Today, Mark and I found the cache at Walk-Up Lake that’s been sitting for more than three years with zero finds (pictures here). It was surprisingly easy to find, considering that whoever placed it entered the wrong coordinates on the cache page (they were off by 0.12 miles). Considering the size of the boulder field around that lake, we were very lucky to have been in the ballpark, let alone the exact spot. This cache now holds the record in the state of Utah for sitting unfound the longest, though only due to an error by the cache placer.
The hike was strenuous, but stopping to rest wasn’t much of an option–if you sat still too long, the mosquitoes would eat you alive. The insect repellent didn’t repel very well. Round trip was 5.8 miles, with roughly 900 feet elevation gain on the way up. There was very light rain and a slight breeze on the way down, which thankfully the mosquitoes appeared not to like.
We were both too exhausted to even think about climbing Eccentric Peak, but the lightning striking the top would have kept us from attempting it anyway. After feeling the burn of hiking to Walk-Up Lake, I know that Eccentric would be worse–it’s about 1,000 feet higher up.
The drive to and fro sucked ass. Our entire day was almost 12 hours long, but less than four of that was spent hiking. My truck doesn’t do well on washboard roads, and the rear-end tends to break loose easily when I attempt anything over 30 MPH. The switchbacks seemed endless, winding 25 miles up the mountain from 6,800 feet to 10,600 feet.
By the time I got home, I had The Worst Headache Ever (I seem to get those a lot–maybe it’s a tumor). A short nap and long hot bath helped a little bit with that. I know that I’m going to sleep well tonight, what with my tired body and lack of sleep. Luckily, I took tomorrow off from work, so I can sleep in (at least as long as the kids allow me to).