Maple Leaf in the Rocky Mountain Foothills - #55 Traditional Geocache

You are in a remote area, with about 90% of these caches located outside of a cell phone service area. Out here, YOU ARE 9-1-1!

The forested foothills are a beautiful place any time of year. Try to count all the different critters and wildflowers you encounter and be sure to always be on the lookout for views of the mountains to the West.

 

This series is special due to all of the micro foothills environs it takes you through. From dry windy ridgetops to valley bottom bog lands, mature forests of white spruce, black spruce and pine trees and regrowth on cut blocks that are frequented by wild horses. Make sure you take time to look up from your GPS and enjoy the natural beauty of the views and the sounds of the many birds.

The Rules:

1.  You must access all caches from the Harold Creek road leading west from Water Valley or perhaps from the Forestry Trunk road that is due west of the area. Although it looks like the southern half of the caches could be more easily accessed on roads from the South, do not as these routes are all through private lands, First Nations Reserve lands and you will encounter locked gates. If the gates happen to not be locked, they likely will be by the time you return. Do not access from the South. Respect Private Property. The intent of this series is to walk to each cache from the Harold Creek road. This can be done, and is how all the cache locations in this series were accessed when they were placed.

2. No Wheels Allowed. This is a hiking and snowshoeing series. Vehicles within the natural terrain are environmentally deleterious. If you must use a quad for the few caches where there are some existing trails (mostly to the North), stay on the designated trails and out of any flowing water or ponds.

3. Leave all sour natural gas infrastructure alone.

4. Be aware of your surroundings at all times and be safe.
    

Warnings:
This series will take you to remote forested areas on foot. The terrain can be very challenging and you will be a respectable distance from your car at times. Weather, wild animals, exhaustion, falls, injury, flowing water, hypothermia, deep snow, sunset and disorientation are all real hazards. Please prepare properly and acknowledge your personal limitations.

You are in grizzly bear habitat. You are in black bear habitat. You are in cougar habitat. You are in wolf habitat. Watch out for moose and elk, especially in the rut season. Even the wild horses can be dangerous if a mustang feels you are threatening his herd!

You will/could encounter:

• Grizzly and Black Bears from April through November,

• Cougars all year long,

• Wolves all year long,

• Logging trucks on the roads,

• Hunting season in the Fall,

• People target shooting all year round,

• Mosquito season from May through September (worst in June),

• Wasps and hornets from May through October (worst July through September),

• Summer highs of +35 ºC, with winters to -40 ºC.  Be ready and dress for conditions!

• Snow up to 160 cm deep on leeward slopes (as it was during snowshoe placement of some of the caches!),

• Multiple crossings of the Little Red Deer River and many creeks and small streams. Watch for flowing water covered by thin ice during winter and spring,

• Steep and deep ravines.

One day while placing caches we found fairly fresh tracks of moose, wolves, a cougar and a good sized black bear all within about two hours. Some terrain is relatively easy and close to roads, other terrain is remote, wet, very steep, slippery/icy and absolutely covered with forest deadfall. Don’t walk into or fall on pointy sticks!

Think Safety:

1. ALWAYS TRAVEL IN GROUPS OF AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE.

2. MAKE LOTS OF NOISE AND HAVE BEAR SPRAY ON YOUR HIP

3. BRING PLENTY OF FOOD AND WATER.

4. DRESS APPROPRIATELY FOR ANY/ALL POTENTIAL CONDITIONS.

5. LEAVE A FLIGHT PLAN WITH SOMEONE BACK HOME.

6. WAYPOINT YOUR CAR.

7. HAVE MORE THAN ONE GPS AND MANY SPARE BATTERIES

8. BRING TOPO MAPS AND HAVE (AND KNOW HOW TO USE) A COMPASS AS BACKUP

9. CARRY BACK COUNTRY SAFETY GEAR, MATCHES, EXTRA/DRY CLOTHING, FOOD, BEAR SPRAY, TARP, FIRST AID KIT, ETC., ETC., ETC., ETC..

10. DON’T RUN WITH SCISSORS.

Take Care, Have Fun, and Good Luck.

NOTE:  Pay special attention for the ten specific caches that give you clues to the puzzle cache.  The clues will be quite obvious when you see them. It may take some time for anyone to finally claim it, so again, good luck. All caches are pill bottles with child proof lids and are generally placed about 4 feet up a spruce tree. Make sure to press down while twisting to open. Righty tighty, lefty loosey. And BYOP (Bring Your Own Pencil).

A special thanks to POTB’s geo-muggle brother, Jinan, a certain Junior Forest Warden leader and others for participating with POTB in the extensive bush whacking during placement of these caches. All caches were placed after checking with Alberta ESRD.

Stay safe out there and if you break a leg, don’t come running to me!