Secret Vision

It’s normal in geocaching to brag about being the FIRST to find a newly-placed geocache. But it’s not everyday someone might get to brag about being the LAST to find.

Sadly, this could be the case for Secret Vision (GC1871T) by d.d.dudes.

After reading the cache description and checking out the pictures and logs, it seemed this was going to be a really cool and fascinating place to visit. I parked at the Waypoint described, and headed off up the discrete track, and came across the little plaque, as described by the cacher.

This is looking interesting

We headed a little further up the track to where it opened up to a rocky outcrop, and noticed some beautiful and fascinating carvings on ground – the most prominent being a very large kangaroo.

A VERY large Kangaroo carving.

Some of the carvings were well worn and camouflaged, so they’re hard to photograph. It was a very peaceful, almost mystical place. Something rustled in the bush nearby, I turned to spot a large Goanna race up a tree. I must’ve startled him.

With the aid of the hint, I retrieved the cache very quickly and opened it to start signing the log book. Upon doing so I was very surprised to turn around and find two State Forest rangers had appeared from behind – and they wanted to know what I was doing!

I had the cache right there, log book opened which I was in the process signing — so I just told them I was geocaching, and asked if they’d heard of it before.  They explained they knew what geocaching is – but were concerned about it going on at a sacred aboriginal women’s site.

He said he saw my car parked out by the road and wanted to know what I was up to.  They told me there had been some vandalism and disrespectful activities going on, a person called “JACOB” had used an angle grinder to put his name in the rock, and he was very upset that somebody had once “outlined” the carvings with a chalk-type rock to make them stand out so that they could be photographed.

I showed him the log and explained it brought in a few people – but not large numbers, and geocachers are overall a very responsible bunch of people, which he understood – but he explained that to place a geocache at this location is “tacky and disrespectful” to the aboriginal tribe and their ancestors – and is “about as tacky as Nicole Kidman trying to play a didgeridoo.” 

Being a women’s site, they also do not like men being here. Period.

He wanted to know the website and the cache name, which I gave him. I offered to contact the cache owner – which I will, and the ranger said he will also follow it up.  He wants the cache owner to move it – say, a couple of hundred metres away somewhere down the other track. He said “there’s no problem with putting the cache in the state forest, but the problem is with it being at a sacred site.”

Wolfie, on sacred ground.

I returned the cache to its location. I’m not sure if it will still be there now.

This was my 60th find, my last for 2008, and sadly it might also be the last time this cache is found because this is a great spot which should be shared and accessible by responsible people.

Mini Reserve

Okay, so it’s the 31st December, and TeamWolfie is sitting at 58 geocache finds. Wouldn’t it be nice to end the year on a nice round number – like 60?  Sadly, I have to work today (or tonight, to be more precise – starting at 7pm). I work as a train driver in Sydney, so it will be interesting to see the usual crowds (mostly drunken idiots) getting around. This late starting time gives me a bit of caching time in the morning.

There are a few local “residential” ones around the Narara area just near Gosford where I live so I decided to check one out. This one is plainly called Mini Reserve (GC1B604) by BountyHunter1980. Difficulty rating 1, Terrain rating 2, Cache size small.

As the name suggests, the geocache is located in an ordinary grassy reserve in a residential area. Thankfully at 10:30am on New Years Eve on this warm sunny day there were surprisingly few local residents out and about – so it was a very quick park-and-grab.

The cache was about 15m from GZ as per the GPS. I’d already pretty much established its location before getting out of the car just by reading the description and recent logs.

Here’s the google street view of the site:

An ordinary residential reserve.

I made my way across to where I thought it would be, and yes – it was just there. Too easy!

Stealth Wolf

As I bent over to pick up the cachemy leg brushed against something, then shortly, after I felt a sharp stinging sensation. I looked down and realised I’d just brushed up against a small wasp nest, and the wasp in attendance was not happy.

It stung a little – I’d never been stung by a wasp before, but it was nowhere near as bad as I imagined a wasp sting would be.

I carried the cache back to the car where I went about my caching duties. Signed the log book. Left Nothing, Took Nothing (was feeling lazy). The log was a little damp and pages separating – but that seems normal with these caches. Returned cache to its resting place – amazed at the array of bugs, spiders, and wasps that I’d failed to notice when I first retrieved the cache in the excitement of finding it.

Wolfie Watches Wasps

Okay – that’s about as exciting as I can make an ordinary “Mini Reserve” cache sound. Excitement, adventure, stinging insects, and stealthy undercover work… what more could you want?  Thanks BountyHunter1980 for providing us the means to attain our 59th find, and for the pleasure of experiencing a wasp sting for the first time.

FX6694 (DNF)

I’d never been west of Mount White before. Never had any good reason to I guess, but I was quite surprised to notice there was a cache out this way, so TeamWolfie made their way here after lunching at Pie in the Sky, and discovering the Breathless cache.

We took Morgans Road out toward a place called Marlow which I’d never heard of before today to begin the hunt for another of GeoMonkeys‘ caches, FX6694 (GCK099).

After parking the car in a small parking bay near GZ we got out in the stifling summers heat to start our search, and took in some of the great views from this location where you can see the mighty Hawkesbury River snake through the valley below.

We managed to get right onto GZ – presuming our Mio Digiwalker was guiding us right, but sadly we could not find the cache today, nor could we find the item mentioned in the cache hint. Sadly our time was limited at this stage of the day so we had to abandon today’s search, although we’ll probably return soon.