TreeoCache

[pantheraba]

Thank Nick for getting this started.

"Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for gps users. " See http://www.geocaching.com/ for lots of details.

A standard geocache is on the ground typically...on a trail, in a park, in a building, etc. Nick had the idea to place one in a tree...he established TreeoCache 001, the first Tree Cache in the world.

http://tinyurl.com/yy46ry
There is also a thread at http://tinyurl.com/y8wux9

Today I set TreeoCache 002 in a big Willow Oak.

[pantheraba]

This is part of the official description for the geocache.com info page:

"This is the world’s second Treeocache. It is located high up in a tree, about 45-50 feet above ground. The first branch is much higher than you can reach jumping, about 20 feet up. You can't really just climb the trunk...it is almost 5 feet in diameter, over 14 feet circumference at breast height."

I am in the process of submitting the details to geocaching.com for their approval...then it will officially be listed.

[Paul B]

cool, any more info about the whole deal? :)

[pantheraba]

The geocache.com site has lots of details about the activity.

This is the Tree Climbers International site where I posted a thread about it:

http://www.tci-forums.com/viewthread.php?tid=1085

This is Nick's treeocache 001 info: http://tinyurl.com/yy46ry

[NickfromWI]

Cool gary! I got another one I'm cooking up right now.

How is it attached to the tree? It looks like the rope is just sitting in the crotch with a weight on the other end...that might be a VERY good way to keep one of those things up in the tree!

Nice cache...I can't wait to see it on the geocaching website!

love
nick

[No_Bivy]

Iv'e one in mind but I don't have a GPS.

[pantheraba]

How is it attached to the tree? It looks like the rope is just sitting in the crotch with a weight on the other end...that might be a VERY good way to keep one of those things up in the tree!

A counterweight IS a good idea...hang onto it...I did not do that (I just helped YOU think of it :P)

The cord attached to the cache pulls is back thru a crotch and then goes up about 4 feet thru another crotch and back down to a limb near the cache...I used a running bowline there to allow for limb growth. The limb will have to increase from 6" diameter to about 15" diameter before the bowline is full...then it'll start pulling the cache up into the tree and around the high crotch. :O It won't happen any time soon.

NoB...if I can ever get up there I'll have my GPS with me and we will set it.

[No_Bivy]

Too bad it wasn't this weekend, killer weather!

[pantheraba]

Yep, that's why I finally go mine done...great here, too.

[Oldtimer]

Gary aren't you providing too much info for the potential searchers? I assumed that if they are really reinterested the coordinates should be all they need to get. How to reach it and the techniques to use are up to them. I hope they do not deside to cut a branch or something like that to get it.:)

[pantheraba]

Gary aren't you providing too much info for the potential searchers? I assumed that if they are really reinterested the coordinates should be all they need to get. How to reach it and the techniques to use are up to them. I hope they do not deside to cut a branch or something like that to get it.:)


I thought about it being too much info...but, I wanted the guys on this site to see how I put it up. It has already led to a possible way to install these without hurting the tree (counterweights).Re: cutting a limb...all the limbs involved are at least thigh size, some torso sized. They will have to be doing some very serious treework to cut those limbs. It is set up so you can simply pull some slack into the suspension line and open the cache...or lower it down to a groundie for them to process the cache.I may remove the link to this site to deny access to the pictures...it is still not approved yet...ends up my cache is 323 feet from a ground cache. I am trying to convince the reviewer that approves a new cache that "normal" people won't be able to access this cache...only abnormal ones like you find here. :P

[pantheraba]

I just found out my cache is 323 feet away from another ground cache...has to be min. 528 feet away (0.1 mile)

They won't approve it.:whine:

I will have to retrieve and restash.:D

This is more complicated than I thought.:?

'Til later.

[pantheraba]

It's OFFICIAL ... Treeocache 2 is APPROVED!!!

I restashed it yesterday and they approved it last night..hoorah!

If any of you local guys/gals want an excuse to climb a tree, here it is.

See if this will get you to the info...you may have to sign up at geocache.com to get the details.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=f4f39d8a-b5b1-4b16-8520-bc1641c8551e

or input this waypoint GCXWFW on the
geocaching homepage (far right, about 30 lines down is a waypoint window.)

I'll post some pictures a bit later.

[top hopper]

Sounds fun!

I wish I could play!

I already know where it is :D

[pantheraba]

I already know where it is :D

Hahahaha...You SCOUNDREL... :P

[sotc]

so gary whats with these posts from august saying they got to it? i dont understand that. but waay cool, i have a gps and i think it will be fun to do some of these, thanks

[pantheraba]

so gary whats with these posts from august saying they got to it? i dont understand that. but waay cool, i have a gps and i think it will be fun to do some of these, thanks

Those posts about August were from NICK's very first in the world Treeocache. Some folks have found his. My treeocache is at http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=f4f39d8a-b5b1-4b16-8520-bc1641c8551e

It has been fun studying trees to decide where would be a good spot to place a cache...it's also been a good way to practice using the GPS. There is some kind of an "averaging" process you can use with waypoints to really nail down a location. I am starting to study that process now...I think my GPS does it automatically, I just have to figure out which combination of buttons to push.

Give it a shot...I'm hoping some other folks in the Atlanta are will set some up so I can try to find theirs.

[Old Monkey]

Iv'e one in mind but I don't have a GPS.

How about a sextant, a good chronometer and some star charts?

[pantheraba]

How about a sextant, a good chronometer and some star charts?

Timing sex while comet watching??? What???

Here's a few picts...not much to see really. Look to the right of the rope saver and you can see the cannister hanging. And look at the tippytop of the second picture and you can just make it out. Now, somebody go get it.

And set up some of your own.

[NickfromWI]

Cool gary!!!!! I got number three ready for after the holidays.

Let us know when someone finds it.

love
nick

[sotc]

gary that link isnt working. earlier i put in your numbers and your tree showed up with those other comments at the bottom of the page i think

[sotc]

nope im wrong i ended up on that canadian one!

[pantheraba]

Try it now...I think there was something wrong in the link...seems to work now (it didn't work for me a minute ago when I checked it either).

[JonnyHart]

You gonna get mad at me if I gaff up there to go get it? :P

[pantheraba]

Hahaha...nah, it's all good...just don't gab too much about it. :lol:

[NickfromWI]

Looks like it's been found already! And it seems that there's another treeocache in Canada! http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GCXWFW&Submit6=Go

COOLLLL!!!!

love
nick

[pantheraba]

I just got in from a busy day so thanks for the heads up...that is cool that somebody already went to find it. Even cooler that he could see it but couldn't get to it. :evil:

[pantheraba]

Here is the post from the first person to find TreeoCache 2:

December 26 by Smiling in Acworth (2642 found)
Well.... I went by and found it but you know what I found? The cache strapped above the ground 25 feet with no access unless you are a squirrel. There is a tree service a few streets over. We could all go in and rent the truck??? I guess I can't show a find if I did not sign the log?

25 feet...I don't think so...at least 40. Now I get to wait and see if a climber tries to find it.

[MasterBlaster]

Hahaha, sweet.

[pantheraba]

It's better than I thought...he THINKS he found it...here is an email I got from the "finder":

In a message dated 12/27/2006 5:27:54 AM Eastern Standard Time, sam***@***.net writes:

Yes, I say I found it... It is a white pulley up, out on a limb attached by a long white cable tie/strap about 25 to 30 ft high. I went by but there is no way I could do this. Not sure who will be able too.

Sam
Ha, that pulley got you, too. The cache is really about 20 feet above that pulley, in a black plastic cylindrical canister. I have NO idea what that pulley is all about...as I climbed up to set my cache I saw the pulley...quite a surprise to me. I assume it was for running some wire at some point. But it is not very strong so I don't know.

I didn't take my camera in the tree when I hung the cache...I may go back and get a picture of that pulley to see if some of my "tree buddies" know what it is for.

I am following the lead of a friend from Wisconsin who established the first TreeoCache earlier this year. Mine is the second official (TreeoCache). We are trying to generate interest in treeclimbers...it is going to take special equipment to get to the cache.

Congrats on all your other cache finds. If you go back to see this one just look about 20 feet above that pulley.

Take care. Gary

[pantheraba]

Now I finally believe...I think this guy must be a kindred spirit with other dunderheaded conspiracy theorists. Here is a post on my Treeocache2 log...where folks that actually find the cache are supposed to post:

January 21 by Tweedledum & Tweedledee (885 found)
I sure hope this cache isn't for commercial purposes. I know, this cache isn't located at a business but if you read the description for the cache very carefully you will see it:

"I expect the finder to have a pre-existing knowledge of tree climbing techniques that are safe for the climber AND the tree. For more info, see www.treeclimbing.com"

Yep there it is, it's subtle I know, so I'll explain. I think that there is a lot of Geocachers that would do just about anything to find an interesting cache, even follow that link to the find out about tree climbing lessons, that cost in the hundreds of dollars.

Another reason this is fishy is that this is the only cache that this user has published and has no finds. Kinda like someone that found out about geocaching and how it could be beneficial to them and made just one cache just for that reason.

This is all just speculatory, and if I'm wrong feel free to delete this post. I just thought it should be mentioned.

:O :O :cry:

[pantheraba]

This was my reply:

January 21 by pantheraba (0 found)
Whoaaaa, Dee and Dum, go easy on the conspiracy theory.

Nothing commercial here, just a guy that wanted to provide a challenge to folks that like this kind of challenge. I started climbing trees with ropes and gear back in the 70's...worked my way thru college as a tree cutter/climber/pruner, etc.

It is still a part-time thing and I climb recreationally a good bit. It is good exercise, a physical and mental challenge. I also use a GPS as a ScoutMaster, hiker, camper, rockclimber, disaster relief worker, etc.

I have a tree climbing buddy that inspired me to make this cache..he established TreeoCache 1 (first in the world we know of) and we hope to get a series of them going.

Read here about numero uno:

GCYF90

It is a chance to combine tree climbing skills with navigational skills. I am pretty confident I can find regular geocaches out there if I take the time. Since life is pretty busy, I focus on a limited number of tasks.

The reference in the description to treeclimbing.com is because I don't want "Bubba" to get a piece of rope, throw it over the limb (if they could get it that high) and have "BillyBob" just hoist him up. I only want people that know what they are doing to try for the cache...the website referenced teaches folks how to do that. I am not connected to them, they just provide a great service to folks that are interested on getting OFF the ground.

Thanks for trying to foresee that this might be some kind of clever ruse...sorry, I am not that clever.

Have fun out there.

Why does life have to be so complicated????

[sotc]

did you reply?
sure enough there it is:)

[sotc]

i love it. hey dee and dum! :lol:

[No_Bivy]

:cry: I can't reach it:cry: sandbag maybe:lol:

[Skwerl]

You can borrow a phrase from Mike Maas' signature line and tell them "Stupidity is not a crime, you are free to go".
:lol:

[pantheraba]

You can borrow a phrase from Mike Maas' signature line and tell them "Stupidity is not a crime, you are free to go".
:lol:

Hahaha...I'm waiting to see if this chowderhead comes back with anything. That line will be great if he does.:evil:

[pantheraba]

It has taken 7 months (!) for someone to be able to get to my Treeocache2...I set it last Christmas and somebody finally got to it. They said the put some GA gold in the cache for the next person to find. I'm not sure why it took them 3 hours to get to it but it sounds like they had a great time working it out.

I think you will have to sign up to be able to view the info and pictures on the site:

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=f4f39d8a-b5b1-4b16-8520-bc1641c8551e

Or you can read their posts here...I copied them from the official Geocache site:

July 21 by Smiling in Acworth (4309 found)
There should be something else to start the log off with... BUT WHAT A DAY!!!
I was the last to arrive but what a site when I got there and saw N&H on the first limb, that limb is 30ft plus from the ground. It was great to watch, listen and help a little two PRO's at work.
I was last to sign since I was the last to arrive so there is a smiley on top waiting for the next CRAZY CACHER to climb it. Thanks for the great day. They started at 8:30 and we left at 2pm. Like I said WHAT A DAY!!! SL
[view this log on a separate page]

July 21 by nuggs-n-huggs (112 found)
This was a day I will never forget. Certainly this cache has been my most difficult so far. I would not been able to pull this off without the support of my ground crew and long time rock climbing partner Ron, and his daughter Amanda. My ground crew consisted of Smiling in Acworth, Decisive Twins, and Shadow Lang. I cant tell ya'll how much I appreciate your help, and willingness to be part of the moment. This adventure has definatly made me re-think what I am, and am not, capable of doing. Now on to the details.

We arrived at 8:30 am to an empty parking lot and a baeutiful day. We then unloaded the gear, laid out a tarp, and started to formulate the game plan. It took awhile to set the first rope. Not exactly where I wanted to be, but good consitering the leaves and branches in the way. I ascended the first rope, then situated myself in a good stance on a large limb. Not so easy, it has been awhile since I have done this. After I rested a minute, I went on to setting two more ropes that would get me over to the cache. Finally after 3 hours, I had It in hand! What a feeling of accomplishment. I then rappeled down with the cache for me and all the crew to sign. I placed some Georgia gold and aquamarine gemstones in the cache and then Ron climbed the rope back up to replace the container, which is in very good shape. After Ron got his workout, and returned safely to the ground, we all hugged and took victory photos. Soon as the ropes were coiled and gear packed up, we all said our goodbuys and Ron, Amanda and I went for some beer and steak dinner. Thanks very much for placing this cache. I encourage anyone with the skills and fortitude to go for this one, as it will always be a favorite of mine. Thanks to Amanda and Smiling in Acworth for taking these great photos.

[This entry was edited by nuggs-n-huggs on Saturday, July 21, 2007 at 6:04:11 PM.]

[rumination]

That's great Gary! Makes it all worth while.

[MasterBlaster]

Cool! I bet it's loads of fun!

[lumberjack]

That's pretty wild Gary!


Is it near your house or in south GA?

[sotc]

cool!

[pantheraba]

That's pretty wild Gary!

Is it near your house or in south GA?

Near the house...maybe 5 miles away. Any of you guys would have gotten it within 30 minutes...some of you probably five!!

It'll be interesting to see who tries for it next.

[lumberjack]

I'll come over after HI ;)

[pantheraba]

I be here, bro....just holler at me.

[NickfromWI]

How cool that something we would see as a minor inconvenience (a goal up in a tree) became almost a full day adventure for non-tree climbers!

Cool! I have 2 more tree-o-caches waiting to be hung here in LA...

love
nick

[gf beranek]

Back in the 70's there was a Canadian liquer company that stashed cases of their product in remote places and ran ads in several magazines tempting people to go out and find their stash. The clues run like a treasue hunt. Can anybody remember what company that was?

I felt like contacting them to stash a case of their booze in top of the Ralph Sterns tree and run some clues. Now that would be a good hunt.

[darkstar]

So cool cat and mouse in the trees.
Very smart

[pantheraba]

Bumping my own thread...I went up and checked my Treeocache 2 today. It still looks fine...no evidence of squirrels or water damage.

I carefully opened it and found where they only person that has been able to get to it left a little prize in it...a yellow happy-face gumby or something.

[MasterBlaster]

Haha! That's pretty cool!

[pantheraba]

Last 2 picts...it was a beautiful day here, mild temp, sunny with a great excuse to get up in a tree.

Nick, did you ever set up your Treeocaches?

[NickfromWI]

Cool. That guy looks funny. The little plastic yellow thing looks funny, too!

:)

I need to go reset some treeocaches. I have 2 to hang. Maybe tomorrow?

love
nick

[sotc]

i like that thing, cool

[NickfromWI]

I hung one up yesterday. I posted it on geocaching.com. I'll post the link after it get's reviewed.

Gary, did the geocaching reviewers question you about it being up in a tree?

love
nick

[Frans]

I was reading about how guys shift the locations of geocoches just to mess with people.

[NickfromWI]

HAH! That's funny. I've found caches not quite where they said they were.

Where were you reading this? Gotta link? I wanna read!

love
nikc

[pantheraba]

[QUOTE=NickfromWI;187030Gary, did the geocaching reviewers question you about it being up in a tree?[/QUOTE]

They did not initiate the question but it did arise. My first placement at a local park was about 50 feet up. I did not realize there was another geocache less than 528 feet away (they do not allow them closer that 0.1 miles to each other).

When the reviewer denied my first placement because of that rule I explained it was up in a tree and unless someone knew how to access it there was no conflict. He said they were preventing "cache saturation".

So, there you go....I learned to choose the tree first, get the lat/long, submit that location for approval and THEN climb the tree to place the cache.

Keep us posted, Nicko. 8)

[NickfromWI]

Ohhh...I gotta keep that in mind. There might be another cache in that same park. I'll go check...

[pantheraba]

Someone else finally got to TreeoCache2 again. The park where the cache is has been closed for about 2 years...bad flooding around here in 2009..very bad. Here is some of the log that the climbers posted. They did this one right:

It may be simpler to go to the Geocache site and read the original postings (click link below):

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=f4f39d8a-b5b1-4b16-8520-bc1641c8551e



**************************************

August 9 by pantheraba

CotonTop, Ab3, et al:

What an honor that y'all chose TreeoCache2 for your 5000th find. It sounds like you came from MS to try for this one. I applaud the effort you made to do this properly and safely...setting a second line as a possible rescue line if needed was an excellent idea...does not take long and may seem superfluous to many folks but if you needed it you were ready. Very cool that other folks got to make the climb, too.

I like that your daughter is involved in so many of these hunts with you. I did many activities like this with my kids as they grew up...Katie is now 28, Alex is 25...both are still active doing rock climbing, swimming, snorkeling, camping, etc...the stuff we did together when they were kids. You are giving Ab3 a great base of skill and experience to live with.

Thanks for the offer to visit in MS sometime. I am a part time arborist and notice you are a logger/farmer...we could have some good conversations, I am sure. Stay safe, all.

August 6 by cotontop3 (5000 found)

5,000 Very cool! This was my 5,000th cache! There were 3 of us who were looking for a good 5/5 cache for 2 5k's and a 9k milestone. Another cache we wanted to do wasn't going to have maintenance done by this weekend, so I contacted David to see if had any suggestions for another cache. He very quickly responded with 2 suggestions and thats when the planning started.

We decided on this cache for milestones and gc1dyej, gc2kw4f, gc1coh4, all of which are 5/5 caches for a total of 4 5/5 caches in one day, real 5/5's!

Me and annabananna3 (my 12 year old daughter) got to gz about 15 minutes early to find David already there. I looked the tree and cache over for a few minutes and grabbed all my stuff and got started on getting a line up. I think it was my 5th shot that the line gave me something I could live with. Got my climbing rope up and anchored and I was ready to start my ascent up.

I had to work around one limb that was in the way and fixed the rope I was on and put up a 2nd rope also, just in case I would end up having to go up and help someone else. After getting to the cache, I just hung there and messed with the cache. The container was full of water and all the contents were a mess. There was so much stuff inside the container, that I took a good bit of it out and just dropped it down for garbage. We replaced the log and dumped all the water out and back down the rope I came to let the others go up.

Yes Ab3 done it too, shes been climbing since she was 10 and a free hanging rope up into a tree is nothing for her to take on. In a matter of a just an hour and a half, 5 of us had made the climb to log the cache!

One thing that made this cache so appealing to me, was the fact that it had been since 2008 since it was found!

We got the other 3 5/5 caches and even got up Sunday morning to do one more 5/5, gc1xgj5. Then me and ab3 drove up to Lake Allatoona and unloaded our kayaks and grabbed 2 island caches! 5 5/5's in one weekend, YEE HAW baby!

What an awesome extreme weekend!!!! Thanks so much for placing this cache!

If you ever come to Mississippi, contact me, I have some climbing for you to do that I think you'd enjoy!

Cotontop3
Columbus, Ms



August 6 by David (16446 found)

10:00am #16419. This was our primary target for the day. Cotontop3 emailed me several days ago asking about milestone suggestions for a “real” 5/5 cache. I messed around with the data and came up with this one and an alternate. So, he and I, ab3, Smarky, Oldboyhiker, and Giber54 planned the trip and met at the tree this morning to give it a go using Cotontop3’s gear and expertise. We had a blast climbing and took lots of pictures. The contents were wet after nearly 3 years up there alone, so we replaced the log. Of course everyone was so jazzed up after making the climb, we set out for the alternate too, and wound up doing 4 “real” 5/5’s before the day was done. I took nothing and left nothing. Thank you for placing and maintaining caches for us to enjoy.

View Log
David going up...
David going up...
David with cache in hand...
... and safely back on the ground.
The whole crew... more pictures to follow.

July 19 by pantheraba

You folks remember...just having the equipment is not everything. You have to be able to use it SAFELY. Don't borrow someone's equipment for tree or rock climbing and try for this...be sure you know the techniques to safely get to the cache.

It is good to see the interest in this Treeocache. I am looking forward to someone getting up close and personal to the cache to see how it is doing.


July 19 by Leafer54 (7459 found)

I, too, would be interested in going for this cache, but don't have the equipment to get it.

View Log
There are 35 additional logs. View them all

[pantheraba]

Carl,

CotonTop is from Columbus, MS...et tu?