Extreme Geocaching – 5/5

Suitable for Ninjas – GC2EVT3

Difficulty: 5
Terrain: 5

“Geocaches are rated for difficulty and terrain using a 5-star scale. One is the easiest, five is the hardest. The difficulty rating covers time and effort in finding the cache (and possibly in signing the log) once at the coordinates. The terrain rating covers the physical effort of arriving at the coordinates.”
Groundspeak.com

Given that 2016 is Wales Year of Adventure, it seemed appropriate to attempt my first 5/5, the hardest possible rating for a geocache. Suitable for Ninjas has been on my geocaching bucket list for at least three years now. This cache is hidden inside a cave in the hills overlooking Rachub, a small village about half a mile away from Bethesda.

I convinced my girlfriend to come along for this one – it’s a good idea to have someone with you when you’re heading underground! The weather was windy and rainy, but we were suitably equipped and determined to see it through. We packed two torches, complete changes of clothes and even brought along a couple of towels!

By the time we reached the trailhead the rain was coming down hard and the wind was lashing it against the steep climb up to the cave. We eventually made it to the entrance and tried to work out the best approach to getting inside. I opted to lay on my front and go in sideways!

The entrance to the cave

Once inside, my girlfriend passed me the torches and our bag and crawled in after me. The slope into the cave was less steep than I expected, but the roof was lower too. Once you are in properly you can stand up easily. Despite the heavy rainfall, the water wasn’t too deep. It only reached halfway up my wellies.

We were surprised at how far back the cave goes; the previous logs and photos we had researched don’t do justice to the length! When we reached the back, we started searching for the geocache. I had the torch pointing everywhere, but couldn’t spot anything out of place.

 

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My girlfriend found the cache in the end, which was fortunate, as I don’t think I would have done. I signed the log for us and returned everything as found. We made our way back to daylight and climbed down the hill. We were glad to get changed into dry clothes and into the warm car.

Logging this one was extremely satisfying and left a smile on my face for the rest of the day. It leaves you feeling like you have really accomplished something. If you would like to attempt a 5/5 geocache, I would thoroughly recommend Suitable for Ninjas, although you might want to wait for better weather!