Current at 11/6/2011 (Online waypoint URL) You have already found this cache! Master Index    Nearest Caches First In Last Out - Fire Prevention Branch by crackerjackie (1.5/4) N49° 51.750  W97° 06.763 (WGS84) UTM  14U   E 635637  N 5525051 Use waypoint: GC21AXX Size: Small    Hidden on 11/22/2009 In Manitoba, Canada Difficulty:     Terrain:                         This cache is a tribute to the men and women of the City of Winnipeg Fire Department who risk their lives protecting our loved ones and our property. DO NOT PARK IN FIRE DEPARTMENT LOTS OR IN ANYPLACE YOU WILL INTERFERE WITH EMERGENCY VEHICLES COMING OR GOING FROM HALL. Parking is available at the river side park located behind the city owned buildings. This park is accessible from Mager Drive. Please abide by all parking regulations. You are looking for a small camo'ed canister with room for trade items. Make sure you place cache back EXACTLY as you found it. Congratulations to GeoPahkers on FTF.

Additional Hints Hints

2/28/2010 by Kabuthunk
Whew, close one. I had almost allowed the cardinal sin of letting a full calendar month go by without having found a geocache in it... something which I haven't allowed to occur since I began geocaching. I ended up getting lazy lately (moreso due to being sucked into multiple different video games I've gotten recently that have absorbed almost all of my free time lately), but in the far recesses of my mind, there was a nagging of "hey, you haven't found a cache in February yet. Get a move on!"

And so that continued for a while, until last Friday. However, due to prior obligations on Friday and Saturday, I'd have to find a cache on Sunday, no ifs, ands, or buts. Checking the nearby caches, I decided to go for this one.

However, having been out of caching for a while now, it appears I've lost some of my common sense. All full of energy this morning, I hop out of bed and prepare for caching, just in case I start playing another game later today . Got the caching kit, slap on some shoes and a jacket, and I'm out the door. I ended up parking on St. Mary's Rd and walking the rest of the way. Not being sure how the easiest way to the cache would be, I just cut through a parking lot right at the corner of St. Anne's and St. Mary's, and walked towards the river. Aaaaaand this is where I realized my common sense was lacking.

In front of me lay a wide field of snow, before there happened to be some snowmobile tracks which MIGHT hold me. Snowshoes? Still nice and cozy back at the apartment. Winter boots? Sitting near the shoe rack at home. Heck, even ye olde emergency winter boots (aka: plastic safeway bags) were back at the car, which I didn't want to bother walking back to. Thus, I decided to go with the method that has gotten me to multiple caches in the past:

F#$% it, just give 'er .

Thus, with my work shoes and jeans on, I just trudged through the snow... which instantly filled my shoes. Sinking up to my knees at times, I lamented the fact that all of my snow clothing was back at home. After I worked my way to the snowmobile tracks, I was thankful that they held my weight. Finding a large branch to sit on, I knocked all the snow out of my shoes and wiped it off my currently soaked feet. Onwards to the cache! Thankfully as well, the snowmobile tracks led pretty much right up to the cache, or at least to the "road" the construction vehicles seem to be using to... drive down onto the ice? What the heck ARE they doing over there?!? Well, whatever. It's Sunday morning, and the place was deserted .

It didn't take me long to find the cache once I hit this "road". A few seconds later, I had the cache in hand . Not much inside of there at the moment (surprising, since it's been found like... a bajillion times), so I added a travelbug I've been holding onto WAY too long, and a chainmail ball. Closing up the cache, I attempted to place it back, but it always seemed to sit too loose. After a little bit of maneuvering the container around, I got it to sit a little bit more firmly. February's cache finally found (hopefully March won't be quite the caching drought for me), I set out to return to the car. However, I felt a bit uneasy walking amongst all the construction vehicles. Not wanting to bother stirring up any conspicuousness, I decided to just go back the way I came. Feet are already wet, so whatever . Yet another thankfully though, I found some snowmobile tracks that led right up to a parking lot about 30 meters from where I plunged into the snow originally, so I stayed dry the entire return route .

Thanks for the cache, which allowed me to avoid not finding a cache in February. Nice hiding spot, and I imagine that once construction is done, this could be a relaxing little area to sit and look at the river. That bench there was kinda calling to me to return some day .

Took: A fair volume of snow into my shoes
Left: Logbook entry, Ashton's Anchor TB, and chainmail ball

Hints (Back)
Firefighters must make sure ladder is secured before attempting a climb. You must be prepared for falling debris, misguided hose streams, and people jumping from buildings. Please be careful.