11/17/2019 By ernie66
We went up the Cog Rail and down the Barr Tail. The Cog Rail route shortened the trip by a couple of miles (to 11 miles), but didn't help with the 3500-foot elevation gain! Compared to the Barr Trail, the Cog Rail was easy walking - no rocks, no ice, no steps, just walk. Legality - well ... reduced work on a Sunday might be ok but not recommended on a week day unless it's bad weather and they can't work.
We got to GZ and found the cache quickly. The camo tape had already been well chewed by something and the O-ring was cracked. Everything's nice and dry inside. I donated a new-fangled silicone O-ring that's supposed to be impervious to dryness and solar radiation.
Thanks for hiding caches in places that incentivize us to get out and do some real exercise. Adding a favorite to both of these... keep it up 
11/17/2019 By estes01
WingsAndTales decided she was going for the FTF on this one two days ago. I asked her if she had all her senses together having recently returned from Everest Base Camp. I pointed out the amount of snowfall we've had and reminded her of the elevation. It didn't matter. She went. OK she became the beta tester. I discussed other possible routes with ernie66 and we decided that the Cog Rail, without rails, might be the easiest on a Sunday. I knew that WingsAndTales would never go this route. She will go to heaven for sure.
And that is the route we took. Guess what...they work on Sundays. Haha! That was one of the most interesting hikes I've done to date. We had a blast waving to the equipment operators and only got one cautionary conversation.
Found the cache quickly and ernie66 will explain its condition.
11/15/2019 By WingsAndTales
With the promise of a cloudy but warm day I decided to give this a shot. The snow wasn't too bad on Barr Trail but the side trail to GZ was hard to follow in spots. The topo maps on my GPS kept me on the right track. Once at GZ I didn't have to search for very long. Thanks for a reason to get up here before we get more snow. TFTC
{*FTF*}
10/15/2019 By IgnotusPeverell
Published
Coniferous #8
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