Tough geocaches: The Gauntlet????

“I know some of you have done 5/5 rated caches. Were they sure hairy?

There's one called "The Gauntlet... Let the Games Begin" on the Wisconsin River, not all that far from the Dells. 82 people are watching this cache.

It's a 4/4 and it seems like lots of people have been hurt doing it. There's apparently both a "high road" over rocks/bluffs and needing ropes... and a "low road" that goes through a muddy, boot-sucking-off swamp. Either way apparently has a ton of thorns to get through and rip up your clothes. It's crazy to read through all the logs and the lists of supplies people have taken. Give it a gander when you have an hour or so...

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=f9779173-dcd7-4559-b95d-078c644c2aca

Some Minnesota people are planning an "assault" in a weekend or so. I don't know about you, but I'm not sure I want to do this with people where you don't know their strengths and weakness (and idiotic tendencies). LOL, I take that back, I've cached with a couple and I know that one guy can't read a map to save his life... and the gal about died hiking up a steep hill on one we did this past summer. (And how many others like that are on the "team?")

Some people have taken a boat part of the way to get to this one. Dryfoot and I were discussing the fact that perhaps in the spring, during runoff, you might be able to take a boat/canoe possibly a lot closer to the final spot, which is apparently a cave up a bluff. But I don't know how it would work with other steps of this multi-cache.

I dunno.... Fun to ponder on it. Ah, let those others go and then see if/what they will divulge... IF they make it and can still talk!! lol....
last edited: 11/01/06 10:56:30 AM”

“I find the geocachers idea of what is a 4/4 to be different than what we might think of it. Many times if you have to walk over 1/4 mile on a trail they make it a 4 for terrain. This one sounds like a real cache though.”

“I did a 5/5 in Missouri. It took some navigational skills to complete it, but I wouldn't call it dangerous (for a backpacker). It could have caused some problems for someone who couldn't read a map or didn't have a clue as to backpacking however.”

“Hey chili, read some of the reports on this one. People have gotten hurt. It appears one person was airlifted out of there, unless they're all fibbing and exaggerating. (There was talk in a MN geocaching forum wondering if this one was for real or a well-kept secret joke, but others said, yes, it's real.) Well, for example, one person talked about trying to use tree branches to climb up along a bluff and a branch broke, and he fell down through.

To me it begs the question of really stupid people trying it and getting in serious trouble (which seems to have happened). And you know how it is, you put something like this out there and, whether they really should or not, people are gonna go after it.

It is funny, supposedly one guy had his armed services training group go to this cache to practice emergency rescues. Look through the photos and you'll see helicopter stuff involving the training.

I do await reports from this friend going. The friend who said a geocache in this area was not available because a bridge was out and a road was closed. I said, ummmmm, did you look at your map to see the other ways you might be able to get to it? SHEESH! I am finding out all the time there are a lot of people geocaching that can't read topo maps... and some barely simple road maps. YIKES!”

“Well lizs, I went to a couple of geocaching events. And most of the people I saw there don't belong in the back country.

I wonder if this geocache is that bad, or are the geocachers that bad?”

“Considering that some of the folks going after this cache have over 2700 finds under their belts, it could very well be this difficult. I wish it was closer, I would love to go for it.

Many Geocachers have no business in the woods. I have a couple Winter caches that I try and make it very clear that they should not be attempted unless you have experience in map reading, back country navigation, winter survival, etc.

A couple people have contacted me later to say they started, but turned around due to the danger and difficulties. These are caches that most anyone here would consider a great day on snowshoes.

On one cache, not far from Shasta Lake, I had to change the wording because people were actually swimming across a spot in the creek and climbing a very loose and dangerous cliff on the other side to reach the cache. All they had to do was cross a little down stream and walk up to the cache.

Some folks get locked into following the arrow instead of common sense.”

““Well lizs, I went to a couple of geocaching events. And most of the people I saw there don't belong in the back country.

I wonder if this geocache is that bad, or are the geocachers that bad?”

I find that most geocachers I have met are the gadget driven engineer types who go for number of finds vs. quality of finds. Park and grabbers, if you will.”

“You all would be very disappointed in this cache. I live about 40 miles from the cache and was really stoked for nice adventure but was severly disappointed. I can't even imagine the anger of those who have travelled some distance and spent money on food fuel & lodging to get to this cache.

Stop and consider all the wild and outlandish logs...do you really think they coudl all be true? Check out the number of logs...if this was really so tough could there possibly be that many finds? If this is so tough, where are all the DNFs? The cache is a joke...literally.”

“Yeah, I wondered about each log that sounds worse and, as you said, more "outlandish" than the next. I'd also seen someone ask in a geocaching forum, "What if this is a joke?" Someone else assured it wasn't.

And I was a skeptic.

A group just went to do it this past weekend. And I heard the truth.

I really can't believe the overall Geocaching and Wisconsin group let this thing stand. It's against everything else they promote. I mean, I really can't believe it. As you said, people plan for this and spend tons of money. CRIKEY!

Am debating if I am the person to raise a stink about this..... I've seen one volunteer cache reviewer's name down for a find, although he said nothing outlandish. He might be the first step to getting this puppy put down.”

“HA! The expose' begins!!!!

I see someone went back in and edited her log today, Red_Devil35:

I no longer feel comfortable perpetuating this lie.

I have withdrawn my find, and I am doing exactly what Lil Otter suggested in an email to CamoCacher..."why not just publicly post their mind and force me to close the cache.."-This is a direct quote from Lil Otter, which I am sure will be deleted along with the rest of this post!

This is the comment I have left on the MnGCA forum, so that no other Minnesota cachers can be deceived by this person. "Lil Otter is a twisted, self centered, person. She enjoys setting others up for a great experience and then laughing at them when they discover they have been fooled. I will never go after another cache she has placed, and I will not attend an event that she will be attending.
She talks endlessly about how other cachers 'idolize & look up' to her, and how she 'mentors' other cachers. The only thing she taught me was to distrust caches that sound like they will take any effort at all.
Lil Otter tries to use the excuse that the purpose of this cache is to meet other cachers. I can do that without having to waste two days of my time and $100's of dollars.
Her comment about 'outing' the prank on the cache page is irrelevant, she has already deleted the posts of at least two people in our party.
This type of person, who enjoys lying to other cachers is not the kind of person I want to associate with.
This kind of 'prank' is the kind of foolishness that will give caching a bad name, and will turn others off the sport."

I will not let this experience change the way I feel about the rest of the fine Wisconsin cachers I met on Saturday night, I just don't understand why so many people would let this lie go on for so long in a sport that claims to be family friendly.

[This entry was edited by Red_Devil35 on Monday, November 13, 2006 at 9:04:16 PM.]

[This entry was edited by Red_Devil35 on Tuesday, November 14, 2006 at 8:00:44 AM.]
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