Table of Contents

Cover Page

A Tribute to UtahJean

Getting to Know UtahJean

UtahJean Statistics and Stuff

The January Snowshoe/Cross-Country Skiing Event

Regular Features

Updates and Notes

Chuckles

Credits

Submission Guidelines

Well The UTAG January Snow Shoe, Cross Country Skiing Event cache is now history and what a fantastic day it was. Only those who braved the long cold drive to the parking coordinates, then t he white knuckle drive to the upper parking lot were privileged to enjoy the sunshine and clean air that could only be found above the 6000 foot level. While the rest of the Greater Salt Lake population suffered through one of the worst inversions in recorded history 21 intrepid geocachers headed up in search of an obscure cache that few people had bothered to persue even in fairer weather.

The event began at about 8:00 am at the Farmington ponds. After everyone arrived, we loaded into the 4x4's and headed up the canyon. Farmington Canyon road has to be one of the scariest mountain roads found anywhere, with its one lane driving, the switchbacks, and not a guard rail to be found anywhere. Then you add a nice coating of ice and you have an adventure in itself. We all arrived safely at the upper parking lot and arranged the vehicles like sardines in a can.

What a beautiful morning we found when we arrived at Farmington flats. We had driven completely above the foggy haze caused by the inversion in the valley below. We also found the temperature warmer and within a few hours we enjoyed sunshine and 42 degrees.

On Our Way (photo by KimBest)

Finally we were off to the first cache, Gold Ridge. We began by hiking north on the Francis Peak road to the maintaince shop then south along Gold Ridge. The trek to the cache was about 2.4 miles. Most of the trail was well groomed by snowmobiles which made snowshoeing easier in the deep snow. Snow depths averaged between 6-8 feet except on the wind swept ridges where the surface was completely exposed in some areas.

Leading out this pack of crazy cachers was Mockba and Olystats02 on cross country skis. Close behind them in no particular order was 39Geeser, Dorkteam6, Kimbest, Stockley_True, TheCowboyz, AimHigh!, JackDaddyT, JeeperDad, Maynard, and Randy West. Bringing up the rear were Scout Master, Cach-U-Nuts and the two greatest cachers in Utah, UtahJean and Dhobby1. Somewhere on the mountain, the Allen family were also cross country skiing.

The Goal Is In Sight (photo by Stockley_true)

Mockba and Olystats02 were the first to arrive at the cache location but having neglected to bring the coordinates they were and unable to find the cache. Before long, though, 39Geezer and the Dorkteam6 arrived and the cache was soon found. Mother nature had graciously blown most of the snow off the top of the ridge exposing the rocks that hid the cache.

Fog in the Valley (photo by DHobby1)

The Gunk We Left Behind (photo by JackDaddyT)

At the Top of Gold Ridge

At just over 8000 feet in elevation, Gold Ridge provides a breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Blanketed in snowy white, Morgan Valley, to the east; Mt Francis with her majestic radar domes, to the north; and Farmington Flats and Mount Bountiful to the west.

The View from Gold Ridge (photo by JackDaddyT)

Having conquered the mountain and found the cache, the 19 of us enjoyed the sunshine and the views. While resting from our hike up the mountain, we traded from the cache, signed the log book and took pictures (a lot of pictures). Here's the crew mugging for the camera. Maynard, of TeamHuckleberry, had a timer on his camera, so everyone was able to be in the shot.

The Crew on Gold Ridge (photo by Maynard of TeamHuckleberry)

After a short break we headed down the mountain. Our next destination would be the Light Up The Sky cache down in the Farmington flats. This would prove a disappointment to all those involved. Buried under 6-8 feet of snow this cache would elude us all. Even with the help of Cache-U-Nut's metal detector this cache will remain hidden until long after spring reaches the valley below. It is rumored that Mockba and Olystats02 skied across the valley to yet another disappointment at the Shackin with the Beavers cache. The deep snow that will save us from drought next year has buried the caches far beyond our reach.

Hungry and tired we returned to our cars for our return trip down the steep canyon road. But this event was not to end so soon. We all gathered once again at the Farmington ponds to collect our own cars and find out who we were going to follow to the home of UtahJean and MailboxMan. There we were to be treated to hot soup, warm or cold drinks, more good conversation, and a travel bug trading session. About 25 bugs crawled around the table and some brand new ones were passed out by AimHigh!.

An excerpt from MOCKBA's log at Shackin With The Beavers: This is a much nicer area to ski than the Gold Ridge, with its wind and sun-blasted snow and bare spots. Here was soft snow above the crust, the shade of the trees, and beautiful cliffs and cornices of Bountiful Peak for a backdrop. But what's good for skiing ain't necessarily good for caching. TOO MUCH WHITE STUFF! Concentrating on the largest cluster of firs, we did a few digs and probed all around with a ski pole. We also tried a smaller group of firs for good measure. Ah, no find it is, but it feels like an honorable kind of a DNF. An excerpt from Olystats02's log at Shackin With The Beavers: MOCKBA and I broke away from the 'shoers and took a little ski tour over from Gold Ridge so he could find this cache. A determined MOCKBA literally dug down to his shoulders in the deep snow, but came up empty. Is This Deep Enough? (photo by Olystats02) We then headed across the frozen pond and over the undulating terrain to the Light Up the Sky cache location, only to be skunked again. MOCKBA gave it an earnest effort both times, but hey, looking for an ammo box under 5-6 feet of white stuff is no easy task! Nevertheless, it was a great winter day for being outdoors. The skiing and blue skies, not to mention the great company, more than made up for not finding them.

With our bellies full and our bodies tired out, we bid a fond farewell to old and new friends alike, with a hope and a promise to continue the UTAG tradition to gather often to pursue caches and to have fun and great adventures.

See you on the trail.
Scout Master