We were looking for epic caches, and we got ’em. This hunt led us to the Spanish Peaks Wilderness area in San Isabel National Forest. We were looking for the 24th oldest active geocache, called simply “Geocache“. This one was hidden within the first couple months of geocaching, before hiders knew to give their hides classic and original names.
Several online logs state “this is what geocaching is supposed to be”, and it is true. We used the instructions on the cache page to determine where to turn off the main road and where to park. From there, the cache page states it is about a 0.6 mile walk to the cache.
First we found ourselves walking on a trail through the forest. Gradually, the forest thinned out and we were ascending an open plain, from which we could see the Sangre de Cristos mountains in the distance. It was a bit high in altitude; the cache sits at around 11,400 feet.
I especially got a kick out of seeing a personal greeting for us in the cache log:
A couple we know from the Houston area found this cache a little over a week before us. Their travels as a couple intrigue and inspire us. I hope to be like them when we get older!
My older son particularly enjoyed the hike, and was in good spirits. He really got a kick out of having a solo moment with a stellar view, as per the top photo. The little one did not so much. He decided he hates mountains and doesn’t like the altitude and didn’t want to go hiking. We heard about this pretty much the whole way there and back and tried to not let it ruin our fun. It’s not like he could sit in the car while we went, despite his request for that.
This is one I would do again, just for the fun of it and the view. It was very enjoyable, despite the whining we had to endure. Afterwards, when little son realized how special this cache was, he was excited to have found a “legendary” cache and I hope in the end that is what he remembers; that, and the spectacular view.
