I've heard (and remember reading) local stories of a mad man that lurks in some sort of tunnel or cave somewhere around Kettering. The kids that grow up in this area seem familiar with the stories. But... they are just stories. No one would last years while going around taking any opportunity to poke and stab and repeatedly jab an ice pick into his unfortunate prey's eyes and brains. This could just never happen. This could not be true in a place like Kettering Ohio. No one lurks in those dark places just waiting his chance to add yet another notch to the handle of his ice pick. What a bunch of dodo. No one can take this seriously. No one could ever think such rumors and stories could possibly be true. It just can't happen! Right?
I suggest that when doing this cache that you make sure to take a partner. Of course not because I think that any story of a killer Ice Pick Man could be true. You should just take a partner... that's all. Believe me... when we hid the cache we saw nothing that looked like an Ice Pick Man. We saw no killers. We saw no mad man lurking in the dark. Okay... so we did hear some spooky whispering further along our path but that... could have just been the wind. It could NOT have been THE ICE PICK MAN!!!!
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Okay... so I suspect that you all are getting tired of me putting caches in tunnels and culverts. Well this is one that we (Teri, Mark and myself) had done quite a while ago and I just never got around to getting it posted. We hid the cache then wondered if it was even possible for anyone to physically be able to get to the cache. Eartrumpet made a huge physical effort just to get the cache placed. I could not have climbed up in there. I may not have even fit up there if I could have made the climb. This is now Stage 2 and you will not have to make the climb that he did. But just look up there and see if you think you could do it. This is by far the coolest of all the tunnels we have found todate. Recently when I went to post the cache page disaster struck. The cache was too close to an existing cache. I had to get some advice on how this could work and got some very good advice from a caching pro (THANKS Web-ling)! So... this cache has become a multi. Now please don't shirk away just because it is a multi. We've made this as painless as possible as far as multis go. Rather than just going to the posted coordinates there are 3 stages along the way that take a very minimal extra amount of effort to accomplish over a traditional style cache. You will just need to gather a little info along the way so that you can get the coordinates to the final stage and sign the log
Okay... here's what you need to know.
1. You will find the best parking at: N 39° 42.317 W 084° 11.669. This parking spot will have you within a few hundred feet of Stage 1. Just a short walk down a good trail.
2. At stage 1, you're looking for a number painted in Roman Numerals. You will need to know that number to reach the final stage.
3. Once you have the number from Stage 1 you should move a head to Stage 2 (that would be inside the tunnel). You will know you are at Stage 2 when you get there. There will be a shaft that leads to the surface (that is... if it were not welded shut). This is the part of the cache that you should keep and eye not only a head of you but behind you as well (basically this is where we could hear the whispering voice). As I said... no such thing as the Ice Pick Man... but why be rash. This is also where Eartrumpet climbed up to make the original hide. The container is still there if anyone would like to have a free container that is ready to be placed elsewhere.
4. As you move a head from Stage one to Stage 2 you may notice a smaller pipe that enters the main culvert on the left side. We found it better to shine our light in that pipe before we just reached in becuase it seems that that pipe has become a virtual snake pit. Some of you have seemed to like seeing snake skins and actual snakes along your journeys. If so... then you will love this spot. The last time we checked the pipe there were no less than 6 snakes (all sizes) in there. I know nothing about snakes so I don't know what kind they were but the light seemed to help keep them far back in the pipe.
5. Okay... what else. Oh... very important. You will need to keep track of the number of blue doors that you see inside the tunnel between Stage 1 and Stage 2 (including the ones in the snake pipe). This is another number you will need to get to the Final Stage.
6. Stage 2. Okay... very important. How many rungs are there leading up that shaft?
7. That's it. You are done. Oh.. you want to log this effort and prove you could do the cache? Well then... the Final Stage coordinates are in the form: N 39° AB.C8D W 084° 11.669 where:
AB=Number represented by the Roman Numeral the first stage + 12
C=Number of rungs you saw at Stage 2.
D=Number of Blue Doors between Stage 1 and Stage 2 (including the ones in the snake pipe).
One last thing. How people accomplish this cache is up to you. You could share the coordinates to the final stage with your buds and then they won't have to go in the tunnel. That would be sad because I think this will be a fun cache to do on your own. Well I still say... take at least one person with you... it is a tunnel with some water flowing. It could be slippery. It IS dark but I'm sure that you should not need to worry about crazed killers. LOL
Since his is a multi please be careful not to give too much info in your log.
As always, have fun and be safe.