Caches in the Eustis Area

I would like to encourage more of you to cache in our area, especially in the fall when the weather is cool and the bugs are gone! We get a lot of geocachers from the campground but not too many of you venture up this way, and when you do, you often grab just one cache and ignore the others.:( Starting north of Kingfield, there are currently 13 active caches and two others that are temporarily disabled. Just above Kingfield, start with Geocache GC19AC. Next comes Narrow Gauge Trail CG14AZD; Fallen Arch GC4E52; A View of the Lake GC149W5; Bigelow Preserve GC14JRJ; Mooselook GCPC9P; Eustis Ridge II GCWEW5; OnRoadToMyersBeach GCWCFJ; Milwaukee Brewers GC14HEG; In Memory of Georgia GC131KY; By A Dam Site GCYC11; Chain of Ponds GCGP12; and Mainiac1957's Map38 Cache GCWT94. I have plans to put out some more. So other than distance and the price of gas, what keeps you away? Would you like more caches to make it worth a trip? :confused: I can always sprinkle the route with micros if need be. And if you need advice on how to find, where to stay, where to camp, where to kayak, just e-mail me, I'd be glad to help!:)

There are some beautiful caches in your neck of the woods. I've done some of the older ones.
The Bigelow Preserve cache scares me. Dad and I hiked the whole Bigelow range on the AT one summer (when I was about 10 years old) in record heat. We were supposed to go to the NH border, but I bailed after 3 days. Pretty mountain, but I'll have to get over the memories of profuse sweating!!!
I would like to get back to that area again with my boat and do the lake accessable caches around Rangely and still want to do the cache on Sugarloaf mountain.

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Originally Posted by kayaking loon

I would like to encourage more of you to cache in our area, especially in the fall when the weather is cool and the bugs are gone! We get a lot of geocachers from the campground but not too many of you venture up this way, and when you do, you often grab just one cache and ignore the others.:( Starting north of Kingfield, there are currently 13 active caches and two others that are temporarily disabled. Just above Kingfield, start with Geocache GC19AC. Next comes Narrow Gauge Trail CG14AZD; Fallen Arch GC4E52; A View of the Lake GC149W5; Bigelow Preserve GC14JRJ; Mooselook GCPC9P; Eustis Ridge II GCWEW5; OnRoadToMyersBeach GCWCFJ; Milwaukee Brewers GC14HEG; In Memory of Georgia GC131KY; By A Dam Site GCYC11; Chain of Ponds GCGP12; and Mainiac1957's Map38 Cache GCWT94. I have plans to put out some more. So other than distance and the price of gas, what keeps you away? Would you like more caches to make it worth a trip? :confused: I can always sprinkle the route with micros if need be. And if you need advice on how to find, where to stay, where to camp, where to kayak, just e-mail me, I'd be glad to help!:)

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Arrgh . . . no "sprinkling of micros" please, I'm begging you . . . they are the bane of my existence. :D

I mean that's not to say I don't enjoy a micro now and then (and in fact I won't often pass on one if I'm going by) and I do enjoy the fiendishly cleverly hid ones, but it seems as though in the past few months we've been bombarded with "seed" themed-micro caches . . . which aren't bad in themselves, but they just seem to spawn more and more of these types of caches and so very often you end up visiting lots and lots of guardrails when in fact some of these places could utilize regular cache containers which are infinitely more exciting to find and hide for kids (the chance to swap out swag) and for adults (I for one often try to jot down a few notes about the view, the search, etc.)

I also cannot fathom why some folks enjoy hiding micros in middle of the woods -- for me (a Magellan user) it's hard enough finding a regular sized cache much less a micro . . . although I must confess I have seen some micros in the woods which were appropriate. To me micros definitely seem better suited for placement in urban areas or in areas where placing a larger cache container might not be appropriate or practical (i.e. I have a micro that I placed in Dixmont since I only had permission to use a small section of land for my cache, I have done GRCs that offered a great view -- but there was no other place for a regular-sized cache.) Just my opinion. OK, enough of a rant on micros. . . .

When you're off the beaten path it may be hard to get a ton of folks to your area to cache, but one thing that definitely helps is cache saturation. I know for example that when I decide to go out on a day-long trip or an overnight caching trip finding an area that has lots of caches -- good caches -- ones that intrigue me (and for me that means a place with history, a scenic view, etc.) is the main draw. Numbers aren't everything, but it helps. If Location A and Location B both involve the same distance in traveling and both have interesting sounding caches (again, this is subjective), but Location B has a few more caches than Location A I'll often go to that location just because it offers me more caches to search out.

Distance is definitely a factor these days with the price of gas . . . and for me, more importantly, the cost of time. In fact the other day I finally had some free hours so I thought about going caching . . . I had three general locations in mind -- the Augusta area, Thomaston area and Greenville area. To be truthful I really wanted to head up into Greenville as there are a lot of caches I haven't done there and there's one in particular -- Pontiac Silver Streak -- that intrigues me just based on the name alone. My second choice was to grab some in the Thomaston area, but in the end I only had a few hours so I choose the cache location closest to me in Augusta.

Another aspect is the location of the caches in relation to main routes of travel. Caches close to or along main routes of travel will usually get more hits than caches that involve a little more travel off the "beaten path." In other words if I'm just passing through and notice a cache a mile off a main road I may be more apt to grab that cache versus a cache located 10 or even 5 miles off the main road. I've noticed this with caches in my area -- caches that are relatively close to the main drag so to speak get found a lot more frequently than some of my more isolated caches -- not that it's a bad thing . . . just a fact.

It also seems that many cachers will filter out (either manually or through software) caches that do not appeal to them based on the challenge level (terrain and difficulty.) For example, if I'm in the area and hoping to grab a bunch of caches I might pass on a cache that has a high terrain or difficultly level . . . especially if it involves a major hike and I have limited time (that's not to say I don't enjoy a good hike and trust me after doing a bunch of grab-and-go caches I really look forward to a short to moderate hike on many caches) or don't feel like hiking a mountain. Again, this is just me. I also generally steer away from water-based caches and the wickedly steep mountain caches . . . just not my thing.

Finally, one way to help boost finds is to host an event in the area. It seems as though events tend to bring more folks out to an area and the area caches. In addition, it seems as though some folks will put out new caches right before or on the day of the event as a way to lure even more cachers into the area -- especially those die-hard FTFers! :D

OK, this all said . . . I promise you here today . . . I will get up to your area . . . it just may be later than sooner . . . but someday. . . .

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Originally Posted by Sudonim

There are some beautiful caches in your neck of the woods. I've done some of the older ones.
The Bigelow Preserve cache scares me. Dad and I hiked the whole Bigelow range on the AT one summer (when I was about 10 years old) in record heat. We were supposed to go to the NH border, but I bailed after 3 days. Pretty mountain, but I'll have to get over the memories of profuse sweating!!!
I would like to get back to that area again with my boat and do the lake accessable caches around Rangely and still want to do the cache on Sugarloaf mountain.

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The Bigelow Range . . . that isn't the section of the AT known as the 100 mile wilderness trail of death and despair (or something like that), is it? My gung-ho sister was trying to get me to hike that section with her for years before she finally gave up trying to convince me it would be "fun.":D

Oh yeah, I had another thought . . . I get lots of thoughts . . . some are just better than others.

I personally also am leery of doing a cache if it hasn't been found in some time or if there have been a few DNFs. My reasoning may be faulty, but I often wonder if a cache hasn't been found in over a year or two if there is a reason for that -- i.e. geocachers didn't find it and just didn't bother logging a DNF, it involves a major hike to find and I don't want to commit that much time to finding that single cache on that day -- although I may seek out that cache someday in the future, etc.

Seeing a cache with lots of DNFs also tends to make me steer away from a cache as I think a) this may be wicked tough and challenge my pea-sized brain and b) I wonder if the cache is in fact still there -- especially if the cache owner hasn't checked and confirmed if the cache is MIA or still there. Having an owner periodically log a note that the cache was checked and is in good order sometimes helps me decide whether the long drive, hike, etc. is worth the effort.

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Originally Posted by firefighterjake

The Bigelow Range . . . that isn't the section of the AT known as the 100 mile wilderness trail of death and despair (or something like that), is it? My gung-ho sister was trying to get me to hike that section with her for years before she finally gave up trying to convince me it would be "fun.":D

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No Jake, the 100 mile wilderness starts just north of Monson where the trail crosses Rt. 15. From there north it crosses no PUBLIC roads. It does, however cross about 1/2 dozen private roads like the K.I. road and Jo-Mary road, so it's not really THAT wild!

Well, KL - I hope to make it up your way soon this fall. That Grandbaby sort of slowed me down. Hubby and I did a run to Wilamantic today - testing our wings. Also, my daughter loves your area so I hope as the baby gets bigger we can venture up. Don't give up.

As for Jake - and the micros, well, we could write a story about Jake and Micros........do as you wish. They are an attraction for some and a distraction for others LOL Thanks for all you are doing to promote your area. That is important!

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Originally Posted by Sudonim

No Jake, the 100 mile wilderness starts just north of Monson where the trail crosses Rt. 15. From there north it crosses no PUBLIC roads. It does, however cross about 1/2 dozen private roads like the K.I. road and Jo-Mary road, so it's not really THAT wild!

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My mistake . . . I wasn't exactly sure where this 100 mile wilderness section was . . . only that it sounded like something I wouldn't want to do anytime soon.:D

With any luck we will be able to hit some of the caches in your area soon. We are going to Rangley for the Foreigner concert. I love the Stratton and Eustis area. There is excellant camping and hiking.

I have been up there in the past and would love to return. If I were coming back it would be for the weekend. Can you suggest a campground to stay at? I would be tenting. Thanks for the warm invite. :)

Great, people are actually thinking about coming to Eustis! :) I suggest Cathedral Pines Campground as the best and most central. Call 246-3491. They are open until October 1st. And there is Natanis Point Campgound at the northern end of Chain of Ponds, 297-2694. They have no power or water. And then there are many primitive campgrounds but there's no way to know if they'll be taken or not. There are 2 on the road I live on plus more at the beach. I could help anyone try to find a place if they want primitive and free. Motels are inexpensive around here too, and some even have weekly rates.

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Originally Posted by Gump & Gumpette

With any luck we will be able to hit some of the caches in your area soon. We are going to Rangley for the Foreigner concert. I love the Stratton and Eustis area. There is excellant camping and hiking.

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Wait... Foreigner is coming to Rangely???

Foreigner will be at Saddleback for an outdoor concert July 29th.
I also recommend Cathedral Pines, its a great campground. We used to do some primitive camping on the Stratton Brook Pond Road, with a great view of Sugarloaf. It was the trail head for West and Avery peaks.

We used to camp out all the time at Cathedral Pines when we were kids back in the 60's and it was only like 3 bux a night back then. Don't know what it costs now though. We used to fish up at Sarampus Falls and then the Chain of Ponds, all fly fishing for us back then.

I would highly recommend the lean-to on the Appalachian Trail at Piazza Rock and it is free. It is only 1.8 miles north off route 4. With a backpack and a tent you will be all set.

But... Piazza Rock isn't in the Eustis area..........

And, I just wrote a long reply to everyone and then it wouldn't send. I was logged in. What happened? That happened to me once before too. Only short replies from me from now on...

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Originally Posted by kayaking loon

But... Piazza Rock isn't in the Eustis area..........

And, I just wrote a long reply to everyone and then it wouldn't send. I was logged in. What happened? That happened to me once before too. Only short replies from me from now on...

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Sorry I was thinking on the other side of Saddleback. Woops.

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Originally Posted by Sudonim

There are some beautiful caches in your neck of the woods. I've done some of the older ones.
The Bigelow Preserve cache scares me. Dad and I hiked the whole Bigelow range on the AT one summer (when I was about 10 years old) in record heat. We were supposed to go to the NH border, but I bailed after 3 days. Pretty mountain, but I'll have to get over the memories of profuse sweating!!!
I would like to get back to that area again with my boat and do the lake accessable caches around Rangely and still want to do the cache on Sugarloaf mountain.

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My "Bigelow Preserve" cache is a park and grab, so don't be scared of it. Mainiac1957's "A View of the Lake" is on top of Cranberry Peak, a 3 hour hike up, so you can be scared of that. The cache on Sugarloaf is temporarily disabled, due to ice in it last winter. If a cache is still there but disabled and you find it, is it still a find??

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Originally Posted by firefighterjake

Arrgh . . . no "sprinkling of micros" please, I'm begging you . . . they are the bane of my existence. :D

I mean that's not to say I don't enjoy a micro now and then (and in fact I won't often pass on one if I'm going by) and I do enjoy the fiendishly cleverly hid ones, but it seems as though in the past few months we've been bombarded with "seed" themed-micro caches . . . which aren't bad in themselves, but they just seem to spawn more and more of these types of caches and so very often you end up visiting lots and lots of guardrails when in fact some of these places could utilize regular cache containers which are infinitely more exciting to find and hide for kids (the chance to swap out swag) and for adults (I for one often try to jot down a few notes about the view, the search, etc.)

I also cannot fathom why some folks enjoy hiding micros in middle of the woods -- for me (a Magellan user) it's hard enough finding a regular sized cache much less a micro . . . although I must confess I have seen some micros in the woods which were appropriate. To me micros definitely seem better suited for placement in urban areas or in areas where placing a larger cache container might not be appropriate or practical (i.e. I have a micro that I placed in Dixmont since I only had permission to use a small section of land for my cache, I have done GRCs that offered a great view -- but there was no other place for a regular-sized cache.) Just my opinion. OK, enough of a rant on micros. . . .

When you're off the beaten path it may be hard to get a ton of folks to your area to cache, but one thing that definitely helps is cache saturation. I know for example that when I decide to go out on a day-long trip or an overnight caching trip finding an area that has lots of caches -- good caches -- ones that intrigue me (and for me that means a place with history, a scenic view, etc.) is the main draw. Numbers aren't everything, but it helps. If Location A and Location B both involve the same distance in traveling and both have interesting sounding caches (again, this is subjective), but Location B has a few more caches than Location A I'll often go to that location just because it offers me more caches to search out.

Distance is definitely a factor these days with the price of gas . . . and for me, more importantly, the cost of time. In fact the other day I finally had some free hours so I thought about going caching . . . I had three general locations in mind -- the Augusta area, Thomaston area and Greenville area. To be truthful I really wanted to head up into Greenville as there are a lot of caches I haven't done there and there's one in particular -- Pontiac Silver Streak -- that intrigues me just based on the name alone. My second choice was to grab some in the Thomaston area, but in the end I only had a few hours so I choose the cache location closest to me in Augusta.

Another aspect is the location of the caches in relation to main routes of travel. Caches close to or along main routes of travel will usually get more hits than caches that involve a little more travel off the "beaten path." In other words if I'm just passing through and notice a cache a mile off a main road I may be more apt to grab that cache versus a cache located 10 or even 5 miles off the main road. I've noticed this with caches in my area -- caches that are relatively close to the main drag so to speak get found a lot more frequently than some of my more isolated caches -- not that it's a bad thing . . . just a fact.

It also seems that many cachers will filter out (either manually or through software) caches that do not appeal to them based on the challenge level (terrain and difficulty.) For example, if I'm in the area and hoping to grab a bunch of caches I might pass on a cache that has a high terrain or difficultly level . . . especially if it involves a major hike and I have limited time (that's not to say I don't enjoy a good hike and trust me after doing a bunch of grab-and-go caches I really look forward to a short to moderate hike on many caches) or don't feel like hiking a mountain. Again, this is just me. I also generally steer away from water-based caches and the wickedly steep mountain caches . . . just not my thing.

Finally, one way to help boost finds is to host an event in the area. It seems as though events tend to bring more folks out to an area and the area caches. In addition, it seems as though some folks will put out new caches right before or on the day of the event as a way to lure even more cachers into the area -- especially those die-hard FTFers! :D

OK, this all said . . . I promise you here today . . . I will get up to your area . . . it just may be later than sooner . . . but someday. . . .

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"Cache saturation", I like that term! So how many caches per mile do I need to get Eustis "saturated"? But host an event?? I've never even been to one although I have tried. I could rent the Community Building, have a potluck, but.... would anybody come??

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Originally Posted by kayaking loon

"Cache saturation", I like that term! So how many caches per mile do I need to get Eustis "saturated"? But host an event?? I've never even been to one although I have tried. I could rent the Community Building, have a potluck, but.... would anybody come??

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I have been told you have it - they will come.

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Originally Posted by hollora

I have been told you have it - they will come.

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But... what do you DO for an "event"??? Or rather, what would I have to do??

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Originally Posted by kayaking loon

But... what do you DO for an "event"??? Or rather, what would I have to do??

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Really you do not have to do anything. Just post it and say something to the effect that it is to help educated geocachers and get them together. You can have it in a park, campground, or at your house. You can make it a pot luck or do what ever you want. If your going to do one though I would recommend to check to make sure it does not interfere with any other events going on in Maine at the same time.

I'm excited that there are new caches in the area for me to find on my next visit. The caches that I've found already have been great. Don't give up quality for quantity. As far as micros, some really like them so keep an open mind. This is coming from a former micro-hater who has found that they can be a lot of fun. You've really got to be creative to make them fun, though. Remember "quality" is the key word. No hide a key containers on sign posts please!!!!! Can't wait to see what's new!

You might want to think about coming to the Calais area. There are a few new caches! How do I know? I just had the pleasure of placing them. That was fun! I do have one more & I checked out the area today. This one will have to wait until closer to fall. The red ants were TERRIBLE! No matter which way you can go to get to this very cool area you'd get chewed up. I'd hate for anyone to go through that pain. You should see the new ones posted very soon, they're being reveiwed. These are kind of easy but in pretty location. This other one will be a 4 or 5 star. I also have another place in mind for a 5th cache. I'll keep an eye out for a lock-n-lock container. So keep an eye out for more!

I too have found a great place to visit and some of the most beautiful scenery and caches. But I am not willing to post where it is. Then you would all want to come here and I would not have the place all to myself. :)

The weather has been beautiful and the caching is .....well suffice to say. You really don't mind the DNF's. The Team will be headed up north this Fall, and hope to grab all of the great finds along the way.

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Originally Posted by mipster

You might want to think about coming to the Calais area. There are a few new caches! How do I know? I just had the pleasure of placing them.

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Sheesh! We'll be heading through there tomorrow, but the PQ's are already downloaded, the maps printed, and the GPSr and PDA loaded as well! LOL!

Maybe we'll try and catch them on the way back! :D :D

[quote=mipster;34450I'll keep an eye out for a lock-n-lock container.[/quote]

Every once and a while Marden's has them. Also, Walmart but they are a tad expensive. In Belfast, you have to check out Ocean State Job Lots in the shopping center behind McDonald's - great ones (knock offs) but they stand up and the price is right.

Happy caching!

Three cheers for Firefighterjake. He said he'd come to Eustis to cache "someday" and yesterday was the day. Hope you had fun, Jake! I'll have more caches out by next year!:D

Well I took your advise and spent the whole day in the area. I'd have to say after spending 4 1/2 hours just doing 'A view of the lake' that I don't think I ever want to see Stratton again!! Coming back down the trail, I couldn't believe we actually came up it. Also, the drive in to 'Milwaukee Brewers' was a little rough on the paint of our pickup. Thank God that we didn't meet someone coming the other way. There is NO place to turn off the road. Did see a moose in a bog though. Loved the driftwood at the end. Almost camped there for the night but didn't want to get in trouble. Nice area to visit though.

Well, you picked the hardest cache in the area to start with (A View of the Lake), and the one with the roughest road in (Milwaukee Brewers). And you skipped lots of easier ones. There are 4 around Chain of Ponds, just north of where you were, and 3 south. But aren't you proud that you got the toughest ones????:D Next time, you just have easy ones to do!

And you can camp out at Milwaukee Brewers, I just wouldn't start any fires.