Wednesday night I was at the 12:12:12 event in Harrogate when Mel shouted across the room “Are you coming out with us on Sunday to do Jumpstart’s new series ? – I’ll text you the details tomorrow” You don’t really get the chance to say no with Mel – One of the details she texted me with the next day was that it was to be a 7:30am start
So there I was, up at 5:00am on a Sunday morning in order to pick up Goldfish58 in Harrogate and then drive for an hour and a half to Beswick… Are we all mad ? It’s still dark at 7:30am, but waiting in the layby changing into their boots and walking gear were Bob Adams and Mel&Freddie17.
16th December 2012 – A BON’US cache GC426P6 – cache #2255
Eager as always to get started Mel headed straight for this Bon’us cache… which was not the best route as she was on the wrong side of the ditch and had to scramble her way over to get to the cache… there was a nice easy way to the GZ for the rest of us !
The cache container gave us an idea of what we would find around the Big Bang series and started off the days guessing game of what the cache container would be.
16th December 2012 – #01 Beswick Basic Batch GC422X9 – cache #2256
The plan was to go round the Big Bang series first, then do the Basic Batch, but before we could stop them Mel and Bob headed from the Bon’us cache straight for the next nearest cache, so this one was found and signed before we got the group heading in the right direction !
16th December 2012 – BETELGEUSE – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42EB4 – cache #2257
Once we had got headed in the right direction (which anyway was the opposite way to that recommended in the description, i.e. we went clockwise) we set out along the path by the stream and headed for Betelgeuse, Mel & Bob in the lead vying to be first to locate the cache, but in the end they were looking in the wrong place and Goldfish58 came up with the goods
16th December 2012 – COMET – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42EC3 – cache #2258
The path here along the stream was a) very muddy and therefore slippery, and b) very close to the steep banking down into the stream, so I was being careful with my footing while Mel again rushed ahead and found the cache
16th December 2012 – TRIANGULUM – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42EC0 – cache #2259
One of the reasons I take a walking pole on caching trips is that they are very useful for poking around for caches… Bob had his more ‘traditional’ wooden pole with him and used this to good effect to find the cache
16th December 2012 – AQUARIUS – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42EBX – cache #2260
We were experienced enough cachers to avoid the obvious pitfalls while retrieving the cache, though Goldish58 was standing just a little too close when the cache started imitating a certain famous Brussels landmark
16th December 2012 – HYDRA – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42EBT – cache #2261
I was quite glad here that it was so early in the morning and the sun wasn’t up to melt the ice, as it was looking a bit boggy, but as the surface was frozen it was solid enough to walk on. Mel got to the cache first, and then had more trouble getting the cache out of the container than she had had finding it in the first place
16th December 2012 – 3CLIPS3 – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42EBR – cache #2262
Bob and Goldfish58 rushed on to try and find this one, but were looking in totally the wrong place – I think they need Botany lessons !
I spotted the path they had missed, saw the hint item and quickly found the cache
16th December 2012 – LIMB – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42EBK – cache #2263
Reading the logs for this cache it appears that all the previous finders did like we did and walked the circuit the opposite way round to that recommended in the description. And then everyone has read and followed the first half of the hint, but ignored the second half – as going in the opposite direction it seems contrary to the GPS arrow, and we have all ended up at the right Limb, but on the wrong side of the stream !
We soon realised our mistake and headed back to the correct place, though once there it took a while before Mel pulled out the cache. Bob then got tangled in the bramble patch trying to get back to the main path while the rest of us took the muddy stream side option
16th December 2012 – KLINGON – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42EBH – cache #2264
A quick find for Goldfish58, she had gone on ahead while the rest of us waited for Bob to get out of the bramble patch at Limb
16th December 2012 – GEMINI – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42EBD – cache #2265
With a name like Gemini we were expecting to find a two part cache for this one, and we weren’t disappointed, though the direction from the first part to the other wasn’t what we expected ! Maybe it says something about our acknowledgement of equal rights that the men stood around on the ground and watched the women climbing up the tree – or maybe the girls are just thinner and more agile than we are
16th December 2012 – ANTIMATTER – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DGE – cache #2266
In a strange coincidence I was watching the 1954 Sci-Fi classic ‘Them’ just the night before… fortunately this wasn’t quite as big as ‘Them’
16th December 2012 – OZONE – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DGA – cache #2267
After walking in the countryside for a while it was back onto tarmac, and very icy tarmac at that, so much so that ice skating boots may have been preferable to walking boots !
There were a couple of possibilites for where this cache was going to be, Mel chose the right one
16th December 2012 – SATURN – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DG7 – cache #2268
Pretty obvious where this cache would be hiding, which didn’t make it easy to find or retrieve once found ! and once I’d signed the log it wasn’t that easy to get back either !
16th December 2012 – LIGHT SPEED – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DG3 – cache #2269
Another cache where it was pretty obvious where it would be hiding… I chose the right side of the road to look and chuckled when I saw the container
16th December 2012 – PLUTO – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DFM – cache #2270
As we approached this one we looked at the hint and were making guesses as to what the hint meant, Mel guessed right straight away though it was Bob who went searching for the cache.
16th December 2012 – POLE STAR – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DFW – cache #2271
Again we were discussing where this cache would be as we approached, Mel rushed ahead to check her guess and it was right
16th December 2012 – PARADOX – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DFB – cache #2272
This was one where the cache container brought out a groan rather than a chuckle, I had to hurry to sign and replace it as there was a dog walker coming along the road towards us
16th December 2012 – METEOR – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DF9 – cache #2273
We took the wrong way from Paradox to this cache, and went via the road rather than the track… this had bad consequences as the entry into the field from Crabtree Lane resembled the village pond rather than a footpath. Bob nobly waded through the water to see how deep it was… the answer was deeper than my boots would keep out ! There must have once been a stile here as Bob pulled the broken remnants from the hedge and dropped them into the water, which at least gave the rest of us a footing to walk on, and with his pole he steadied the others as they crossed (my walking pole again proved it’s use as it meant I always had at least two points of balance) In the end we crossed without mishap, and while we were doing our best to avoid the mud in the field Bob went for the cache
16th December 2012 – JUPITER – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DF5 – cache #2274
Mel and Goldfish58 managed to slog through the mud quicker than the rest and had already got the cache in hand by the time I arrived
16th December 2012 – ANDROMEDA – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DF3 – cache #2275
A large tree which Freddie got to first and searched everywhere that the cache could be – apart from the right one from which Bob pulled the cache, but in his hurry to catch the rest of us up after replacing the cache he left his walking pole behind
16th December 2012 – AURORA – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42ECC – cache #2276
My walking pole’s alternative use as a furtling stick came into it’s own here as I was the one to uncover the groan inducing cache container
16th December 2012 – MARS – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42EC8 – cache #2277
After finding Andromeda a few caches back this was probably the most ‘obvious’ cache box on the whole circuit
16th December 2012 – MAGNETIC FIELD – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42EC9 – cache #2278
It didn’t take long to spot this cache, but getting to it was more of a problem, in the end Goldfish got out her Leatherman style mutitool and did a bit of pruning in order to gain access to the cache !
16th December 2012 – MOON – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42ECA – cache #2279
As I approached this cache I found Bob and Mel had stopped to search the hedge some 25 metres away from the spot my GPS was indicating… they were following the co-ords on Bob’s Garmin which for some reason was pointing him to a spot 80ft away from the cache
16th December 2012 – ATMOSPHERE – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42ECG – cache #2280
A quick find for us by Goldfish58
16th December 2012 – EXTRA TERRESTRIAL – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DDR – cache #2281
Mel searched one side of the hedge and Bob the other – the right side as it turned out. We were guessing what the container was going to be for this cache and so were not surprised with what we found
16th December 2012 – PULSAR – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DDM – cache #2282
Mel was the first to get to this one and to find the rather unusual cache container
16th December 2012 – UNIVERSE CREATORS – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DDJ – cache #2283
When I found the cache I didn’t get the link between container and cache name, only when I fully read the cache page did I work out the link…. which I have to say I think is wrong, as they didn’t create the Universe, but only created The Earth in order to find the answer to the ultimate question…
(since I put this on my log the Cache Owner has renamed the cache EARTH CREATORS)
16th December 2012 – EARTH – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DDA – cache #2284
Goldfish58 was the one who pulled this cache out of it’s hiding place – but then needed my tweezers to pull the log out of the container
16th December 2012 – WHITE DWARF – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DD5 – cache #2285
I had to smile at the hint for this one, as what was called a “zvav ynlol” others might call a passing place on a single track road !
Goldfish58 again was the one to spot the cache
16th December 2012 – ASTEROID – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DD1 – cache #2286
Several of the hint items on this bit of road, in fact they were just about the only thing there was on this bit of road !
We got to the right one and still made a meal of finding the cache, which with over 20,000 cache finds between us you would have thought we had enough experience to have found easily
16th December 2012 – Butts Bike Ride #3 GC3KAC9 – cache #2287
A straightforward enough find hidden behind a telegraph pole, the strange thing about this cache was that instead of being in a camo bag or other container it was wrapped in a piece of waxed cotton (Belstaff coat style)
16th December 2012 – RED DWARF – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DCZ – cache #2288
Geeks’s like me know that in the Red Dwarf episode ‘Back To Reality’ the crew find out that they were supposed to jump start the second big bang with jump leads from Starbug – but that turns out to be just in their imagination, same as the link between this cache and that programme turned out to be just in my imagination
16th December 2012 – ELECTRON – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DCX – cache #2289
This one was a quick find by Bob
16th December 2012 – TIMELINE – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DCQ – cache #2290
The others all walked straight past this cache (was it not on their GPS’s or were they too busy gossiping ?) I had to shout for them to come back as the pen I had wouldn’t write on the ‘log’ Fortunately Bob’s powertank pen did the trick
16th December 2012 – GRAVITY – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DCJ – cache #2291
The co-ords may be a little way out under the trees but we soon spotted the cache from quite a way off… the problem was how to get to it.
Fortunately when we got right up to it the secret became clear
16th December 2012 – MERCURY – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DC8 – cache #2292
We had guessed what this cache was going to be before we got to it, and so it was no surprise that Mel spotted it quickly when we got near
16th December 2012 – CRATER – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DC4 – cache #2293
I think this was possibly my favourite cache hide of the whole circuit, it had Mel both misdirected and slightly saddened (sensitive soul that she is) until Goldfish58 pulled out the log
16th December 2012 – PUPPIS THE POOP – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DC3 – cache #2294
A type of cache that we had all seen before, Freddie was the one to recognize it for what it was
16th December 2012 – LIBRA – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DBY – cache #2295
Moving into new territory for me with this cache, my most prolific days of caching before had been a couple of occasions where I had found 40 caches… and here I was at my 41st cache of the day and it was only just gone 10:30am !
Another quick find by Freddie as the hint really didn’t leave too many possibilities
16th December 2012 – URANUS – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42DBP – cache #2296
With a name like Uranus and the cache hides we had found so far we were wondering just what we would find for this one. Bob pulled out the groan inducing container but then had trouble locating the log – which was in the obvious place when you think about it !
16th December 2012 – VENUS – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42D9H – cache #2297
Quite amusing to watch someone trying to get this cache… we are wondering if we can persuade Mel to wear a similar costume next time she goes to a fancy dress party !
16th December 2012 – A Jumpin’ Start GC3QC0A – cache #2298
Mel balanced precariously on a branch in the stream to search one side while Goldfish58 tested the waterproofing of her boots by paddling in the water. Mel spotted the cache but at first couldn’t reach it so got Goldfish58 to stand on the other end of the branch to steady it allowing her a firmer foothold to reach under and grab the cache which was then passed up to those on top to sign… then she couldn’t find the hook to return the cache to
16th December 2012 – MILKY WAY – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42CRJ – cache #2299
I was a little concerned that there was obvious signs of recent dredging activity along the stream where the cache was hidden, but when we got to the cache site Bob quickly found the cache, possibly not in the place where it was originally hidden as the whole area had obviously been disturbed by the workings, but close enough to still fit in with the hint
16th December 2012 – NEPTUNE – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42D8W – cache #2300
Mel and Goldfish58 raced off along the path towards the cache… well, I say path, it was actually just the waterlogged muddy track left by the digger that dredged the channel a couple of days before, and I say raced when it was actually just a slippery slog through the mud… but they got to the co-ordinates quickly and had the cache found and signed before the rest of us caught up with them
16th December 2012 – CANCER – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42CT7 – cache #2301
Mel was first to this one while the rest of us were still slip sliding our way through the mud. This was definitely the worst bit of the mornings walk
16th December 2012 – BLACK HOLE – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42CT4 – cache #2302
Bob was the one to find this cache which was one of the more inventive hides on the circuit, but with the disruption and mud along this stretch of the walk it is probably not getting the praise it deserves
16th December 2012 – TAURUS – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42CRX – cache #2303
This cache took the longest time to find of all the caches on both circuits, not helped by the Farmers wife driving up and stopping to go into the field we had just come out of, Fortunately Bob had recieved a phone call so we looked to be waiting for him to finish the call rather than suspiciously hanging around.
There was an obvious place to search that matched the hint and we did a fingertip search of all the likely parts but came up blank, so widened our search to the other 5 hint objects… which wasn’t too easy as the mud was incredible in this part of the field… Eventually Freddie found the cache in the first place we looked, obviously his fingers get to parts others don’t reach !
16th December 2012 – SUN – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42CR9 – cache #2304
Another quick find by Freddie, though I was more pleased that the track we were now on was not gloopy mud but a nice firm concrete !
16th December 2012 – SATTELITE – JumpStart the 2nd Big Bang GC42EC6 – cache #2305
And here we are back at the place we set off from, well almost, a quick dash over the road to grab this last cache of the Big Bang series and then we were back to the start.
(I split the Blog entry for Dec 16th here as it was already far too long !)