Wheri(wanna)go Spring Hopping
played
Hardware: iPhone 3GS & Garmin GPSMap 60CSx
iOS 4.2.1
PiGo V1.2.2 (I think)
Hike & Bike: 21.9 miles
Elapsed time: 5:50
Wherigo Experience: This is the 4th I have completed. While in transit to the starting point my iPhone gave some low on memory errors when I got into the PiGo app. I restarted the phone and didn’t have any further low memory issues. It could have been the google map or MapQuest I was using while in transit.
Because of limited battery life on the iPhone, I had the phone in standby, not running GPS, most of the time. I used the phone when I was near the active zones but while in transit I used my Garmin GPSr. I would project the waypoint using the distance and direction shown on the phone. When I got near the projected point I would startup the phone again. Typically the waypoints were 50ft to 100ft from the projected point. This process worked acceptably but it ended up being many projected waypoints for this particular cache. For the final the actual coordinates were supplied so waypoint projection was not required. I started the day with the iPhone battery at 100% and finished with 35%. So it looks like I had some battery life remaining at the end. I may have had the phone operating about 2 hours out of the nearly 6 hour excursion.
I crashed out of the PiGo app on three occasions. None of the crashes was more than a 20 second inconvenience. Crash #1 was after I had entered some alpha numeric data. I don’t recall where the other crashes occurred.
Bike & Hike Decision: My choice not to drive is partly because I decided to give this cache a try at the last minute so acquiring a gate code was not convenient. A second factor is that I like riding my bike out in the boonies. Most of the roads were suitable for biking using a Mtn bike. There were some washboard areas that were inconvenient and there were some areas that were too sandy. In general, all of the areas that one could drive were suitable for a bike and 1/3 to ½ of the hiking areas were suitable for biking. It ended up being 21.9 miles combined. I wouldn’t recommend walking the whole thing. If I were to do it again I would still choose the Bike/Hike option.
More typical geocache log stuff: It was a nice day. I got to the entry point a little after noon. I ate my lunch at the picnic tables near the parking area. It was a little breezy at the start but the wind settled after 2 pm. While I was on the move I didn’t have any issues with mosquitoes but at nearly every stopping point they would appear. It never irritated me enough to put on the DEET. I didn’t see much wildlife. Two deer, a rabbit, and various birds were observed. I didn’t see any snakes. This wherigo took me to places I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I blundered on the route selection to Cedar Spring. The shortest distance isn’t the best choice. Otherwise, the CO had everything setup nicely to tour many springs in the area. The only people I saw today were near the parking area when I started this grand adventure. My preferred area was near the water hazards with the natural bridges.