Sitting in my dining room one afternoon with a granddaughter (geo~deej), looking at random caches and we see this one. Both of us read all the logs, there were only 26 of them, and it hadn't been found in forever! Last log was 7/3/2016!! We looked at all the photos that previous geocachers posted, and she asked in a very excited voice. "Can we do this one?". Well, who am I to disappoint, right? Fast forward a year, and FINALLY, I have set up a day to grab this cache. With work and life, I just couldn't make it happen. I mean, it's approx. 6 miles in and 6 miles out! We needed a WHOLE day! My muggle friend said she would go with me! YAY! No, I did NOT forget to invite said granddaughter, who invited another granddaughter (han~geo). Throw in 2 more muggle friends, and we have a party of 6! It was going to be perfect weather, mid 70s and slight breeze. I was so excited. Yeah, no. Not a cloud in the sky and mid to high 80s. Reschedule? No, we can do this! So, we set out. We got some water and some snacks, and a little more water. My Muggles tried a short cut that fell through, which was fine with me, because I am hard core and wanted the WHOLE experience. First thing I (we) realize is that this basalt rock is like nothing any of us have walked on before. It is deep and it moves when you step down, so twisted ankles were kind of a concern. Plus, the straight stretches went on FOREVER, and the curves were never ending! It was getting warmer as the day grew on, and by the time we were an hour in, the sun was blazing down on us. The wildlife didn't seem to mind the heat at all. We saw deer, owl (aren't they supposed to sleep during the day?), a fledgling owl in it's nest, fledgling crows, red tailed hawks, a multitude of swallows and my first rattlesnake! I have to say, that walking through railroad relics was amazing. It was so peaceful and quiet. And did I mention, it was hot out? Thank gosh I wore a cap. Finally, the trestle comes into view, still a long ways off mind you. We get there, and it's absolutely gorgeous. We find the cache, sign the log and rest for a short time, and we head back to have a quick snack in the shade of a deep cut. At this point we realize we should have brought more water. ALOT more water!We look at each other, and we start our trek back. At about the midway point, we were hot, tired, and getting to the cranky stage, and even I was for looking for a short cut back. As we got parallel to the highway, there it is. a TRAIL through the field! Oh my gosh! Now my fear is that yet ANOTHER farmer will come tell us to get off of his property, so we made some haste. Once we got on the road, it soon became clear, that even though it was much easier walking on the pavement, it wasn't any cooler. A couple cars passed us , giving us a wide berth. I'm sure we looked a sight. Pretty soon, we hear a motorcycle coming up behind us. Lo and behold, they stop. After some small talk, and explaining what we are doing in the middle of absolutely nowhere, this wife looks at her husband and says "Oh, Honey! Leave me here with the girls and take this lady to her truck so they can get home and cool off!" We still had 2 miles to go, so we were all very happy to just sit and wait! Plus! They shared some nice cold water with us. We grabbed a selfie with them, said our thankyous and goodbyes, and a very tired group of 6 girls hopped in the truck. Now to drive the hour+ home. We were hot, tired, sore and hungry. Thank you, CO, for placing this cache. At 58 (and a tad bit out of shape), I did it , and I'm gonna toot my own horn just a little bit. And thank you also, to my 2 granddaughters and my 3 muggle friends for adventuring with me. They have since said that they will be asking me the difficulty rating before they agree to accompany me on any more of my outings.......but one of them answered back "C'mon, we just did a D5T5!!! Anything after that is CAKE!!!"
So! If you're anywhere near Benge, Washington. And you feel like an adventure, or just want to experience YOUR next D5T5. Take "A Walk To Ankeny's Iron Horse"! Just remember to take some things in case the weatherman decides to trick you. Sunscreen. Water. Snacks. Better shoes. Water. OH! And more WATER!!!!
***May, 28, 2018*** and might I add that this cache has only been found 2 times since we found it. Once in 2019 and once in 2022!!
