Geocaching around Cambridge Res. Friday Jan 8th.

I went out this mourning to try several caches I'd missed around the Cambridge Resovior.

I started at Central Mass RR Truss Bridge.  It was a plesant and easy walk in as I parked at N 42.374956 W 71.271497 which shortens the walk considerably.  The snow was somewhat deep (I really need to get snowshoes) but after a brief walk I got to the bridge.  After a bit of looking around and dealing with some rather slipery terain I found the cache, singed the log, and traded for a coin of somesort.  All in all a pleasant start.  Here are the videos (SPOILER WARNING).  Remember to click through if you want to see them.

When I got home I got the coordinates of the cache from Google Maps (it's positioned very clearly) as 42° 22.539488' -71° 16.622146'  the given cache coordinates are N 42° 22.538 W 071° 16.620.  They are about 8 or 9 feet apart.  Soooo, Google Maps are useful but they are NOT definitive.  Given where the aerial images come from and how they are taken I'd expect errors of +- 20' or so.

I decided to go by HD Handyman's Hope Chest but when I got there the place was crawling with muggles plus remembering the trash behind the fence I was reluctant to go in without being able to see what I was dealing with so I drove on.

While I was in the area I decided to visit Reservoir Runner - Starting Point.  I poked around just a bit but with all the snow decided to try again after the snow is gone.

Since I was in the area I decided to visit Reservoir Runner.  I generally don't do micro caches but this one had recently been found so I decided to try my luck.  My GPS lead to the wrong tree but exploration of one of the nearby trees found the cache.  Here is a video (SPOILER WARNING).

I decided to go on to Reservoir Runner - Scenic View since it is very near by.  Getting up the bank was a bit of a challenge with the frozen ground (very slick).  When I got to the top there was a lovely open wood.  Curiously there were many animal tracks everywhere.  Not what I've seen from K9 or dear.  It was a bit hard to tell just what they were as there was a bit of snow this mourning but they seemed to be a split hoof animal.  The tracks were fairly short.  Interestingly, the ground was frequently disturved as though an animal had been rooting around and cleared the snow.  There were litterly hundreds of these places and tracks going in every direction.  I'm not sure what they were but I suspect they might be pigs.  I spent a good deal of time looking for the cache without success which was a bit disapointing as the location was fairly clear and the hint good.  Still it was a DNF.  Here are the videos.

I decided to go by Reservoir Runner II and RESERVOIR RUNNER IV, Turnaround Point.  Given how slick the ground was I was reluctant to enter RR II as slipping meant a trip into water.  When I got to RR IV there was no place to pull off the road with the snow.

While I was in the area I decided to check out Birt memorial and Lincoln Woods Run.  Access seems good so I'll go back at some point to see if I can find them. 

It was getting past lunch time so I headed home for some warm coffee and food.  All in all a good day even though I didn't find everything I'd hoped for.