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NMSAR: Santa Fe Search and Rescue Letterbox Hybrid

Hidden : 4/22/2018
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
3.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:


This is a Letterbox Hybrid, and the container is NOT located at the posted coordinates.

The SANTA FE SEARCH AND RESCUE GROUP (SFSAR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the search and rescue of persons who are missing, injured or lost in the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez Mountains. These highly-trained and field certified teams of unpaid volunteers are on call 24/7 providing ground searches, emergency locator transmitter tracking, technical (low angle) rescue, and winter rescue for the New Mexico Department of Public Safety. This Letterbox Hybrid was placed in recognition of their selfless devotion and commitment.

What to expect

You'll have fun trying to keep your feet dry as you traverse several small water obstacles up Grasshopper Canyon to the posted coordinates. Use the Letterbox clues provided below to locate a nearby ammo can filled with SWAG, a logbook, and a hand-carved rubber Letterboxing stamp. Awesome views, natural pools, and a couple of small waterfalls await your discovery near GZ.

Note: Smartphone coverage may be spotty in the canyon. You might want to consider bringing a GPSr, downloading the cache information for offline use, or printing out a copy of the clues to bring with you.

Start your adventure from the Grasshopper Canyon trailhead, located at the I-25 (Southbound) pull off at mile marker 295. This is a popular parking area for local hikers, so there is plenty of room for about 10 vehicles to safely pull off the highway and park without being in any danger. A parking waypoint has been included.

Follow Deer Creek up Grasshopper Canyon on well traveled trails for a little over a mile to reach the posted coordinates.

Letterbox clues

Starting at the posted coordinates you should be able to see a "wooden bridge" of sorts that crosses a small chasm. Ok, this is a liberal description to be sure, but you will need to continue upstream from the posted coordinates past a narrow choke point in Deer Creek where there is a natural pool and a waterfall.

Once you've passed this obstacle, look up the hill to your right. There is a single tall pine tree that very prominently stands near the base of the rocks above. Proceed up the hill toward the tree. From the pine tree look to the left and you'll see a clump of dagger-like yuccas a short distance away. The Letterbox Hybrid is hidden behind the yuccas and covered by rocks.

If you are a Letterboxer, feel free to leave an imprint of your personal signature stamp in the logbook and to make an imprint of Fugads hand-carved rubber stamp in your personal logbook as a souvenir of your visit. There is no ink pad in the ammo can, so please bring your own ink. Geocachers can sign the logbook as usual with pens, pencils, or markers found inside.

These trails can be popular day hikes for local hikers, especially on summer weekends. Please be on the lookout for any muggles lurking in the area before uncovering or re-hiding the ammo can.

What exactly is a Letterbox Hybrid?

In contrast to classic Letterboxing, a Letterbox Hybrid requires GPS usage for at least part of the search. A Letterbox Hybrid consists of at least a container with a logbook and a stamp. Letterbox-style clues may be used to guide cachers to the container. Letterbox Hybrids can be logged without using a stamp. The hand-carved rubber stamp stays in the Geocache for the next visitor to use. Learn more about Letterbox Hybrids.

🥇 Congratulations to sf1373 on the FTF !!!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

TM vf nobhg 130 srrg (40 zrgref) sebz gur cbfgrq pbbeqvangrf.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)