For this geocaching event, 10 stages were hidden in the
southern half of the park. Parking and the event headquarters were near
the equestrian group camp. At each stage we had to find an orienteering
punch and mark our card.
We hit the southeast corner first, including a loop around Minnregs Lake.
Then we made our way to the southwest corner and up to Murphy Lake. The
trails were somewhat difficult with several inches of snow, making walking
slightly awkward and terribly energy-consuming! After finding nine stages
we stopped to rest back at the beginning where some of the other
participants had built a fire, and gathered enough energy to hike to the
final stage via Sunset Lake Blvd. At the finish we were VERY exhausted! At
8.5 miles in 4 hours and 24 minutes through the snow, it was the longest
and most strenuous hike we had ever completed in one day.
The day was
clear and sunny -- you couldn't ask for better winter weather. We both
ended up a bit sunburnt across the nose. A half dozen times during our
hike we encountered other geocachers heading in the opposite direction.
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