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Post by geosliders on May 4, 2009 15:00:11 GMT -9
...of course I want to go caching! I am coming from northern NY - not near the city. We (Geosliders) live about three hours north of the NYC in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains and spend most of our free time hiking. I haven't been to Alaska in 15 years so I am looking forward to seeing Anchorage again.
Although I will be working all day I was wondering if anyone was around and interested in taking an out-of-towner caching - or recommending a great hike would be perfect. My sister lives in Anchorage as well and I have already told her with 20 hours of daylight there will be a lot of caches to get!
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Post by ladybugkids on May 4, 2009 16:20:03 GMT -9
What are your dates in Anchorage?
We have a couple of CITO events on May 16 an 17.
The weather has been warm enough lately that the snow is melting fast off the high country, so depending on how far/high you want to go, there are lots of options for more of an "adventure" cache run.
For starters, check out starting from McHugh Creek and follow more or less in the footsteps of another out of towner from last week: GC1EPAE, GC12NE8, GC1NQRN, GC954, GC1GMQK.
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Post by geosliders on May 4, 2009 18:54:25 GMT -9
I arrive this Saturday afternoon (9th) and fly out the following Saturday (16th). I saw the CITO event and I think I'll be able to make that. Thanks Tinman4x for the offer of caching with both of you, that sounds great! The rest of my gang will be stayng in NY as they cant miss school, so an "adventure cache run" sounds perfect. I'll check out the caches above, thanks Ladybug Kids, I appreciate the help.
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Post by hixfromthestix on May 4, 2009 20:37:07 GMT -9
If you have any desire to venuter north of Anchorage into the "Valley area" we would be willing to assist you in anyway. There are some cute themed caches out this way. You are right you will have about 20 hours of sunshine hopefully to get in as much of Alaska as possible. There are even alot of very nice hikes off the Hatcher Pass way that would make for some great scenery.
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Post by geosliders on May 5, 2009 9:25:35 GMT -9
Thanks for the suggestions, I appreciate the caching offer as well! As you say, I am hoping to get in as much as possible around my daily work schedule. I am a Geologist and although New York has some incredible geology, I am very interested in seeing some of the things NY doesn't have...a glacier for instance. I am hoping my sister wont need much sleep for the week so we can get out and hit the trails...although she isn't a cacher and doesn't understand the..um...addiction.....
Thanks again - cachers are always such a help!
One more question - slightly off topic - I was reading through and it looks like your group has custom coins...are there any still available? If so I would be very interested in some for myself and also to bring back for some freinds in NY. I will be bringing some coins with me that are looking to travel and also some of our own personal coins that are unactivated so I can drop them in various caches. If you need prizes for the CITO event we can also donate a couple.
Thanks again for everyone's help!! As soon as I firm things up with my sister I'll post what I've talked her into - she did mention Flat Head south of Anchorage...it looked like a hike with a great view.
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Post by ladybugkids on May 5, 2009 10:29:14 GMT -9
I am very interested in seeing some of the things NY doesn't have...a glacier for instance. Portage Glacier Valley offers vantanges of hanging glaciers above. It's about 40 miles from Anchorage. You can use Williwaw Erratic as a starting point for nearby caches. There currently isn't any Alaskan geobling available. There is a forget-me-not coin in the works...I need to check on the arrival time. Most generous of you. Saidbystacy is running the Saturday event. Yes, Flattop Mountain would be a nice hike, though the final pitch is still snow-covered. There are several caches accessible going up the mountain and north out of the parking lot. You can use Alpen, er, Alpine View as a starting point.
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Post by geosliders on May 6, 2009 5:27:27 GMT -9
Excellent information Ladybug kids - thanks! My sister mentioned Flat top may be closed due to bear coming out of hibernation and being hungry??? She's not much of a hiker/outdoor type so she wasn't sure - do you know if the trail is open and do I need to be concerned? I may not be able to fit my snow shoes in with my work stuff so if its going to be post-holing I may need to cut short of the ridge.
Around the Adirondacks you just need to be aware and make noise in the woods so that the bear know you are in the area, they have little interest in humans - but, we are more careful during new cub season.
I'll contact Saidbystacy and bring the coins to the CITO.
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Post by ladybugkids on May 6, 2009 6:56:34 GMT -9
I doubt the Glen Alps trailhead will be closed due to bears unless there is unusual activity. The Glen Alps parking lot is the most highly visited location in Chugach State Park. Your Adirondak approach to bears is similar to what my family takes up here in Alaska. There is more helpful information about the Alaska bear situation at the Bear Aware geocache. Once the salmon begin running in Campbell Creek, there will be a few trail closures, but your visit is well ahead of that time. Re: Snow going up Flattop. The route is so popular that there are a number of routes to the summit. Light boots, gaitors, and a trekking pole or two should get you up there with a little motivation. Don't feel compelled to go straight up the main route which takes to some steep rock faces if still snow or ice cover...you can always traverse to the south across the upper snow field, regain snow free ground, and turn left back to the summit (those directions will make sense when you get there). Plan on 2-3 hours round trip, including cache hunts. BTW...we're going to be in Warwick, New York, for about two weeks beginning May 23. I got the sense, though, that you are a good bit north of there.
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Post by geosliders on May 6, 2009 17:47:31 GMT -9
Thanks for the info - glad to hear the bear haven't developed a taste for tourists.
Actually a little over 2 hours south of us...the way my husband drives :-) We aren't going to be here Memorial Day weekend (22nd through 25th, we'll be caching/hiking in New Hampshire) - but, we will be around for the rest of the time - we can give you a tour and also hook you up with some of the fun local cachers down there who are always looking for an excuse to get out. You'll be very close to Ramapo and Tourne State Parks - both have some excellent trails - very pretty but nothing too high. Our local group is hosting an event north of where you will be - its a little different, we had a HUGE ice storm earlier this year and a lot of trees came down everywhere. A local cemetery that is very old had a lot of damage and asked our group to come in and help them locate (by GPS) the notables in the cemetery - not a cache heavy event, but lots of caches around it. I am sure we could arrnage a trip to the High Peaks in the ADK's if you had time to head north (4 hours from where you'll be). We'll look up some great spots - there's a webcam not too far from where you'll be and at least one Wherigo as well.
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Post by geosliders on May 8, 2009 12:14:11 GMT -9
Looks like my trip is postponed....things came up at work that need to be done ASAP and I have to postpone the trip...uggghhhhhh...what a bummer! Thank you to everyone who was helping me with caching ideas - looks like I'll be able to make it in July instead.
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