Chasing a Supermoon (or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace the Locationless Cache)
Locationless caches are one of the unique cache types that Terracaching offers to our members. These caches provide a fun opportunity to participate in the game regardless of the number of traditional caches in your area. The latest blog from JASTA 11 highlights the interesting challenges these caches can provide. Read his post below and then check out the numerous locationless hides on the Cache Hunt page!
I’m pretty much a traditional kind of guy. Searching for an ammo can deep in the woods, or out in a swamp is my idea of a good time. Send me out on a hike or a paddle and I’m happy. So the whole premise behind locationless caches didn’t strike a chord with me at first.
So what was I doing the other night, climbing up a hill outside of Boston just to get some pictures of the Moon?
Well, I say that an interesting DNF is better than any boring find. Sure, many LCs can be as easy as a park-n-grab, but that’s not for me. Akin to the ‘it’s the journey, not the destination’ philosophy, my belief is that the experience of the hunt is largely what you make it - so make the most out of it!
(From our first attempt at TC4EIL: Burnt Swamp Corner)
Inspiration for seeking out interesting LCs also came from reading some of the log entries by terracachers such as Terradactyl. Well researched, well written -thoughtful logs that are from just leaving an acronym and an emoji. Having a good story to share afterwards is as important as making the find.
To this point, while doing a little on-line research for some cemetery challenges we located the graves of some local veterans of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. As well as a suspected vampire…
(From LCU6: Cemetery Challenge #5)
This certainly made the experience more interesting for us, and hopefully for anyone reading our logs.
Getting back to the Moon:
I hadn’t paid much attention to the talk of the approaching ‘Supermoon’ until a hiking friend brought up the notion of a night hike to the top of Mount Moosilauke in the White Mountains to view it. I immediately saw this as the perfect opportunity to bag the Supermoon LC from a mountaintop. But, it wasn’t to be this time.
I wasn’t going to give up though. After all, this was the closest the moon had been to earth in 68 years. I wanted in.
Leaving for work about three hours early that morning, I stopped and made the short hike up to the summit of Great Blue Hill ahead of the coming dawn. At 635 feet, it was going to be about as close I would ever get to the Moon.
So, I ended up on a hilltop instead of a mountaintop. It didn’t matter up there. It was still something special.
We hope you enjoy your hunt!
JASTA 11
Just a few of our favorite LCs:
The 1,000 Foot Challenge by UNK1
Air Memorial by Andyscorch
Mountain Peak Benchmarks by Lehigh Cachers
Bunker! By tolmaus