Lord of the Rings 11 - Shelob's Lair Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Australia
By grugthethug on 08-Jul-18. Waypoint GC7P7Y6

Time for this series to be archived - if you want to find the final then send me a message and Ill send you the clues. I'll leave the final open for a little longer to give everyone the chance to grab it.

Hi all,
In 2 week's time I will archive this series. It has had a good run but the maintenance has become too much - my placements were perhaps too risky. The clue for the final in this cache is: Shelob=3
Hopefully anyone wanting to complete the series will have enough time in the next 2 weeks - please let me know if you need more time I am happy to extend
Greg

TFTC

Geofamily number 11 today

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is the longest word in the English language. It is a medical condition, called Pneumoconiosis that is specifically caused by inhalation of very fine silicate or quartz dust. The challenge today was to find a cache with the first letter of each cache title to match each letter in this word. Why would I do this? Well, because there is a challenge of course (see GC5EWGV, Scrabble Challenge-Beckworth Beckons).
So, a LOT of planning went into this day. You see, there are 45 letters in this word alone, which meant identifying 45 different caches that I would have to find, one each starting with each of these letters, aacccccceiiiiiilllmmnnnnooooooooopprrsssstuuv. That’s 14 different letters and just for good measure, I identified a bonus cache for each letter, for when the inevitable DNFs were to happen. Which means there were now 59 caches on my list for the day, spread out from Maryknoll, to Berwick, Cranbourne, Lysterfield, Lilydale, Woori Yallock and then into the Dandenongs. I expected it to take me most of the day but in the end, because of 9 DNFs and a number of times where I had to hastily look for other options, I only finished it with minutes to spare before midnight.

The letter L requires 3 caches, which was pretty easy to identify with much of the Lord of The Ring series in Ferntree Gully not found and having to find caches in Lysterfield and Lilydale meant it looked easy to do. Except I don’t have the best history with these caches aftewr multiple DNFs in the past. I picked 3 ones I hadn’t attempted before, plus an extra bonus 4th one in case I got a DNF.

This was my first one, and my first L. I parked down the road a bit and made my way up. The coast was clear at GZ and made the easy find. One down, only 2 more to go. Too easy!

Found it with lance51 TFTC

Found it with Silence49

Having recently discovered the Lord Of The Ring series, we set aside a few hours to make a dent in the 14 geocaches required to then attempt the final. Unfortunately, we are unable to complete it in order as the CO intended, but we are having fun just the same. This cache makes 7 found, 7 to go and the last for today.

As this street is a no stopping or parking zone, geohubby dropped me off whilst he took the car around the corner. It was a relatively quick find here (luckily no Shelobs in sight), once I came at it from the right angle! I do now wish I’d climbed the stairs as the views around here are pretty spectacular. I’m just imagining these hills in a misty fog on a cold autumn’s morning.

**The Cache:** In good condition, though a little damp inside. Dried out as best I could, gathered clues, TNLNSL. Used some natural cover & replaced as found. Thanks grugthethug for this well-conceived series. Cache on.

**Find {398}**
**Date: 6 January 2021 1:15pm**

Found it. Thanks grugthethug for placing this cache.

Found your cache grugthethug, thank you so much for placing it.

More steps on my walk around. Every now and then I have to doge the rain but when the sun comes out it is lovely

Found @08:02 #7291
With blue skies at this time I was back in a familar area to pick up another of the series. A nice jog to GZ and expecting there to be a search required it was spotted in seconds. Yess... Another suitable theme location and another clue collected.
Day 43 of 365 completed.
TFTC grugthethug

Great hide glad I didn’t have to walk up all of those stairs I took a egg toy and sadly forgot to bring my pen

nice and easy find on a nice sunny day

Found

Found thanks

Another find. Thanks Grug.

I hated this. Purely because it was hot and I had to think and right when I was about to give up I found it. So I dint really hate it. It was a challenge but in plain view

Needed a cache to keep the streak going so headed over here to find one as we have enjoyed others in this series. Thanks for the cache and another clue.

GT37 is attempting her streak and so we targeted this cache to try and obtain another clue towards the completion of this series. Thanks for the cache. One step closer.

Thank you

Found at 5:38 pm.
Haven't been over to the Ferntree Gully area for quite some time so a fair few new caches had appeared so we decided to start the adventure lab at the same time. It will be great one day when the adventure labs and normal caches show in the one app!! It will save some back tracking.
After spending a while at the last cache, this was gladly a nice quick find.
Thanks grugthethug for the cache, the adventure, the hunt and the fun.

Spiffy- is back from overseas and we planned an adhoc afternoon for caching. Pretty much freestyle caching with a couple of target caches to guide us.

This one was thankfully straight forward despite the calf burn to GZ.

Thanks to grugthethug for the placement and fun.

Out for a drive with xambo4u and others, we climbed a few stairs in the sunshine. We found the spot and the cache very quickly.
Thanks grugthethug

Out and about with echidna44 and the men as support (sitting in the car) Oh no is that stairs we see. Just take them one at a time I say. What an area for views and challenging house constructions. Nice and easy as it was totally exposed. Now its now. Picked up what we needed. Thanks for the workout grug

Found

Came at it from the wrong angle, glad I didn't do this at night, too scarey.

Suscoe was up in the area today enjoying a day out caching while the Grand Final was on.
Fairly quiet streets greeted us today which was appreciated.
A cloudy day out this way but there was no rain or drizzle at all.
We enjoyed wandering the streets of this part of Melbourne.
Thanks to grugthethug for this hide, a nice spot and a quick find.

I’ve only watched the LOTR series once, and after reading the cache page, was a little apprehensive of GZ, thinking this will be a job for Steve. It really does look like a lair, and I surprised myself by going in for the retrieval.

Log signed, now off to the next one. Thank you grugthethug.

I'm pleased this wasn't way up there. Crusty K9 and I grabbed this cache this morning, adding to the clues we have towards the final. Tftc.

Arrived after an Orchid hunt in Belgrave South a little late - GJMMelb had arrived here first and had already found it when I got there... TFTC - glad we didn't find Shelob or her kin!

In the area today visiting someone at the nearby hospital. After the visit I set out to find some caches. I arranged with Quiet1_au to meet at this cache. He was running a bit late so I climbed a few stairs. This cache was a nicve easy find. Thanks grugthethug
GJMMelb

Out this morning with Jackson from CammFamThree finishing off some LOTR and MATM. This one was an easy find once at GZ. Tftc grugthethug

With the GeoSon of fisherfamfive and we were finishing off the LOTR caches to hopefully complete the final next weekend or in the future. DNFd the last one we looked for so we’d hoped to get a smiley this time. Almost straight away my comrade spotted the cache. TFTC grugthethug!

Geo kid not tempted to go in for the cache. Shelob could be in there. Ha.
Our second last in the series and we barely noticed the ascent. Skipping off to the last one before basketball duties start.

*15 Jun 2019, Found @3:17 pm, Find # 2958.*

Out picking up a few caches with SteMicMitSar and this was another one in the series that I needed to collect. As I was parking my car out the front of a house the owner returned from a walk with her dogs. She was concerned about where I was parked I assured I would be moving my car in a few minutes. True to my word I located the cache a few minutes later and left the area.

**Thanks to grugthethug for placing this cache.**

Oh no. Surely the CO would not seriously place a cache in Shelob’s lair. We were seriously hoping not to meet up with Shelob or any of her kind. Thank goodness the likely cache hide was spotted and cache was found quickly. We signed the log and replaced the cache back into its hidey hole before Shelob’s return. TFTC grugthrethug.
Chiefton.

Today I tackled the Lord of the Rings series in order (as much as possible, with two caches currently out of action), managing to find 11 of the 12 currently available hides.

With Helm's Deep out of action today I made a beeline straight from Fangorn Forest to here - yes indeed, this place is well named, a very cool location!

Entered the lair and managed to retrieve the container without encountering any gigantic eight-legged cache guardians, or having to wield my trusty blade, Sting, and so with logbook signed and clue recorded it was time to cache-skip again, bypassing the currently offline Minas Tirith and heading directly to... The Paths of the Dead...

Thanks for the cache and series, grugthethug, and for bringing me to this interesting location!

Awesome view and a nice easy find. Tftc

Awesome cashe. Great view.

Done

Oh what an interesting place this is. I just hope my car does not roll off down the hill. A steep little area with narrow streets and minimal parking. Not good without a handbrake but here I am and after a short walk up the hill I was able to find quickly which was good as the muggles abodes were way too close for my liking. The problem I have now is I am going to have to work through this series and complete it as I do not like to have unfinished series. Bit like stopping caching on an uneven number of finds. I don’t know why but I don’t like doing it......or maybe is just an excuse for one more

Thanks grugthethug for the cache.
Found at 10:36 pm on 1/4/19.
Find # 1386

Supporting an Oxfam team, had to kill some time while waiting for them to get to the next checkpoint. Great view, TFTC!

Quick find after dropping geo boy off in noronia and on my way to emerald. With mansgirl

*10 Feb 2019, Found @ 2:07 pm, Find # 8910.*

After finding my target caches for the day and while I was in the area I thought I may as well fill in the rest of the day and find a few more caches.
I had found the the first of this series a week ago so it was time to get a couple more.
I made my way up the staircase and didn’t notice the Lair as I went passed, I stared looking on the wrong side at first until I rounded the bend and entered the Lair, the cache was then found quickly.

**Thanks to grugthethug for placing this cache.**

Great spot ..nice view too

A little bit of a climb to the lair and found the container quite quickly. A few voices in the vicinity as well as some road traffic but these did not present any issues. Collected the ammo can trackable. TFTC

Great day to be out and about. No one in the vicinity to watch me in Shelob's Lair. Thanks for the cache.

Find number 6918 at 3:58:16 pm
Had some free time this afternoon and managed to grab a cache or two, maybe three
Hard to look inconspicuous here, especially for an old guy
**Thanks for placing this cache grugthethug**

---
Big things are continuing to happening in Victoria! *Are you joining in the fun?*
[**THE PARKVILLE EVENT 2018**](https://coord.info/GC75D90)
*17th & 18th November 2018 - GC75D90 - Parkville - Melbourne - Victoria*

Another one in the series done thanks

Quick easy find... Met 2 other cachers here at the same time.... TFTC

Cree. Pee. Nuff said. Well played. Done. I'm out of here. Urgh....

A cute looking little hollow. Parked at the top so not hard.

Cool lair dude!

Quick find once at GZ. All in good condition. TFTC

My friend BonnyBlack took the Challenge to go in and look for this one , whilst I stood back in anticipation . Fortunately he came out with cache in hand . Thanks grugthethug

I am pleased to say we had a dnf here, did not find Shelob that is. So we took advantage of her absence to sign the log. Thanks grugthethug

I saw the obvious spot but with a car parked within 2 metres and a muggle look I g out their window right at gz I thought the better of it

Tackled some of the LOTR series tonight. Some took some finding others a little easier but had a decent walk with a few hills and a good chat to Gunks so enjoyed the night. TFTC

Thanks GrugtheThug. Its been about 7-8 week since Trailstevo and I have been out caching as I have been away overseas. So it was nice to get back and see a new series. We had a good stomp around for a few hours and collected the clues for the final. Took photos of all the clues so I hope that makes sense later. Some great little hides and a nice variety , well done. Looking forward to getting back out and finishing the series. TFTC

Another happy IG day and with a trip to Lysterfield to get supplies for the dog I took a detour on the way home to complete the traditional placements for the LOR series and claim the IG day souvenir. tftc

I live just around the corner from this cache to the path from Helm's Deep to Shelob's Lair is one of my regular morning walking circuits. The hide is very lair-like.

Well, that was a heart-pumping walk! I knew that all these stair shortcuts were around this area but have never walked them or explored where they go...except for the Talaskia Steps of course.
Love the views from these elevated spots. I never get tired of looking at the mountain.
Cute hide location however I hope it’s not too much of an attraction for local kids who are looking for a hideout. I tried to cover the cache a bit more when I replaced it but there’s not an awful lot of decent cover to use.

I didn't like the look of this one, but having climbed the hill....
Found remarkably easy.
Tftc

After the previous cache in the series completed I soon made way over to this one. Once again I had a rather pleasurable time finding this cache. After a little bit of circling I was able to find the entrance I needed and quicker than the actual finding of that cache, the log was then signed.
With that all said and done I checked for the info I needed and continued on my way, anyways thanks for the cache and the quick little adventure.

As I was heading down the stairs towards the lair, I flipped the bird at the barking dog that was going off - must be one of Shelob's henchmen. Really cool place chosen for Shelob's Lair - you should get a job in location scouting! I'm glad no-one was passing by as my butt was sticking out of the lair. Thanks grugthethug

6:00 pm #6218
Only one way to find this one. A nice cosy place to get out of the rain too.
Cheers grugthethug

OHC was down on hands and knees burrowing in whilst I pointed the torch in a general direction to help her . Thanks

Out and about collecting all the Lord of the rings series and a couple of others in the area. great series. thanks for placing them in such a beautiful area too.

Local raking leaves 2 m from gz will try another time

Found on 22 July 2018 at 3:34:40 pm. Find #2680. Today i began my adventure on my bike and decided i would attempt doing this whole series by bike in one day.
This was the last of the uphill ride caches. The rest are downhill.
Another great cache.
Thanks for the adventure.

We found this cache today at 1:05pm as number 6 of 10 on our Lord of the Rings Lunchtime Lark. After a divert to the train station, we had skipped a couple and come to this one. A spot that we do know well, as one of our own caches is at the top of this hill. Spotted straight away and I made my way in to retrieve. Thanks from D & H B-A.

Almost dark and about to give up but checked one last place. Boom.

Found it! Well the stars aligned today so I can cache til my heart is content!! How could I go past this series! So close to home too! Doing it by car today due to time and weather! A quick find, just needed to wait for Muggle to go inside! TFTC SL

These ones on the steep roads always make me fearful that my handbrake is not going to hack it . Luckily all was fine, the cache located quickly and a few swaps left. TFTC

I didnt want to go on ther either TFTC

Date: 15 July 2018 Time: 14:11
Find #9653

Sunday, Fun Day! I was lucky enough to have a free day today, so I decided to try and clear a bit more of my 10K Zone. The winters day was cool, but the sun was out, so an amazing day. This series of 10 fit the bill as it would also get me over the line for the World Turtle in the #HiddenCreatures Promotion.

This certainly is a cool concept hide. Mowing neighbour was luckily a distance away, to enable me to make the find.

Many thanks to grugthethug for the cache. TNLN.

--- Big things are happening! *Are you joining the fun?*
[**THE**](http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC75D90)
[**PARKVILLE**](http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC75D90)
[**EVENT 2018**](http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC75D90)
*17th / 18th November 2018 – GC75D90 – Parkville – Victoria*

Still on the hunt for this neat little L o t R series and managed a nice straight forward find after checking the obvious area. Steep street but nice views. Makes me glad I am not the gas meter man walking around these parts. Thanks grugthethug for the hide.

It was time for some R&R, that's Rebel and Rossta caching time, We had our eyes on Mt Dissapointment for some time and finally all the stars aligned for a big day of caching, we had a great time doing the series and a couple of other great caches along the way. Thanks grugthethug for the cache.

omegaman1971
4061 Finds

Back in the Shire to find some hidden creatures and sign some scrolls.
Great view of hobbiton from here.

9:00am

Coming up from Helms Deep the views in this section were amazing! Those stairs had me breathing heavily, and then the short, sharp road. But then a great view! Came at Shelob from the other side and was wondering where to start when I came right around and thought - hello!

I'm glad it was light when I did this one!

TFTC grugthethug

"Local Knowledge is why I love Geocaching!"

Spent a few hours with an old caching buddy I haven't seen in a while, RebelActs and my kids on a caching run through the area. Nice day for a cache and some really nice hides. Thanks

Found with Rodeee

Found it

{FTF}
I saw that some of this series had been published over the past few days, and was pleased that there were new caches on the doorstep. As it seems with so many new caches nearby, however, I was in Queensland! I saw this one come through whilst I was at work, and assumed that the chance of a very rare FTF would have gone. I came home, ate tea, waited for the partner to get home, and with it still seemingly up for grabs I dashed off.

As I made the find after a short search the local siren went off and scared the heck out of me. As soon as I opened the cache it went off! Quite the trick grugthethug! TFTC

Published