burn your hamstrings and then waste your quads"!

05/08/2011 By Agents of KAOS
FTF! Woo-hoo.

Great day for a great hike - as promised, the legs were burning on the way up. It's always cool to be FTF on a non-trivial cache like this. Thanks for putting this out there.

-- Agents of KAOS (RAP & the LFW)
-- Longmont, CO