I have been searching for geocaches mostly on my own since I began looking for them last September. That status changed when I had an opportunity to meet dozens of experienced geocachers recently at the Panhandle Geocacher's event in Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

I had seen the event listed on Geocaching.com and made plans to not only attend the event on February 28th but to camp overnight so I could try to catch some early morning light in the canyon and then still have all day Sunday to look for caches that have been hidden in the canyon for some time. This event would mark two firsts for me. My first opportunity to attend a geocaching event and it would be the first event to make an entry for the year in my online Gallery.

I found the spot where the event was to take place rather easily on the 28th because the GPS coordinates were listed on the geocaching website along with the event information. No starting time was listed but we all seem to manage to show up about the same time at the appointed location around noon.

We had an opportunity to introduce ourselves to one another and I discovered there were a number of people from out of state attending the event. Some just happened to be in the area when they discovered information about the event and decided to attend. Others had traveled from New Mexico, Oklahoma and Colorado just to attend the area event.

JONiell headed up organizing the event and he passed out information about new caches he had hidden in the canyon for the event. He also offered a group trip to the"Fissure of Fear" geocache. It was a popular suggestion!

The Fissure of Fear is the most difficult cache in the canyon to claim due to the location of the cache and requires a slender individual who is not afraid to free-climb sheer rock walls to reach the cache high in the canyon wall. The photo above shows the group who decided to attack the challenge. The cache is in the upper shadowed area of the rock outcropping.

The group stayed together real well during the climb up the canyon, stopping along the way to encourage those who were having some difficulty and let them rest. During one of those brief rest stops, we had an opportunity to get a close look at a big hoodoo on the way up.

A hoodoo (also tent rock, fairy chimney, earth pyramid) is a tall thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland. Hoodoos are composed of soft sedimentary rock and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements. They are mainly located in the desert in dry, hot areas.

The temperature was in the low 50s with a steady breeze when we started the trek toward the cache but the clear skies overhead let the sun warm us up on the outside as we warmed up inside our jackets during the climb. The canyon hasn't seen any rain for the past few months so the soil was quite loose underfoot on the steep slopes. 

Once the group had arrived at the bottom of the rock fissure formation, we were surprised to find JONeil's head poking out of what looked like a rock window just above us. He asked for a rope so he could lower the cache container down to us so I threw one up to him.

The cache container turned out to be one of my favorite types - an ammo box. I like them for their size and the fact that they protect the contents real well. Exactly the type I like to receive one of my small photo prints!

Just a reminder... all the photos in this article are linked to the album for this event in my Gallery. Clicking on any photo will allow you to see the rest of the photos I captured during this event. There aren't many photos, I spent a lot of time climbing and visiting with the other cachers!

Everyone had a chance to go through the contents of the cache and sign the log book while the rest of us had a chance to catch our breath and enjoy the view of the canyon from our bird's eye view near the top.

The way down from the cache was much faster and more fun than the route up. We made use of some of that loose soil in another location where it wasn't too dangerous to sit down or crouch down on one foot and slide while trying to maintain one's balance and dignity. I was much too busy doing all of that to take any photos of the ride down!

JONiell (in the maroon cap) shared some geocoins and travel bugs in his possession back at the event meeting point and we all go to swap stories about the trip up to the fissure and some of our previous geocaching adventures. A number of the people at the event have logged over 1,000 cache finds in several countries on more than one continent. At the rate I'm going, it may take me years to reach goals like that!

It was a real enjoyable experience to have the chance to meet some local cachers whose handle I had not only taken note of in several cache logs but had seen them listed as owners of several local caches I had found.

I was prepared to do some wilderness camping overnight. I knew the temperature would drop below freezing overnight but I had not counted on a fire ban in the canyon. This area of the country hasn't seen more than .5 inches of moisture in about five months. I headed for my reserved camping area knowing I would survive the next morning without hot coffee.

 I watched as the early morning sun began to light up the western canyon walls and then spread across the canyon floor. I was headed for the first water crossing in the park because I knew there would be a special show of nature if I was lucky.

 I have recently discovered that early mornings near the first water crossing have become the hot spot for wildlife in the park to put on a daily nature parade so to speak. I have camped in this area many times as a youngster and had seen and photographed an occasional Bobcat in the area. Now days, all one has to do is sit and wait for white tail deed, wild turkeys, mule deer and dozens of species of birds to visit the area.

It seems the wild turkeys have grown accustomed to being fed by park visitors. One bird literally tried to get into my car with me as it was searching for food that morning. The poor turkey above was found to have a prickly pear cactus thorn stuck in its face. Ouch!!

I would have enjoyed the rest of the day stalking the deer and taking the opportunity to study some of their daily habits and habitat but I was on a mission to do some geocaching today and there were two listed near the Lighthouse formation. This is an area very familiar to me in the canyon and I looked forward to a new purpose to take me there and perhaps cover some new ground. I also knew it was going to take several hours to make the round trip.

The image above is from a formation near the Lighthouse and one of the geocaches. I discovered this many years ago but it was the cache that brought me back to this side of the canyon. I have always called this formation the Pipe Organ. Click on the photo to see more views.

I left one of my small signed photo prints in the cache near here. Perhaps someone will consider it a treat to trade for somewhere along down the line. I have placed some of these 4x6 prints in a number of geocaches. You can see a list of caches where you may find one of my signed photos on the Geocaching.com website. I try to keep the list updated and it helps if a cache log mentions one of my photos has been taken. That gives me an opportunity to go for a revisit and drop another photo in some of my favorite spots.

It is tough to get a perspective of how large Lonesome Cave is from this image but the opening is about 15 ft in height. Another geocache is located in this area which is another part of the canyon I have explored for many years. The cave gives birth to a small creek that has always been one of the more interesting creeks in the canyon to explore. Every time there is enough rain to fill the dry creek there will be new sights to explore on the way up to the cave.

One of the things I like about a hand held GPS receiver is the ability to record the routes I cover while hiking in the wilderness. I should have been paying more attention to the creek sights instead of my GPS receiver on the way back from Lonesome Cave.

 I ran right smack into the overhanging limb of a Mesquite tree!! The unexpected collision nearly knocked me on my bum and I immediately thought how lucky I was that there was none of the long thorns that normally adorn Mesquite trees on that part of the thick branch. I could have easily lost an eye!

Now I feel dumber than a Mesquite tree!

That incident will make me think twice when I find myself driving down the highway at posted limits and starting to pay more attention to the GPS unit than the road. We will all be better off if I keep my eyes on the road!