Irish Event Cache Bash
You know – I tell lies. It’s not the first event cache in Ireland at all – it’s the fourth. But we thought that we would give the event a real grandiose title, and the word “annual” implies there will be more. I mean, it’s in the middle of summer, so what better time is there?
The first event cache in Ireland took place in April 2002 near the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland, in County Louth – it was on a small scale, and had three attendees. I began caching in 2003, and in August last year set up the geocaching_Ireland e-group as a resource for Irish cachers. Slowly the numbers grew and we organised an event for March 2004. Numbers were good – ten cachers attended, but the event itself was very difficult.
We attempted a huge multicache in Connemara, County Galway, which involved a 12-mile hike and a climb over a 1500ft mountain ridge. Coupled with high winds, changeable weather, and I dare say, lack of
equipment, as well as injuries, it was a testing mental and physical challenge.
Nevertheless, the cache was found at the end and everyone was happy. And this sowed the seeds for future events.
The next event was fairly difficult too, with an assault on Ireland’s highest mountain, Carrauntohill, on the schedule in May of this year. Numbers were smaller, but five cachers (including Vinnie1 who was on holidays from Holland) went along and enjoyed superb views in good weather.
All along talk had centred on a summer event, and this was fixed for July. The venue was to be closer to Dublin, and would encompass more than one cache. So up went the event page and we hoped for both good weather and, most importantly, attendees at 9.00am on the 17th.
The weekend started early for me as I took both Friday and Monday off, and set off for Wicklow on Friday afternoon. A late rendezvous with fellow cachers Donnacha and Bootle followed, and as we had agreed to camp in a nearby valley we set up camp at dusk. Much hilarity ensued as everyone wanted to get to bed early (much of the beer went untouched!) but we were first disturbed by killer midget flies, and after we had settled into our sleeping bags we were woken by “Partygirl” – a Finnish camper who was camping nearby. She was staying in a 2 man tent with a male and a female colleague – but the two had, as Partygirl said: “fallen in love”, and had thrown her out of the tent while they fell in love some more. Poor Partygirl was a little worse for wear, and as she was enthralled with both Ireland and her job with a recycling company, we were lulled to sleep by a lecture on sustainable eco-tourism.
7.45am came early and after a restless sleep accompanied by the sound of heavy rainfall I stepped out of the tent in my pyjamas, savouring the sound of silence. But not for long, as the flies had not gone away. Instead, they had taken shelter from the rain just under the flap of the tent, and they then decided to have me for breakfast.
Shouts and occasional (well, frequent) swear words woke my fellow campers, and as soon as we got dressed and packed up we departed for Glendalough car park, preferring to have breakfast without extra “toppings”.
We arrived fairly on time at 9.05am and met macca, who looked a little forlorn with his GPS around his neck and possibly doubting our arrival at this stage. Following us arriving we met the famous Moonshiner Extraordinaire and K1, who was not at all impressed with the early start!
After much handshaking, introductions and some photos, we began our hike up to the first cache, Merry Christmas Mr. Jones.
We left in true Celtic timekeeping fashion, just before 10am, and to the sound of anecdotes, pleasantries and much joking the group was getting to know each other. Of course, this all ended as soon as the terrain changed. Our guide and veteran of the Wicklow mountains, Donnacha assured us that once we got up onto the ridge, the horseshow hike we were on was quite straightforward – and of course he was right, but we all panted and said a couple of ‘bad’ words as the backs of our t-shirts began to change colour to a darker, wetter shade.
I was one of the few who left their GPS behind – because I do a lot of caching, I like to just ramble on events and let everyone else do the work. So there were several units heading for the first cache… well, all except Moonshiner’s, who reckoned it was 34 miles away. A quick check preceded by an isolated “there’s no way I’m walking that f…” revealed a co-ords mix-up. D’oh!
But from the top of the ridge it was not far to the first cache – and then Moonshiner reached into the undergrowth and out it came. From villain to hero – and cache # 40 for him. True to its name, the cache was filled with Christmas cracker toys and diverse trinkets, one of which kept everyone amused at our first food stop that followed soon after.
The weather was at this point warm and sunny, but as any Irish person knows (and as a visitor soon learns), you cannot trust the weather, nor can you trust the forecast. Just bring your wet gear, even if you are just going out to the front of the house to get the milk in the morning. So inevitably, after the lunch break we were surrounded first by heavy mist, then by pouring rain. Anyone who had not already sensed the impending rainfall (I had!) got into his or her wet gear. And the ground underfoot was also changing from nice, hard ground to soft, boggy soil. But all was not lost, for as we approached the second cache the weather had sympathy on us, and the sun was out again.
The lucky finder this time around was macca. Everyone had their own ideas on this cache, as it was hidden in heather with several possible hiding places. Once found, a big cheer went up, as this meant, “Mission accomplished”. With the improving weather we could see several other hikers and a herd of deer in the distance.
Wildlife had been a favourite topic on this trek as we came across several large caterpillars (2.5in length) making their slow journey across our path. All were shepherded to safety, but I could not help wondering if we had got them to the right side of the path or not.
“Ah f***, that’s the fourth time today I’ve been picked up and put back to where I started at 6.00am.” And so we began the long descent to the car park.
This part of the trail was the most enjoyable, as the local council have built a track out of railway sleepers to minimise the impact of walkers on the Cliffside. The views from the top of the ridge over Glendalough and its Round Tower and Monastery were superb and well worth the visit, if not the best part of the walk.
Once descended, a change of clothes followed and we adjourned for refreshments in a nearby hotel. The drivers enjoyed and carefully savoured one pint each, but as I had handed the car keys (themselves a travel bug!) to my girlfriend, and Moonshiner was getting a lift from macca, we pushed the boat out and had another one each. Much yarning ensued, and views were exchanged about diverse caches and caching experiences – not to mention Moonshiner’s exploits in Gibraltar and Spain (soon to be published as “Caching In Spain – 40C and no water”)
And soon everyone went their separate ways – K1, macca and Moonshiner headed off home in the Dublin direction, and Bootle and Helen left for two nights in Wicklow. So Donnacha, Beki, The Rookie, and I made our way back to the same area (but not the same place, for fear of the killer midgets) and set up a big campfire. This kept the flies off, and cooked the sausages and marshmallows nicely. And as for the beer that was almost untouched the night before… well, it was happy ending for everyone, as the bottles chilled nicely and were savoured by The Rookie and me.
Hopefully, the next one will be just as much fun! Thanks to everyone for coming, and please keep your eyes open for the next one.
For information on geocaching in Ireland, please email me, or visit the following links: