This Month:

• The Royal Treasure of Utah by Christina Raving aka Huntnlady
• A Cautionary Tale: "You could die out here" By Opa aka Kat&Opa&PK
  
• Choosing Appropriate Footwear for Caching: What Socks and Boots Should I Buy? By John Iacono aka JohnnyVegas

Not very many people have done the cache, Royal Treasure (Top of Utah). That may be because the cache sits atop the highest peak in Utah, King’s Peak, towering at 13,528’. It also may have something to do with the fact that it is approximately 28 miles round trip, and most people do it in a three day backpacking trip.

Placed in August 2001, by zeeHowes (no longer active in Geocaching), the first finders for the cache, in August 2002, were a group of 7 firefighters from Salt Lake City Firestation #2, who logged under the name cumulonimbus. Amazingly enough, these guys managed to make the hike in one day. They hit the trail at 5:15 am, and made it back to their cars at 8 pm. That’s a tough bunch of guys, but if what would you expect from a group of firefighters?

On the day after the firefighters found the cache, Craig, of team Cach-U-Nuts, his son Gabe, and bunkerdave found the cache as part of the event cache, In Search of Royal Treasure.

The peak is located in the Uintahs Wilderness in Northeast Utah. It is a popular destination for many scout packs and hikers from Salt Lake City. Its beauty is breathtaking, and there is plenty of wildlife. Red Barron mentioned seeing four bull moose hanging around their camp. The terrain is rocky, rugged, and windswept at the top. It is also subject to nature’s fury, and summer thunderstorms are harsh. The lightning strikes during a storm are a hazard that can drive people from the peak, and there have been fatalities due to lightning strikes.

The cache has a 5 star terrain rating. All food and camping equipment must be packed in while at the same time keeping backpacks down to a reasonable weight. Another consideration is the high altitude. The hike starts at about 9,400 feet at the trailhead at Henry's Fork Campground. From there it is 7 miles to the campsite at Dollar Lake. People who are out of shape and who have not done big hikes should not undertake this. A water filtration pump is needed to filter drinking water. Also necessary is some good rain gear, because it rains almost every afternoon. Most important are a good pair of hiking boots and several changes of socks. The ground tends to be soggy and wet. The boots will need to be well broken in to avoid blisters.

The area is snowbound for seven or eight months out of the year, but that didn’t stop MOCKBA and about 30 friends from making the trip this year on March 30th. Mockba and the Oldtimer Crew broke trail almost to Dollar Lake the week before for the group. On March 30th the large group skied to Gunsight Pass and hiked the rest of the way to the top. They found the ammo box had been moved to the summit and was being used as a register by everyone who made it to the top. Mockba cleaned the trash out of the depleted cache and restocked it, replacing it at the cache site.

The Mrs. of team SpiderTracks went to the top with her younger brother, and was surprised to discover that she had cellphone coverage. She phoned in her find to the waiting Mr. SpiderTracks, who logged it for her.

Interestingly enough, I noted that none of the cachers who have logged this one have logged an entry for the peak in the locationless cache, 'H’ is for Highpoint. Too bad folks, I guess you’ll just have to go back and climb it again!