How did that get there??

As cacher's at some point in time we have all come across something and wondered just how did that get there. The other day I was doing some caching in the Wapsi River Educational Center just a few mile north of Dixon, Ia. This was a great place to wonder around and get lost in.

Well, I didn't really get lost but I didn't know the trail system out there at all. I parked at the start of a major multi cache and found a trail head and headed into the forest from there. Much to my surprise the trails where very nice and not super wet and muddy. I know I didn't quite take the intended route, but had load's of fun with the way I took. I first stopped at the major multi to get the info to bring home and figure out where the next stage is from there. I didn't have all the tool's required to do the whole thing, and I don't think I could in one shot anyways.

But as I made my way down the trail, I was getting closer, and closer then started getting further away. SO I knew I had to make a break for it into the tick brush somewhere. I stayed on the trail as it wrapped around and I was hoping this would lead me closer to the hide. Nope. I found a good spot to enter the wood's though. As I made my way down to where the cache was hid. I came across something that made me wonder how the heck did that get there. It was an old Coke cooler.

I stopped and looked at this for a bit and wondered how someone got this down here and why. I'm assuming it was junk and someone had just dumped it, but again I was about a quarter mile from the road and that would be one long haul for this cooler.

This was the first time I was in this area and I sure was in for a treat. After I was able to find that cache, I made my way towards some other hides. I got back on the trails and made my way deeper into the park. I figured out the trail I was on wasn't going to take me to the area I wanted to go to and found a spot to jump a creek and another trail. I followed along that trail till I ran into a small pond. To me it didn't look like the trail was going to twist and turn up to where I wanted to go. Right there was a big mistake. I should have stuck to the trail, but really what's the fun in just that.

So I spotted a little deer trail that I had to bend over to follow. I looked at the GPSr and it said I was about 350 feet away. Now that's pretty close except I ran into some really thick bushes. Bobbing and weaving threw the vegetation, I was realizing fast this was a bad idea. I had to climb the hill, all 300 feet of it crouched over just to find out when I hit a clearing it was a trail. After looking I think but not sure that it was the same trail I was on but it had wrapped up and around the park. I finally made it to the hide and was able to find that without too much trouble.

Then it was off to the next one, which was a two stage offset, and I found the first part just after I found a tree with some big thorn's on it. The tree got the best of me, but hey a little blood spilt is ok. I didn't have the right tool's with me to solve the puzzle so I grabbed a copy since the owner was nice enough to make copy's for people to take. I got back on the trail and head off to the next cache. Once again the trail started winding in the wrong direction. But I found a easy trail to follow that got me really close to the hide. Then as I was closing in, I saw where the river had risen and was coming to the cache fast. I was beginning to wonder if the water would pose a threat to getting to the cache. Lucky for me, I had about 8 inches between the water and the bottom of a small bluff. I was able to walk along that, just to find I had to climb back up some at the hide was about in the middle of that bluff.

That was a nice little climb but not a smart move. Once I got up I saw if I had come from the other direction the climb up would have been a safer approach. After finding that, it was time to clear out of there and head back to the car. I found a nice mowed and wide trail that lead back to the center, which I think is where I should have parked in the first place. So then I had to walk along the road for a bit to get back to the car.

All in all it was a fun trip. A bit chilly out. I can say I slept pretty well last night. I did do four other caches on the way home, but I passed up two more in the general area, but that gives me a good reason to head back out again.

Now after thinking back on my little adventure I have to just ponder the though of how that Coke machine got there.