A cache has been recovered

I got an e-mail on about a missing cache that I was the last person to log it as "found" on GC.com. This cache was in one of the flooded out area's in Linn county. The trick to this cache was it had one stage that you went to, to find the cord's for the final. When you made it to the final you got to pick it up and move it within the park boundaries and then return to the first stage and leave the cords for where you moved the cache to.

It was a fun cache to do, the involvement in moving the cache was a lot of fun and I thought it was a really cool idea. But I got an e-mail from the owner wondering if I still had the cord's for where I had move it to. The first stage had floated away during the flood's and he was wondering if I had the info so the final could be looked for and retrieved if possible.

Well, it's been since March when I did the cache and the cord's I had for it were long gone. But I was thinking about it and though well I kind of remember which direction I went and where I had hid the cache. So tonight I got the time to head out and take a look for it. I first went to the first stage and on my way there I spotted the deer trail I had took to hid the cache. I still went on to the first stage and sure enough it was AWOL. So back off I headed to the deer trail and start going.

As I walked to threw the area some of the feature's of the area looked kind of similar of my last visit to the area. All this of course still seemed different due to the flooding that had taken place. But on-ward I pressed. As I neared in on the area I thought I was in when I hid the ammo can, I spotted a tree that I kind of remember as the one that I had hid it in.

The tree I had picked to hid the cache in half of it was downed and I had found a nice little spot in the crack left with the fallen part of the tree to place the ammo can in and had covered it up with some bark and branches. Well, when I find this tree it was much different as the downed part of it was gone. Now this was a huge log that had been half resting on the ground and it was just gone. I can't believe the force it would take to move such a log. As I started looking around and thinking to myself this my be a hopeless cause, I did find the fallen part of the tree had been moved about 50 to 60 feet away and had swung a full 90 degree's.

I went over and kind of poked around but didn't see anything. At this point I didn't think there was going to be much left to do but assume it was gone. So I started looking and wandering all around. I found the barbwire fence that I had gotten to when I had moved the cache and had turn around to make sure I kept the hide within the boundaries of the area. Once I got there I turned around and looked again back in the direction of that tree, just to make sure I had the right tree.

So I headed back over towards the tree and as I was walking I noticed something a little out of place. It looked like a small cardboard box from a distance mostly covered in leaf's that where just a slightly different color. I made my way over to it and was shocked to find out there it was. The ammo can was found. I had to dig it out of the dried mud a bit but when I kicked it up, I saw that word on it. GEOCACHE. I picked it up and looked back towards the tree. The cache was about 60 feet from where I had place it 8 month's ago.

I sat down on a log and unclipped the latch and popped open the lid. Everything inside was dry. I sat there for a little while skimming the logbook and come to find out I wasn't the last person to find it but thankfully the last finder that never logged it on-line didn't move it. But I read back on my log I left in the book, laughing a bit as it had taken me two tries to find it. I thought about the snow I waded threw when I did make the find and all the sketter's that where in the area the time I was looking for it before that.

I took a photo of my log and the finder after my log. Then I took it over to what was left of the tree and tried to place it like I had 8 months ago. I took a couple of photo's of it. Then it was time to decide what to do with it.

I hadn't asked the owner about what he would like me to do cause I really didn't think I would have very good luck in locating the ammo can. So I headed back towards where stage one was at. I thought well, I could help him out if I just placed it where the first stage was so when he comes out to fix it he could just grab it and move it to where he likes and get the cache up and running again.

I didn't like how the can would sit in the tree that stage was in, so I started looking at nearby stuff and spotted a couple of log's on the ground. I walked over and found a nice little spot I could slip the can in so a muggle wouldn't find it till the owner could get to it. I shot the cords for it and took some photo's so I could help him out as much as I could so he could easily find his ammo can.

Then I headed back out of the area. It was a very nice day out and the temps were perfect for a late fall day. I was just in a t-shirt and jeans. So I walked around the park a bit more just enjoying the walk and "site-seeing". I spotted a couple out fishing there in the marsh. I decided I didn't want to disturb them and head on back to the parking lot.

I just thought this was a pretty cool story to share. Hopefully the cache will be able to get his cache up and running again. I hope so cause it sure was a fun one to do. I had a lot of fun looking for the stages and then getting to participate by moving the final. I had thought this was a clever concept for a cache. I'm so glad I was able to recover the contain as I did feel a little guilty about not hanging on to the cords till someone else found it and moved it and log it on-line.

I've left the cacher's name and the hide nameless out of respect for him and don't wish to call any kind of unneeded attention to the problem that did come out of it, but in the end it's all worked out ok.

I must say to the hider thanks for place this hide I had a lot of fun with it and even though the recovery effort's where due to a unforeseen flooding issue (as the whole area flooded not just where I moved the cache too). But I sure did have a lot of fun going out and recovering the cache.