The first log for the cache reads as follows:

Jan 31, 2004, 9:00 a.m.

Team NoVa12 member bigcall was not able to go with the group on that Saturday, but went on February 14 and nabbed the find.

Members of Team NoVa12 sent me the following comments:

Gaiter Man:

Blood & Guts is definitely in a class all its own. Because it opens the door to so many possibilities, it's difficult to sort out what leads one should pursue. The inevitable result is that you hit a lot of dead ends, and ultimately follow clues that you may think you understand, but you're never really certain.

Only as you near the final stages of the quest does the puzzle begin to make sense. Had it not been for the steadfast dedication of the Team NoVa12 members who focused their attention 24/7, Blood & Guts would still be the first cache on my watch list. Thanks to a great team effort, this one's history!

J Keller - BeachBuddies - writes:

As for my comments, overall this was a terrific experience. The cache itself had some "flaws", but that just made for more challenges. However, anyone thinking about creating a 5/5 like this should be extremely careful when creating their puzzles and clues. The best part of this (for me) was getting to meet and work closely with the other cachers. We worked on this every day, for about a month solid. I became friends with the rest of the group (only 3 of whom I'd met before) and I now meet up with them quite often for caching.

One of them is working with me to create another very tough 5/5 cache. We anticipate that the only way to solve it will be to work as a team. I hope anyone who tries ours has as much fun as we had solving Blood and Guts.

Nancy - Titmouse:

I'm going to shy away from the tough puzzles for a while. Give me mud, muck, prickers, poison ivy, bugs, marathon hikes, you know, the EASY ones.

Gary - GLM:

Looking back, it could have easily been called "Obsession and Frustration". "Blood & Guts" is the name of the cache and the only two words that are not a clue. Looking back, it could have easily been called "Obsession and Frustration". This one had been on my watch list for over a year. I had started it a couple of times, but gave up after rumors of how hard it was and possible missing stages. Then one day while reading the forums, I saw a message, "Blood and Guts, is anyone working on this one?" I replied that I would like to be part of the team that searched for it. That was the start of Team NoVa12.

We had a note that mentioned a team effort may not be the best way to attack this one. I disagree with that statement. "I" could have never solved this one totally by myself. I am not sure that ANY one person could do so. Our team included quite a diverse group of individuals that in each of his/her own way contributed to the final victory.

Once we got going, this cache seemed to just take over our lives. I would wake up in the middle of the night with an idea that I just couldn't wait to share with the group to see if it could be an answer to part of the puzzle. I found out that others were experiencing the same sleepless nights. People that normally didn't start caching till around 8 or 9am were getting up well before sunrise and travelling 50 miles to meet on 15 degree days just to try and find the next stage. Some even showed up before work to catch just an hour or two of trying to solve a clue. I know I probably did a few things in searching for this one that I would not normally do for any other cache.

It took us 20 days and over 500 messages sent back and forth to finally come up with the solution. We even celebrated with Champagne on the final find. A very satisfying feeling once you get to the end of this very long and winding road that has many road blocks along the way.

I not only have the satisfaction of being part of the group that was First Finders of this one, but also share a bond with 11 other cachers that is like no other. There is just no way to put it in words. If you decide to try this one, and honestly put yourself into it, you too will find out what I mean. Read the logs of the cache very carefully and you will see that each person has their own story to tell about this one.

I am very anxious to have the next team find this one. I am very anxious to have the next team find this one so that I can share my stories with them and listen to theirs. This is one cache that I will never be able to talk about the details until AFTER you have it on you "found" list.

Anastasia - boxermom:

This cache by far was the hardest one I have done. I believe that if it was not for the team effort we would not have solved it. I also believe that none of us could have solved it alone. This cache brought together people with different background, views, and stages of life who now all share a bond that was formed during this cache.

Now when I go to a cache and see another Team NoVa 12's name in the log I smile and remember our searches together. I hope the other teams have a great time just like we did.