Cache Report: Wetlands in early spring

For our inaugural first ever all day caching outing, Mo and I decided to head to the nearby Slavin conservation area. As the trip planner, my reasoning was clear:

1) It's not a highly trafficked system of trails.
2) It's county land, so there is a decent number of caches available.
3) Most of the caches were ammo cans.
4) Exploration is best in early spring. The wetlands may be wet at this time, but the grasses haven't grown 4 feet tall yet!
5) And most important -- we could hit one of the South Hill pubs within 10 minutes of leaving for some after-cache nibbles!

Trip Report
I've hiked in Slavin several times, but this was Mo's first visit. Thus, I planned a trail following several caches. The first started in the parking lot so we could begin the day with the thrill of the find! From there, we headed south toward the old pet cemetery in a planned loop that would take us about 4 miles and end back at the parking lot.

The cache route I chose had nine caches. This seemed about right for newbs such as ourselves!  They were all about a half mile apart, although there was one that was a bit further out because the description and logs on it were so intriguing I had to include it.

Cache #1: This was a standard parking lot find. Nothing special --  a broken plastic tube holding a soggy log. Being new to the game, I slipped in a piece of waterproof log paper and a fresh baggie. I've since learned of NM logging ;)

Cache #2: Things got exciting here -- this is the cache that hooked Mo! We came across our first creative container -- a duck decoy stuffed with a PB jar which held the cache. It was also our first swag. I had read up on swag and came prepared with some old scout patches and astronomy pins. Mo is a darling little magpie, so she was happy to make a swap!

Cache #3: Another creative container! This one was in a bird house carefully camouflaged in the trees. Mo made this find rather quickly since she grasped the clue before I did.

Cache #4: A bit further up the trail and past a crossroads and we found a pet memorial cache in a small ammo can. I made this find as Mo was searching under the wrong rock ;) Inside we also freed our first Travel Bug, a little pink pig that had traveled from England and had been in circulation since 2011! I also swapped for my first ever signature item, left by the cache owner.

Cache #5: This was a bit farther out, but on clear trail until the end. This is where caching in wetlands can be a challenge -- a vernal pool laid between us and the cache, so we had to take the long way around. Mo made this find, which is a good thing. The cache contained a pretty homemade necklace which my jewelry-loving spouse adored, so we added a few pins to the container to make the swap square.

Cache #6: This was our challenge cache. It was much further out than the others and way off trail, so bushwacking required. This is likely where I picked up the little friends I'll tell you about later! The description pointed out the find was simple because it was a huge ammo can chained to a tree -- the challenge was getting there. We made the find from a 100 yards away. Upon opening the can, we weren't disappointed! There was tons of great swag, including board games and new-in-box toys. A pretty glass rose caught Mo's eye. I hadn't brought any large swag, but Mo had a brand new Rite In the Rain notebook in her pack, so we used it for our trade.

Lunchbreak! We hiked a bit away from the big cache and found a downed log in a meadow to use as an impromptu picnic bench. I had made a point to pack some of Mo's favorites, so we enjoyed a lovely picnic dinner. Mo was feeling a bit tired, so we adjusted our route to drop one cache and instead begin the loop back to the parking lot.

Cache #7: I spotted the hide location in the distance thanks to a great hint about ghostly remains --  the only thing other than the meadows in sight was the old white trunk of a dead tree. Mo made the find of the craftily camouflaged cache -- it looked just like bark -- and we were on our way and back on a clear trail.

Cache #8: This one was hidden in an aspen grove. It should have been easy, but the spring melt had made the area particularly soggy and the large ammo box was almost inside a temporary meltwater stream. Our GPS was also bouncing around under the tree cover, which made it a bit harder to home in on GZ.

Wrap-up

Our first expedition was a rousing success! Even better, Mo enjoyed it so we could finally share my passion for the outdoors together. At the car, we cleaned ourselves up a bit and I brushed the tangles from my hair. We then headed back to town to check out a pub, Poole's Public House.

At Poole's, we decided to partake of a hoppy beverage and basket of fried mushrooms. As we awaited our food, I felt a tickle on my ear. My finger came in contact with a bump, which revealed itself to be a tick when I removed it for a peek! Fortunately Lyme isn't a major concern in Washington state, but ticks can carry all sorts of nasties. I beelined it to the restroom and stripped down in a stall, finding one more tick on my socks. Mo repeated the action but found no ticks.

This story isn't quite over yet! A couple of days later I'm sitting in my botany class when I feel another tickle on my scalp. You guessed it -- another tick crawling around (but not embedded). The little dude was swollen and didn't look like he had fed recently, so I was puzzled as to where he came from. Upon returning to my car and seeing yet another tick on the dash, I figured it out! They were on me after our hike, then they got in the car where they are awaiting fresh blood! A full car inspection ensued, that's for sure!

A good reminder to always do a full body tick check BEFORE leaving the trailhead!