Current at 11/6/2011 (Online waypoint URL) You have already found this cache! Master Index    Nearest Caches Island by OHMIC (1.5/1.5) N50° 10.210  W97° 08.012 (WGS84) UTM  14U   E 633287  N 5559218 Use waypoint: GC1T56V Size: Micro    Hidden on 6/1/2009 In Manitoba, Canada Difficulty:     Terrain:                   An island is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Islands in freshwater wetlands can provide good waterfowl and other birds nesting sites provided there is an adequate open-water barrier. Open water with sufficient depth decreases the probability of predators walking or swimming to the island from the mainland. You will notice several islands at Oak Hammock Marsh. Most were constructed during the wetland reclamation project in the early '70s. Take a look at the island from where you are standing. Do you see any birds using it?

Additional Hints (There are no hints for this cache)

8/1/2011 by Kabuthunk
Third cache of the day! This one was actually a little bit of a surprise, and I didn't anticipate running into it when I did. I was ACTUALLY trying to navigate my way to the Duck Head cache, and ended up stumbling across this one (both literally and figuratively, as I'd soon find out) on the way.

After I had left the 'Enjoy the view!' cache, I headed back North again, since I was still a bit paranoid about the chain (see my log for the aforementioned cache for details). After I was back on the North side of that intersection, I checked the GPS and noticed that the cache I planned to go after next would possibly need me back South of that intersection. However, I didn't want to push my luck, so I scanned the dykes, and noticed that there was a good chance that I'd be able to travel along one of those paths to the cache from just North of me. And since signs throughout the marsh indicate that walking along those paths is all fine and good... well, works for me.

Thus, I headed North until the next opportunity to turn left. A bit down this path, and I looked to my left at an unusual hill with an information board at the top of it. Curious, I put down my bike and headed up to see what the information was. As I walked up the hill, I checked my GPS and was pleasantly surprised to find another geocache not 5 meters from my present location . Alright, looks like I'm telling the GPS to navigate me somewhere significantly closer than 'Duck Head'. Given the sheer lack of... well... much of anything at the top of the hill, I had a preconceived notion as to where the cache container would be hiding. Moments later, I found myself not disappointed. I opened up the cache to look inside, but kept having to shuffle my feet around, since it seemed that a group of about three horseflies were taking this particular moment to pester me as much as was humanly possible (although at least one of those now uses this hill as his burial mound).

Stepping around here and there, attempting to swat away the horseflies or otherwise at least get them to leave me alone for the 30 seconds it'd take me to sign the logbook, I found myself suddenly falling at a very awkward angle. One must apparently be careful on this hill... I ended up putting my foot into a hole that was covered by the surrounding grass, and plunging it straight down until I was in up to my knee. Needless to say, most of the cache contents were no longer contained in the cache. Not knowing what was in the hole, I quickly retracted my leg, and found that all of the swag had managed to land in pretty much the exact same place. I collected everything that I could find, and replaced it all back into the cache container. I also took a moment, and a bit of a chance, putting my foot back in and quickly snapping a picture, so you can see how big and deep it was. Call it a hunch, but I expect this is not the only hole in this mound. I'm thinking that there's probably others kicking around, so any future cachers probably want to watch their step around here.

On the plus side, the horseflies were scared off by all of this .

So in relative peace, I signed the logbook and dropped in both a chainmail ball, and the final travelbug I had picked up at a recent event in honour of OHMIC. It was of a surfboard, and well... lots of water around here, so surf's up I guess .

With the cache replaced, I headed back down to the bike. Unfortunately however, I never did get to read that information board. The right side (thus, the side with the writing) was pretty much entirely plastered with bird crap, and I didn't really feel the urge to try to scrape all of that off... so I figure I'd just leave it as is. I imagine the information there is very similar to what's listed in the cache description anyway. In either case, fun time, fun times... onto the next cache!

Took: Nothing
Left: Logbook entry, Cache a Wave travelbug, and chainmail ball