into the wild – HykLyt

Hiking For Treasure

Psst. Want an introduction to a secret world that exists right under our very noses?

Well, you’re in luck!

Geocaching is a real, GPS-enabled, outdoor treasure hunting game that many hikers have been participating in playing for over twenty years!

Somewhere, out there, there’s a swag box! If anyone is going to find treasure in this expansive world of ours, it’ll be my wife (pictured). She is able to see better than me. I’d walk right past it!

What Do You Need?

Yourself. Your GPS device. Swag-items for swap out (described below). Snacks, water, safety materials that you’d bring on any other hike. Trekking poles are great for poking around while searching for a container inside say, a log, or a hollowed out tree, as well.

How Do You Play?

Geocaching (geography + cache) has two different roles to play.

1) Seekers: As a seeker, you’ll follow coordinates to a specific location where another geocacher has hidden a container, know as a swag-box. To locate the coordinates you’ll utilize your mobile phone or other GPS-enabled device. Once you’ve arrived at the cache location, you’ll need to search around, as many of the cache locations are hidden, making it all the more fun and challenging. Upon discovery, you’ll open the cache filled with what are called swag-items, and swap out one piece of swag for one that you brought with you. 1:1 etiquette.

2) Cache-Owner: A person who has stashed their treasures for others to find and listed it on the main geocache website so that participants know it is available to be found. A cache owner may place multiple items into the cache container. So long as seekers are practicing proper geocaching 1:1 etiquette, the containers will never run out of new items to be discovered.

What Are The Rules Of The Game?

Geocaching does come with a set of rules to follow. The rules listed below are to ensure that you, and others, have a great time while joining in on the hunt.

1) Leave No Trace. This is the most important rule in many peoples opinions. You’ll hear this rule everywhere when you’re visiting the great outdoors. It’s a good habit to get into. When you are out in nature, it’s usually to get away from the business that circles our cities. There is nothing as exhilarating as finding yourself alone, in the wilderness. Therefore, it’s best to practice this rule with anything you do. Don’t leave food, trash or any other personal belongings out on the trails. And, this can’t be emphasized enough, don’t mark or graffiti the natural scenery along the trails. I’ve read complaints on different forums for things like this happening on trails such as the PCT or the Appalachian. It’s very sad to see it becoming a problem.

2) Caches Have A Logbook: When you find the cache, sign the book. Later, go to the main geocaching(dot)com website to let the owner of that swag-box know that you located the container.

3) Don’t Change The Cache Location: When you find the cache, remember, it’s the owner’s decision on where it is hidden. Do not change the cache location. Some will be harder to find than others. Some, you may think you could hide better. Unless you’re the cache owner, place the container back where you found it.

4) Take A Penny, Leave A Penny: Remember when you’d see a plate out at gas stations offering loose change that someone decided they didn’t need, and you could use it to round up your dollar on the sale; or, to not have to dig around for a nickel? Geocaching is similar, except, for every item you take, you are supposed to replace that item with a different one. When you open the cache there’s no telling what you may find. Many caches will have multiple items inside, and some may even hold value. Your job as the seeker upon opening the treasure chest is to choose one item, and then replace it, and return the container where you found it.

5) Some Items Are Not Allowed: You most definitely do not want to leave food items inside of a cache container. Even if it’s made to last a lifetime and dried. The scent will still attract wildlife and endanger them. Remember, Leave No Trace. Only use family-friendly items, and your items should fit into the ‘swag-box’ without force being required.

How To List Your Own Cache ‘Swag-Box’

To become a cache owner you must first understand what a good cache is. You can research other peoples containers or better yet, seek them out yourself and determine which ones you thought were the best.

Essentially, to hide your cache, all you need is permission from whomever manages the land you are wanting to hide your cache at.

Want a little-known fact reserved for only pro-hikers? There are multiple caches located within National Parks.

Most Importantly, Have Fun

You’re on a treasure hunt… have fun with it! Don’t forget to come back to HykLyt.com to let me know what you discovered on your geocaching adventures!

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Thanks for reading, hiker!

CoverArt by Andreasrochas

Walk A Little Slower With Morning Hike Poetry

If you know me, you’d know that for awhile I studied literature in college (amongst many other majors before ultimately deciding on sociology). I found some of the most interesting reads during that time of growth.

I remember reading Dracula, and telling my instructor that it was too cliche and that I’d like to switch my study book. So, I changed it to Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. That book introduced me to the revolutionary era of literature during the worlds industrialization phase.

The romantic period they (scholars) call it. It was during the time that books became novels and characters in the books showed feelings and thoughts of their own, instead of what the royalty in society would expect the characters to think.

It was a monstrous time in the eyes of the kingdom, but an exciting breakthrough in the eyes of the lower and middle class.

Before novels, we had poetry. Everything was written in a poetic format. The news was introduced through poetry. Messages between one another; poetry. Promises written in ink; poetry.

I try to imagine what a world full of poetry would be like, but it escapes me as I am so used to today’s forms of literature.

You may have noticed in many of my other blog posts that I’ve referenced poetry by K. Tolnoe (you’ll find her short poems at the end of most of my posts). The reason for that, is I connect so deeply with many of those one liners. It is difficult to explain but it’s almost like those single sentence or two sentence poems were written for me to discover. It has a grounding effect for me and resonates deep within.

I liked her poems so much, I supported her by buying her book, “The Wolf”. It didn’t take long for me to finish cover to cover and from time to time I revisit those pages.

I have found a sense of peace through poetry and I have learned that something I really like to do is take that poetry with me on backpacking trips and day-hikes. The reason for it? It explores thoughts and perspectives that are not my own.

I want to share some of my favorite nature poems with you here, on HykLyt. Hopefully, you’ll find a small part of yourself that you didn’t know you had.

William Wordsworth; The Most Famous Nature Poet

K. Tolnoe; My Favorite Poet

Disclaimer: There is a typo in the poem. Kamilla is from Denmark and the language barrier may be the culprit.

Walt Whitman; The America Poet

Sara Teasdale; Wartime Poet

Tupac Shakur; Legendary Hip-Hop Artist

This post was written by Evan.

The Most Dangerous Trails to Hike – Mount Rainier Edition

“If your heart is a volcano, how shall you expect flowers to bloom?”
Khalil Gibran

What an awe-inspiring view while walking up to Mt. Rainier. Wildflowers, evergreens, and snow-capped summits create an oil-painting inspiration that truly leaves an impression of beauty, but don’t let any of that fool you, it’s a facade, this hike has a dark secret, and I’m here to let you in on it.

If you’re planning to summit Mt. Rainier, I sure hope you’ve done your homework. But if you haven’t and you just plan to cram-study before taking the trip, then let me fill you in on the details.

Mt. Rainier has claimed over 400 lives, making it Americas Deadliest Hike.

While you start your climb, you’ll need to be watching for and prepared for extreme weather changes that happen very quickly. Hypothermia is one of the main killers in Mt. Rainier; though, other reports are due to broken bones (falling rocks, or the hiker falling) and burial by avalanche.

Being a high summit mountain, storms will spawn very quickly, and when they do, it’s best to find a safe space and wait it out, because these storms don’t bring your typical lightning tagalong… they bring bursts of lighting. Remember your lightning safety guidelines when the mountain is active!

Have you ever been climbing a mountain and suddenly (hopefully) woke up on the ground? This might be you if you attempt Rainier. It’s known for falling rocks, and these rocks don’t fall softly. When they break loose they create a tumbling down the mountainside, bouncing back and forth off of rock-sides. So, even if you feel like you’re out of the way, it’s possible you’re not.

Okay. I got it. rocks may fall. Once it’s passed by, you’re safe, right?

Right?!

Well, the thing is, there’s also an unpredictable volcano inside of Mt. Rainier. The greatest hazard the mountain has to offer is the lahars, which is also known as volcanic mudflow or debris flow. Areas inundated with mudflow are now densely populated and contain important infrastructure, including the highways. Lahars look and behave like flowing concrete, and they destroy or bury most manmade structures in their path. Lahars are spontaneous, so there’s no safe suggestion on when to go. Icebergs break apart and slide into the valley-base of the volcano, waiting to be released into a debris flow at another time.

The good news, Mt. Rainier hasn’t fully erupted since 1450CE

Not having erupted since 1450CE could deliver a false sense of hope. It’s actually not just Americas deadliest hike.

Due to its high probability of eruption in the near future, Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world!

It’s expected to erupt anytime now. It’s even on the “Decade Volcano” list, which is a list comprised of 16 volcanoes identified as being worthy of a particular study in light of their large, destructive eruptions and their close proximity to densely populated areas.

*Mt. Rainier can put on some really amazing shows.*

From Wiki: “On the DC route, from Paradise to Camp Muir, it takes about 5 hours at a leisurely pace. Then from Muir to the summit, using the Disappointment Cleaver (I mean, even the route names are gloomy!) route, the climb can take anywhere from 6 to 8 hours, depending on weather and your level of fitness.”

All of these things taken into consideration, I think it’s safe to say that Mt. Rainier is not to be taken lightly. This was the first of a series of “Deadliest Hikes” by HykLyt, I hope you enjoyed the read, Pro-Hikers!

The only real question: “Who’s going with me?”

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