Current at 11/6/2011 (Online waypoint URL) You have already found this cache! Master Index    Nearest Caches The Willows by burchil (1.5/2.5) N49° 50.980  W97° 10.082 (WGS84) UTM  14U   E 631697  N 5523526 Use waypoint: GC135J6 Size: Regular    Hidden on 5/25/2007 In Manitoba, Canada Difficulty:     Terrain:   *No attributes specified*     A tribute to the Sandbar Willow This cache is a tribute to the lowly Sandbar Willow (Salix exigua ssp. interior (Rowlee) Cronquist). This small tree or shrub forms thickets around sloughs and ponds throughout the prairies, spreading mostly from shallow underground roots. This willow has one of the widest distributions of all willows occuring from Alaska south through BC & California, across the prairie provinces than all the way to New Brunswick, and as far south as Louisiana. The bark from this willow, and several others, was used to make cord for many things. The wood was used to make items such as rims for birch baskets, bows and arrows, weaving looms, whistles, and roasting sticks. The bark and leaves make a rose-tan or yellow dye. Finally, as with other species of willow, it was used as a herbal in treating fever and headaches.

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7/9/2007 by Kabuthunk
Aww, too bad I didn't get a cache to do some swamp-caching with you. I even tried to convince my roommate (who was with me yesterday to the middle-point) to come with me today, but they passed .

And I was only able to get three good pictures (one didn't turn out, and one I tried to take a picture of the plane I mentioned, but it was behind a branch) since it was starting to drizzle harder, and it was getting more and more difficult to keep my camera dry. Said 3 pictures are now attached to my main log.

But hey... if anyone hasn't found this cache before, or wants to go for a re-visit sometime, gimme a shout. I'd definitely be up for going another round with this fella .

EDIT: Decided to add the picture of me trying to snap a pic of the overhead plane. It may not have a plane, but it's still kinda interesting in that's what it looks like to look up from the inside .

7/9/2007 by Kabuthunk
I told ya I'd be back! Didn't I tell ya? Thaaaat's right, I told ya... and so on and soforth .

And for the record... BEST. GEOCACHE. EVER!!! As of today, this is officially my favourite cache thus far! I dunno, for some reason, I love the swampy ones .

Strangely, there was few mosquitoes out today. Sure, a few of them tried to nibble on me while I was signing the logbook, but the most-way into there yesterday, the entire way into there today, and the entire way into there today again (more on that later), there was virtually no mosquitoes.

It was drizzling out a bit today. Managed to get my fiancee to come for the drive, but couldn't convince her to stumble around in a (what I thought would have been a) mosquito-infested bog . But... out from the parking spot and into the... flower... bushy... weed... things. All them white flowery bushy things around the railroad tracks... whatever those are. Them . I must have made someone kinda go 'huh', as there was someone walking down that trail just on the north side of the flower bushes. As they got close, that happened to be the time that I plunged headlong into the bushes without slowing down, and continued onwards. They didn't seem to slow down, and I think they were actively trying to ignore me .

And thus... I got closer and closer. THIS time however... I was armed with sandals, old pants, and a complete disregard for if either of the two got wet . I quickly got as far as I did yesterday, and plodded onwards, soaking my poor feet. I figured that this might have just been a bit of a "low" spot... but it just kept getting lower after that .

That's right... that means I loved every second of it!

The denseness of the trees also completely blocked out the sounds of traffic (that, or I was having so much fun, I didn't hear them... either one works though ). Except for a plane that flew overhead .

But... after an awesomely wet time getting to the cache, I headed back victorious. I also left a geocoin that I discovered in my backpack several days after I apparently acquired it into here, to hopefully entice more people into going for the adventure . After leaving the willows... I remembered that I had my camera! A cache THIS fun can not be allowed to not have pictures taken! Back to the fray! A quick plunge back through the boggy swamp (swampy bog?), and I took several pictures of the adventure on the way. Not sure if this was a geotrail or an animal trail... but it appears to be fairly well paved anyway. I tried my best not to bend any willow branches in my travels, anyway.

But... after grabbing several pictures, I headed back to the car. This will officially be on the top of my list to mention when someone asks for an interesting geocache .

Took: Pictures!
Left: Logbook entry, Cache Hiker geocoin, and chainmail ball

7/8/2007 by Kabuthunk
Aw MAN! This one hurt to have to walk away from, it really did . I was SO looking forward to getting all the way into there, and getting me some awesome, damn-near-rainforest-feeling uber-dense cache.

However... today I had idioticially decided to wear my work shoes for the generic outing today instead of the sandals. Due to not wanting to get the insides of my shoes soaking wet for tomorrow's day of work, me and my friend had to turn back about 20 meters away from our goal . But hey, at least we got to get a good way into the fray before it started getting a little bit TOO soggy for us .

Fear not... I WILL be coming back for this one... and definitely sooner rather than later. A cache in a location THIS fun, I will not allow to remain unfound for long .