Going APE 2017

Well, today was the annual Washington State Geocachers Association jamboree known as Going APE, held as always in and around Iron Horse State Park at Hyak, Washington. We've done this before, and the experience was much the same as it was back in 2011 (though if anything, my hip joints hurt more this time. owie.), so if you're curious, take a look here.

One thing was different, though. This time we actually logged a find on the APE cache, which is sort of a big deal as it's the last one left in North America, and until relatively recently it was thought to be destroyed. A contingent of rugged and determined geocachers hunted all around the area, found where the cache had been ditched by thieves, lugged it back to ground zero and managed to get Groundspeak to take the cache out of archived status, so woot woots all around!

PROOF.

Also, this time we brought lightsticks. We were hoping to find the Fen Dweller and have a little Tunnel Rave Party right there in the middle of the mountain, but alas, he had to go on break as he'd been busy all day getting passersby to sign his cache. So we had to be content with whirling our lightsticks around and making Homestar Runner techno noises as we walked. (It was far from the most annoying noise we heard today, believe me.)

Several times today we ran into Fen and Mitch. Not literally -- although if that were true, we should probably sign up for roller derby or something -- but figuratively, doing their thing for the WSGA. And we saw three hominid critters: the ubiquitous black-furred ape, the aforementioned Fen Dweller (not to be confused with the other Fen, who dwells elsewhere) and a Sasquatch hanging around the APE cache, posing for pictures. I did not opt to have my picture taken with Mr. Squatch this year.

As far as the walk through the tunnel is concerned: because the prevailing wind blows from west to east, it's a lot cooler walking through the tunnel to the caches on the other side than it is walking back toward Hyak. Every now and then I stopped and let the wind catch up with us. AH YEAH COOOOOOL.

So, while my legs are now burning and my hips are hurting and I'm walking around like an arthritic octogenarian this evening, I'm still proud. Even though I'm totally out of shape, I completed a walk that was over 5K long. Not too shabby for a fat lady!

And now to take way too much ibuprofen. mm sweet ibuprofen come to mama.