Waterfall caching

Saturday we had a plan in mind. We were going to do half of the First State Challenge.

A few weeks back we finished the Tour de Cache. Between the two of us, we needed nine more counties and they were all in North Jersey. So we picked out some easy caches and started out bright and early. Chuck had noticed a cache called Rook in the Reeds up in Liberty State Park and was told it was very impressive and that we HAD to do it. So on our third cache stop, we made a side trip through the marsh to get this cache. The cache was easy to find and nothing special but there were bonus coordinates and we went to them. Having no idea what we were looking for, we followed the thin trails through reeds taller than us until we got close. I was in the lead and when I got to GZ, I was amazed. There in the middle of the reeds was a perfect miniature castle made of little stones . It was beautiful. We took lots of photos and then hurried on our way. We rushed through the next 6 counties, called the CO for Tour de Cache and he gave us the bonus coords on the honor system. We grabbed the final and went home. 403 miles and 13 hours later.

So this time, we smartened up. We decided that it would be much more fun to split the challenge up. Do only half of it so we could explore all the different areas. And we did. But before we even started, there was the cache in Delaware that had been driving us nuts and we HAD to get it.

Back in the beginning of February, we went to do this cache down there called "Walk On Down - How Nutz Are You?" It was the coldest day of the winter but we went anyway. We see the cache is only 50 feet off the road, so we figure how hard can it be? We get out of the truck and see that the coordinates are taking us to a waterfall. Right on the side of the waterfall was a rock embankment. Kind of like a "wing wall", but looked natural. We see the spot the cache looked like it could be in and try to reach it from above. No luck and no rope. So I climb down the hill and try to get it from the bottom. I try standing on the pool of ice, but feel it cracking under my feet. So I try to "boulder" my way over to the spot on the wall. I get about half way and I have no safety equipment on and Chuck tells me to stop. I tell him that I can make it and he says that if I get wet, hypothermia is going to set in real quick. Half jokingly, I tell him that if I fall in, he needs to run back to the truck (even though it was 50 feet off the road, we had to park a quarter mile away), crank the heat and rush back to get me. I see the look of horror on his face and he says something about dropping dead of a heart attack before he even reaches the truck. So common sense prevailed and we scrapped it.

Now here we are back in Delaware again and having to drive right past that same cache. We had rope this time, but I forgot my harness and a coin I wanted to drop off. Who cares? It is warmer (although still cold) and we decide to park illegally right on the side of the road. So back we go. Chuck asks which one of us is going down and I tell him that I am of course. So I tie off and he belays me down. Right to the area that we just KNEW the cache was in. I move some rocks, reach in and...nada! Damn! I mess around a little more and thoroughly aggravated, I tell him that I am coming up. I get to the top and we walk around a bit, looking for another spot. Nothing. He asks me if I am SURE it is not in there. I tell him that if he doen's believe me, he can go check himself. So I belay him down. And he searches. He loses his footing a little and kicks a rock. Clunk! Both of our eyes go wide and we grin. I give him some more rope and he goes down a little lower and comes up with an ammo box! Yippee! I sign us in, hand the box back down and then we start our challenge. Cool way to start our day. We are going back on Saturday so I can drop off that coin. Now that I know where it is, I will be climbing down....again.