TOP on HOP Broke, Western Australia, Australia
By Goody OZ (Helped by johnroen) on 07-Nov-14. Waypoint GC5GDXZ

Cheers guys, great fun!

Hey guys, glad there are still a few intrepid travellers going for this one. We went back and maintained it again last year after Unicorns said it was stuck shut. Hopefully the new container is holding up ok.It's definitely becoming harder and harder to find any clear trail to from the campsite but with a bit of bush bashing it's still doable as noted. We will be down there in a few months it's definitely a beautiful area.Good luck to all.

Ever since this cache was published we have had it in the back of our minds that we must do it one day. Although we were staying at Walpole for a few days, we had no intention of doing it on this trip, mainly due to me having a couple of medical issues recently hence becoming totally unfit But after a visit to the Deep River Bridge yesterday afternoon we left with a plan of what we needed for our hike to Mt.Hopkins.Come morning we came prepared with appropriate attire, drinks & snacks to keep us going. The walk was amazing - well it started off amazing, walking through the lovely bushland well known in these parts .. But somewhere along the way that seemed to disappear & the sandy tracks lead us the way, occasionally showing us glimpses of our target to keep us motivated We made to the Peppermints camp, & thats probably when we started to wonder what we had got ourselves into? However it was nothing we havent encountered before so we continued on, finding the little bridge hidden amongst the long reeds, although it is not like previous images show. Up we went, getting sidetracked along the way despite our various pieces of technology that should have been guiding us to the top We managed to make our way along barely discernible or non existent trails and the many types of spiky bushes encountered were relentless. I nearly gave up at some point despite only having around 600m to go It was lucky we stopped here for a breather as it gave us the extra oomph to get through the worst prickly shit that seems to only thrive in bushfire affected areas Again the terrain changed & we found ourselves pushing through more bushes losing each other, mostly peppermints with a few nasties thrown in to keep me swearing loud enough for the whole of Walpole to hear! Somewhere around here was the boot cleaning station, although I'm sure that it will never been found by anyone but geocachers as all that remains is the steel lid thing. We would have loved to have a break here but the bush was too thick & we just kept on pushing through From that point, we could mostly follow what remained of the old trail as we could see the erosion from the old track. We needed to climb over lots of fallen logs and then we had one final push through some more spiky bushes before landing our feet on the rocks. By now I was not feeling the best but we continued on up the rock following the arrow and the little rock cairns. I think we must have lost our minds at the base of the boulders as we started searching around our GZ but nowhere near the "TOP".We came to our senses eventually & headed on up through the big crevice where again we made our way up to search. As I began climbing, I encountered a snake in a crevice that had me racing back down whilst Jase searched "UP TOP". Having no luck we realised that perhaps we needed to be over there so Jase made his way down past the snake that was still there & found a way around to the top. I made it up with a few hiccups but he was there waiting with the prize that really wasn't that hard after all Upon opening the log we found that this one had been found sometime last year presumably by a muggle & we added our names after theirs before finding our way down to some flatter ground for a well earned break. Im not sure we can say TFTC, but maybe we will once our wounds heal After a good rest at the top it was back to where we came from - The trip back was a lot better, perhaps because we had made a trail on the way in & we just pushed on through only stopping for a couple of drink breaks, before finally making it back to the car for an ice cold bevy waiting in our fridge.Cheers Goody OZ

Whilst I found the cache- I was unable to sign it because the lid s totally stuck on tight. Pic attached of me and cache. Cache in great condition aside from not being able to open it!
Amazing amazing solo hike to the top today. Thoroughly enjoyed myself. Amazing!!

A Southwest escape again with Barnzy12 starting in Perth heading to Margaret river via Dunsborough yallingup and down the coast road.

Day two had us visiting Augusta to Pemberton with a great drive through heartbreak track with stunning Karri Forrest.

Day three was spend visiting Windy Harbour ... living up to its name and then through to Walpole where an epic walk up GC18W4D fire lookout ended the day.

Day four was to be spent walking through Walpole-Nornalup National Park to complete the Hop on Top walk and series of 7 geocaches. A great walk spend with a team of others.
The day ended with a huge drive back to Perth ready for a day of work on Monday.

During the 4 day adventure plenty of caches found around 90 with a good range of types and container sizes. Some great photos and memories to take away.

Well this walk was Epic and the views from the top outstanding and worth the effort to get there for this reason a FAV POINT. The photos don’t do it justice however a few added anyway

Goody OZ I found your cache TOP on HOP thanks for placing this hide for myself and others to find.

Have you logged your will attend for WAGB18? Dunsborough is where it’s all at this year check it out at GC7GXQA October 13th + 14th.

Was glad a spot in a group trek out to collect the caches along this part of the Bib and Nuyts Wilderness trail was offered to me a little while ago. There was once a time I would have done this on my own but its more fun in a group. Picked up Richlink on my way through Denmark and met up with Pood, Cravo, and Barnzy at the bridge and made our way in.

Conditions were perfect and only saw one snake on the way out. I had heard of the reaction Richlink has when one is near and the description was spot on. It was how I picture myself when I usually see one.

We were finally on the last leg on the way up and it made for some great photos before we even made it to the top. I recall seeing this when it was first published and considered doing it solo. Caching is much better in a group.

Made it to the base of the 'top' and scrambled up through the gap. A little bit more scrambling and the cache was soon, and easily, found. A few celebratory photos as it was a massive 19000th find for Richlink. Well done!! Took in the views for a bit, used the mobile phone signal and started our way back down.

No more snakes to be seen but picked up a blister on each heel.

Thanks for placing this cache here Goody OZ.

Cheers

MCFonz

Wow - what a adventurous day this has set out to be.
Camping overnight at Greenbushes Pool on the way down to Walpole, then meeting up with the awesome crew, Richlink, Barnzy, Cravo and McFonz at the top of the trail in the early hours of this morning. Very fortunate for the cool weather for the start of the day, but covered up to keep the March (marsh) flies at bay. Heading off we found the first cache, signed the log and headed onwards. Number two signed and logged, then up to the wash down station. Only seeing one slithery on the tracks. Heading down the widened tracks as DPAW are getting ready for the Ariel Burning off soon. We took our turn towards Thompson's Camp and came across a lonely tent, presumably they had gone down to the coast for the day. Crossed the fresh running creek and with cache found and signed we sat down and had a snack and drink before heading off up the steep incline. With thick bush tracks we only had 197m to go but it was 1m across and 1m up for that part of the trek. Arrived at Mt Hopkins and read and re-read the notes making sure we got all the clues and around the back, BINGO, cache in hand with wonderful views from 'On Top of the World'
A Huge Congrats to Richlink for finding their 19 000 cache up here.
Had lunch under the shade of the huge overhanging rock then headed back to the cars,
Thanks heaps for a great day out in the company of an awesome Crew.
TFTC

Yipee - 19000th find!!!!! The team (richlink, pood, cravo10, barnsy12 and MCFonz) met in the carpark at 7am for the assault on the Nuyts Wilderness Trek to Mt Hopkins. This trek was a couple of weeks in the planning and we couldn't have picked a more perfect day for it. With temperature in the low 20's and a gentle breeze blowing, the conditions were ideal. At times the terrain was testing in trying to negotiate through thick scrub only to eventually realise there was a goat track only a mt away that would have made the ascent a little easier - but still we knew what we were in for and its all part of the adventure. MCFonz spotted a snake only a mt away from us at one point - anyone who knows me knows I am petrified of them but it resulted in a power boost for me to sprint up the incline and leave MCFonz to fend for himself! All in all a great day with many memorable moments of amazing scenery and laughs. So happy to have completed the return trek in a leisurely 6.5 hours. Thanks to jinta, kyzabra, granett, krabiboy and AlliedOz for the caches placed along to the prize of Hop on Top

Day 4 of our 4-day Southwest caching trip and the day we've been waiting for all trip, the group attempt on the TOP on HOP cache in Walpole.

We met at the parking waypoint for WA Explorers Nuyts at 7am with fellow cachers Richlinks, McFonz and Pood.

We set off under the beautiful canopy that nature had created following the Bibb track until the track opened up to what is probably a rarely used DPAW car access. Continuing along the slightly sandy track we made our way to the Thompsons Cove Turnoff.

We found the camp and decided to have a snack break nearby, the vegetation from the Thompsons Cove turnoff made the track a bit of a goat track in reality, with us losing the trail at times but still in the right direction.

Continuing up the trail we managed to see our eventual goal up and close. Clambering up the rocks to the final assent for the cache was a bit challenging given how steep the track is.

McFonz managed to make a relatively quick find of the cache after clambering through the gap between the rocks with all the wood and wire in it and then further around and ontop of another rock which has great views of the surrounding areas.

We posed for a few photos for richlinks 19,000th find and took some more photos of the great scenery around the area before climbing down to have a bite of lunch and a rest before the return journey!

Thanks to GoodyOZ for a brilliant cache, well worth the effort required to get to. A special mention to Jinta29, AlliedOz, Granett, Kyzabra and KrabiBoy for placing caches along the way to break up the journey and highlight the route required. Add fav for all caches on the trail.

All up a big days caching with 6.5hrs on the trail, including 20 minutes for lunch and a couple of snack breaks, took advantage of the very fresh water in the stream near the campsite. Now for the 4hour drive back to Perth.

Loved this cache. Left at 5am, got to the top of Mt Hopkins by 8am. Because I was hiking solo and in mid summer, I came prepared. Made phone calls from the top, had something to eat and searched for the actual cache for over an hour. Couldn't find the little blighter, still the best thing about this cache was the travel. Thanks for the adventure, I loved it.

Found

Wow, this was a really great experience getting here! Mt. Hopkins seemed to be so far away when we first spotted it and now we were standing on the base of it. Just a final climbing effort to reach the TOP (or at least the cache location near the very top). Time to enjoy the landscape around and the scenic view from there. Despite of some darker clouds coming over the ocean we decided to also visit Thompson's Cove for a refreshing swim in the Southern Ocean. Good opportunity to examine all the scratches on our legs and arms. But this day-long hike was well worth all the efforts - thanks!

Great location

Found this one along with Copilots, whom I met while camping at Thompson Cove.

It took us a long time to find the cache with much climbing and rock-hopping, and I'm so glad we didn't give up. While up on the rocks we enjoyed amazing views and changes in the weather. At first it was misty and rainy, but then the sun came out from behind clouds and lit up the hills and valleys and we could see all the way down the coast towards Conspicuous Beach.

This is a very special part of the world, and I will be back sometime soon!

Sharp. Spiky. These are the two words to describe most of the flora along the way. If you have any doubt about what to wear whilst heading out to this spectacular cache, plate steel armour would be our suggestion

It was a beautiful hike down into the valleys and over the ridges, through shrubbery that would swallow up the hiker in front of you without second thought. Glimpses of the peak taunting you from just beyond the next ridge.

We got to the boot cleaning station with much relief, cleaned and scrubbed.

After making it to the base of the large boulders that we'd been spying from a distance we spent quite some time exploring the cracks and crevices to no avail.

eventually we made it around to the correct side of the formation and up on top of the rocks.

Breathtaking. Spectacular.

We must have spent about an hour up on top, soaking in the views and picking out all the other points of interest in the area. After utilizing phone signal to check in with all our loved ones, we all signed the log and headed back down before the chill set in.

The trek back to the campsite was a lot faster than the trek up, and upon return to the camp, Lady Pilot had a nap whilst our hiking companion packed up and headed on her way down to Long Point.

The rest of the day was spent exploring the cove and enjoying the evening before the next day's hike back to the car.

Thanks for the Adventure.

After an early 4am wake up and a long trek maccasreps and I arrived at 9am to tackle this challenge. The first leg of the journey was an easy one but once we got the campsite it got pretty tough. We're currently sitting on top of my Hopkins atm taking a well deserved break and will update the log once home, Tftc! Truly an amazing cache and view!

Well, I don't really know where to start when talking about this cache! Ever since Kyzabra, jinta29, KrabiBoy, AlliedOz and Granett had found the cache and posted about it in the group, I had been intrigued. For some reason I never realised until about two weeks ago that they each added a cache along the trail, and that FTF was still up for grabs for all of them. That was all I needed to know to begin planning a day trip down to get the cache and collect some FTF's along the way. Unfortunately, it was found just shortly after that by Team Red Roo, yet they happened to miss one of the new caches so there was still hope! Regardless, I do love a geocache that involves a bit of adventure -so would have done the cache anyway- and this was easily the greatest adventure I have ever had trying to get a smilie.

A friend (ossie43) was also very keen, once I had told him about the cache. We were just a little unsure about the road conditions getting there. Luckily, we ran into Granett out and about geocaching and he relieved our worries about a lack of a 4WD. With that knowledge, we decided to tackle this one together. We actually planned to go last week, but unfortunately I failed miserably at waking up at 4am. This was the last week before uni goes back, so I wasn't sleeping in a second time! So upon successfully waking up I picked up ossie43 at the ripe time of 4:30am and off we went!

The journey there was uneventful until it came to turning off SWH. We initially drove past the parking, until we realised we had gone too far and headed back. Once at the right spot we were off!

The first leg of the journey -to the Thompson Cove campsite- was easy enough, with a clearly marked trail. The ~7km trip there was nicely broken up by 3 of the caches placed by Kyzabra, jinta29, KrabiBoy, AlliedOz and Granett. Along the way, we came across a kangaroo and lots of empty spiderwebs, but luckily no snakes. Our only rest stop was at the first boot cleaning station. We cleaned our shoes, had something to drink and carried on.

We arrived at the Thompson Cove campsite after about an hour and a half. Once there we stopped and had a drink and then pushed on. But the question was which path? There were two paths directly from the campsite -one lead to Thompson Cove- so we took the other one which headed down. The path seemed to head in the direction of the next cache. However, after awkwardly clambering down the slope we realised we must have taken the wrong path, with no way across the stream and the bush being extremely dense on the other side. So we somehow got back up the steep slope to campsite, and found another path right next to the one we entered the campsite from...our bad!

Once we had found the right path to cross the stream we stopped to find the next cache. After that we started to head up, realising that things were about to get interesting. Once out of the really steep climb from the cache and the dense trees, we struggled to find an obvious "path". From then on it became a case of us constantly losing the "path", bush bashing it and then finding what we hoped was the right "path". At this point the cache at the second boot cleaning station was extremely helpful in showing us the right general direction we needed to be heading. Eventually we somehow got to there, cleaned our shoes, found the cache, signed the blank log (yay!) and headed off for the finally push up the mount.

[Log continued as apparently there is a character limit]

From there the way to go became obvious enough, with rock markers to guide us. The challenge was clambering up some of the rocks. Once we reached the base of the final rocks we were a bit unsure of which way to head round to get the cache. We decided on one way and ended up going clambering up between gap. It then became a matter of finding the cache. We determined what side it was on and headed up and soon ossie43 had the cache in hand. I have never felt such a sense of accomplishment when signing a log as I did then. We sat up there and had our lunch and relaxed, whilst enjoying the stunning 360 degree views. We must have spent a good half an hour to 45 minutes up there, just taking in the views.

Eventually we decided we should probably head back, for fear of our legs no longer working due to sudden inactivity! So we headed back down to the boot cleaning station, cleaned or shoes and had a drink. Then we pushed on, this time only losing the "path" once. Eventually making our way back to the campsite, where we stopped for a drink. We were too buggered to head on down to Thompson Cove, so we just pushed on. The walk from the camp back was easy enough, stopping just once at the first boot cleaning station.

The hike took about 6 hours to do (including our stop on the top). Adventures like this are what attracted me to geocaching in the first place and I don't think I will ever forget this one! It was definitely worth the 800km round trip; I intend to come back one day to check out Thompson Cove and actually camp. I cannot thank you enough for placing this cache. I would never have known about (or visited) this place if it weren't for this cache, which to me is the very essence of geocaching. I would give it more than one favourite if I could. Thanks for the awesome adventure, view and cache that I shall never forget!

On Saturday, 28th November, 2015, Granett, Kyzabra, jinta29, AlliedOz and Krabiboy made a successful trip to find GC5GDXZ - TOP on HOP. I was invited but declined and stayed in camp - I was just coming out of what appears to be a bulging disc (or two) which caused serious leg and back pain and other problems.

That was then and this is now! After a failed attempt on Saturday which found me walking the wrong way (and enjoying it) I decided to make another attempt today which has succeeded in a find this time. Saturdays walk totaled just under 22kms and today's was just over 18kms (both measured from the Deep River Trailhead).

This is a cache that I needed for my D/T grid so was a must. The day began by leaving the Trailhead at about 7.30am and an hour later I was at the 1st boot cleaning station and an hour later still I was at the Thompson Cove Campsite taking a well deserved rest. After a short break I headed off again eventuall finding the right track on the 'other side' and began the trek towards Mt Hopkins. More by luck I continued to walk the correct track and eventually I came to the 2nd boot cleaning station. At this stage I never checked my GPS so did not realise there was a cache there, so the first to find on that cache is still up for grabs.
After a short break I continued without problem, following first the track and then a series of small cairns until I came to the top. It did take a little while to get over the views there, so after several photos I went hunting for the cache. I duly found and signed it - the container and log are both in good condition though I noted a small amount of water inside which I dried out as best I could. After replacing the container I took the required photos (as proof of my visit?) and retired to the open space 'out back' for lunch before the return journey.
The return trip was unexciting though I did come across 1 snake (dugite?? and about 60cms long) sunning itself on the track. It soon decided that I was bigger so left quickly (and so did I). The track was relatively easy to follow back to the camp area only losing it once or twice, but finding it again quickly (how good are breadcrumb trails on the GPS?). Once at the campsite I stopped again for a break and some refreshments before beginning the last part of the return trip.
That was also without note other than to say that I did this trip solo wearing shorts (a big mistake) and with just under two liters of water. Trousers would have been far better, and perhaps saved the many scratches and nicks to my lower legs and 3 litres of water would have been better (I could have dropped a liter off somewhere for the return trip).
The only dissapointment for both trips was to miss the cache at the second boot cleaning station, however it one that I won't be coming back for soon - I'll leave the first find for another hunter (unless I can get a helicopter to fly me in).
Thanks to Goody Oz for the cache and the exhilarating walks that I've done for this cache.

Fantastic effort gents. I loved reading about your adventure. Congratulations

After Granett's previous attempt at this one, the seed was sown for a serious assault on this mount , the team consisted of myself, Granett, Kyzabra, AlliedOz and Krabiboy. We all made some preparations and thought we had made all of the necessary arrangements.
We camped at Crystal Springs and headed away early in the morning full of anticipation for what lay ahead.
After about 20 minutes the light hearted banter stopped with the first (short) ascent of the day and we all quietly wondered what on earth was to come . We made our way to the first boot cleaning station and had a bite to eat and some discussion ensued about how far we had travelled with some devices differing by up to one kilometer. Various reasonings for the variances were a topic of discussion and it was agreed that we would not expand on that conversation here (but it did involve large bodies of mass affecting the gravitational pull...or something like that ).
We carried on and made our way firstly to the Thompson Cove campsite and then the hard stuff started. The trail really does run out here and it was lucky that my GPSR had a trail marked that we could follow. I think it would be VERY hard going without this trail as the five of us were sometimes not able to see that track at all.
The waist and shoulder high scrub was not too difficult to push through but did slow us down somewhat...
At the second boot cleaning station excitement started to build and Granett exclaimed at the top of his voice that we were '196 metres from GLORY!!'[:0]. We stopped here and prepared ourselves for the last push through the scrub and were absolutely elated when we finally made it to the top and were rewarded with not only a cache but some of the best views I have found!! FANTASTIC.
We congratulated each other on the find and stayed up on top for about 45 minutes admiring the views and recovering for the walk back.

This truly is not a walk for the inexperienced or those that are on a time limit. The round trip took us 7 hours including much needed rest breaks and discussion on which trails to take.

A fave point for sureand a truly epic WA cache. Thanks for placing this, I really had a blast.

Well, this has definitely been a work in progress to get us all here today.
Back at the start of the year, Granett made an assault on this cache only to fall frustratingly short. Not to be put off, he was determined to return.
But this time, he rallied the troops. Myself, Jinta29, AlliedOz and Krabiboy joined the foray.
We decided a weekend away at the nearby Crystal Springs campsite was in order. And with varying work commitments, we made our way down from the Thursday until AlliedOz and I turning up at 4.00am on the Saturday morning. We hoped to catch some zzzzzzs before heading off. DIDNT HAPPEN !!!
So with positive spirits, and full camelbaks, we headed of to our designated parking spot.
The first hour and half walking or so was very pleasant. We shared stories, took the mickey out of each other, and generaly do what blokes do when walking in the bush.
Granett had a few of his previous waypoints loaded so we were quite excited as we passed each of the minor targets.
A rest at the boot cleaning station on the trail in, a museli bar, and we were off again.
The turn off to Thompsons Cove signalled the start of it getting interesting. We descended to the campground, another breather and we headed off. Over the creek crossing for potentially our first wrong turn. That rectified, we continued onwards and upwards. IS THERE REALLY A TRAIL THERE ?? Came from Allied Oz
This is where the terrain and the overgrowth really starts to get interesting. Not to hard to get through, but losing and picking up the path was a challenge at times.
We had a target, the waypoint for the hidden boot cleaning station. Granett was up ahead when I heard a "YOU BEAUTY !!!" we have made it to this one. This was our major goal as Granett didn't find it this time, and we knew we were less than 200metres from the prize.
After another break, and congratulations, we continued onwards and upwards.
Krabiboy was a bit excited as we passed a snake on the way up, he gladly posed and we continued again.
Upon reaching the summit, we split in half and went around either side of the rocks. Unfortunately, Granett and I chose poorly and after wandering back around, it was Jinta29 calling us to say they had it !!!

Much jubilation, congratulations and excitement to finally have this cache in our hands. Signing duties taken care of, we decided to take in the scenery and serenity for half and hour, refresh and revitalize, before making our way back. Which by the way, seemed a WHOLE LOT eaiser on the navigation, but a bit harder on the legs !!!
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As has been previously stated, this is not for the faint hearted or ill prepared. 7 hours and close to 18km round trip. Make sure you take plenty of water, at least one buddy, and let people know where you are. Check in from the top, there is good coverage up there.
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A fav point from me for this tuly epic cache and now I can say......"Been there, Done That"
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Have you logged your WILL ATTEND for WA GOES BIG in 2016 ?
I have and am looking forward to seeing as many of you in Pinjarra on the WA Day long weekend.
Log you will attend at GC5YAGP
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Goody OZ - Kyzabra found your cache TOP on HOP on 28/11/2015, 10:59 AM. This is my find #4522 and find #3 today. The cache is in good shape and we replaced it as found. Thanks for placing this and bringing us to this spot!

A few months back, Granett mentioned that he wanted to try and tackle Top On Hop again. That was all the invitation we needed, and the plans started from there.

jinta29 and I headed down a day early to make the most of the trip and collect lots of smilies and old caches.

This one was the one we were aiming for.

What an incredible adventure...where to start the log. We parked up and set off on foot at 7.22am ready for the long walk. We found a cache at the start of the Nuyts trail, and then continued on through the beautiful Karri forest. Before long we made it out of the Karri forest and into the open scrub, following the Bibbulmun trail for a few kilometres before taking a break at the boot cleaning station. With clean boots, we set off again for the campsite near Thomson's Cove. We soon came across a hill with our first glimpse of the ocean. Spirits still high, we began the descent into the campsite and decided to press on. We explored a dead end for about 10 minutes before heading back and finding the correct trail (didnt look much like a trail though). We kept to the ridge and luckily jinta29 managed to find a track on the gps that looked like it could take us towards the mountain in the distance. For about an hour we followed the trail, picking it up and losing it many times but eventually the second boot cleaning station was met with cheer. Embracing our inner mountain goats, we headed on up the side of the mountain and followed the trail of cairns towards the top. A friendly dugite showed his face as we neared the top level. We scrambled between the massive boulders and found our way to the back and after a few false moves, eventually we all had made it to the top!!! Granett took great pleasure in opening the long-awaited cache and we added our names to the very short list of finders. After spending a good 45 minutes atop the mountain we decided to begin our long trek back to the car and to the swags back at camp. The return trip seemed to take forever, and the desire to sit and rest our legs won over for a few minutes at the campsite on the way back. Eventually we made it back to the Karri Forest, across the bridge and back to the car roughly 7 hours after we set off.

This is without doubt, my greatest geo-achievement to date. A massive effort from the guys today, and everybody made it home safely with no issues. Thanks to Kyzabra, Jinta29, AlliedOz and of course Granett for the assistance in making it to this epic smilie.

A huge thanks goes to Goody Oz, as without placing the cache, we would never have even considered scaling Mount Hopkins.

It goes without saying, a definite favourite point from me (I'd give more than one if I could).

TFTC Goody OZ

Goody OZ, I found your cache TOP on HOP on 28/11/2015, 10:32 AM. This is my find #2016 and #2 today.

Well what can I say, absolutely stoked to claim a smiley here nearly a year after my failed FTF attempt. And a mini milestone to boot, find number 2500.

A few weeks ago a plan was hatched for a group assault with AlliedOz, jinta29, KrabiBoy and Kyzabra. I had made them well aware of my torment last time and to prepare themselves for some difficult terrain. We all headed down on Friday and camped at the nearby Crystal Springs campsite ready for an early morning start.

At 7:20am we parked up at the beginning of the trail near 'WA Explorers - Nuyts' and began the long walk to Thompson Cove. Thankfully it was a fairly mild morning and the scenery along the way was again quite varied, albeit interspersed with the odd bit of shenanigans that must be expected from such a motley crew. About 90 minutes later we descended into the secluded campsite at Thomson Cove and I again reminded my companions that this is where it gets interesting as they were a little blahzay in my opinion to this point.

We crossed the little creek and after a few minutes found the trail up the hill. Fortunately we had a waypoint for the boot cleaning station that we could aim for this time and after losing the trail a few times we eventually found it. As it turns out the point I turned back last time was 84 meters to the south west from this boot cleaning station, so close but so far.

This was quite an exhilarating moment for me as I knew we were not far from the summit. We took a few moments to catch our breath before pressing on again. A short time later we were at the base of the rocks with GZ no more than twenty meters away albeit at a slightly different elevation.

This is where the group split up a bit in search of the best route to the top. In the end I was the last to arrive but was very grateful that the others had left the cache in situ for me to do the honours. I took a moment to compose myself and carefully extracted the container before holding it aloft in one hand and performing a few emotional fist pumps with the other.

This has to be one of the most treasured moments in my life and I feel so privileged to be atop this summit with some genuine real blokes. Something that I had never dreamed of prior to geocaching.

We stayed quite a while taking in the views and patting each other on the back. As a bonus our phones came to life so we were able to message our loved ones and post the odd selfie on social media and what-not. . Eventually we had to leave and make the long trip back to the car.

The return journey was made much easier by following the track trail on our devices and we were soon back at the Thompson Cove campsite where we had another rest stop and I managed to woof down some cheese and vegimite sandwiches. The walk back along the main track seemed longer for me, maybe due to the screaming knees on the downhill bits and the ever increasing chaffing activity going on down there.

To help others we have placed a couple of caches along the way which should prove to be handy waypoints. All the same this journey is not for the faint hearted, you need to be well prepared with a proper action plan. Look at maps, gather waypoints, tell someone where your going, take plenty of water and take into account the weather conditions.

Writing this log a day and half later the knees are still sobbing a little and the chaffing will be annoying at work tomorrow but the heart is full of gratitude for my 'geobuddies' and to Goody OZ (Helped by johnroen) for placing this cache and the welcome feedback over the last year.

Awarding my biggest favourite on this one.

Goody OZ I found your cache at 11:00am, this was the 1st of 2 finds for me today and brings my total find count to 2500. The cache was in good order and I replaced it as found.

SLTFTC

Pt 2
Thanks to Granett, Krabiboy, jinta29 & Kyzabra for all the laughs and support on doing this amazing cache.

Granett great idea to tackle this one!

Huge thanks to Goody OZ and johnroen for this cache placement, your sense of adventure and letting us share in it.

One fav point seems unfair but it is all the system will allow me to give.

For future finders

Things you need to consider for this cache

[8] Water, I took 2.5ltrs and had more back at the car for when I had finished.
[8]Long pants are a must and long sleeves will help get you through the thick stuff.
[8]Take a mate or two.
[8]Start early.
[8]Food and snacks, not soggy ham and cheese sandwiches right Krabiboy?
[8]Maps and research.
[8]Respect the bush, we bashed at times but there is a trail and we stuck to it as well as we could
[8]Make use of the boot cleaning stations following the instructions.
[8]A camera even tho the photos will not do the view and feeling of this cache justice.
[8]Do it! As it is a hike and find you will never forget.

TFTC
AlliedOz aka The Jokers

Wow what a view what a cache what a journey.

My partners for this adventure were Granett, Krabiboy, jinta29 & Kyzabra.

This idea started back after a previous boys caching trip in September, after that trips event “BYO Marshmallows” we decided another trip was needed in the not too distant future, but this time had to be something a little different than the power trail we had done.

It was not long at all before Granett put forward this cache as a potential candidate, his own personal white whale maybe I just now reread the chat channel when Granett posted the GC code suggesting we made this our next project, we all replied within an hour with a thumbs up to tackle this beast. Maybe next time I’ll actually read the cache description before so readily agreeing to follow these crazy blokes. [xx(]

Before you knew it the day had arrived and Kyzabra and I left Perth just before midnight to meet up with the others who had started down south some time before us to cache on the way. We arrived with a couple of hours before dawn and tried to grab some much needed Zs in the car before the big day ahead… *Fail* [B)]

After that we ate a bit of breakfast and set up our bedding, as we thought there was a good chance we would not want to do much after the day ahead.

Struck out from the parking bay a bit before 7:30 am not really knowing what the day held in front as I had recently hurt my leg and was not sure how it was going to hold up. The walk along the Bibbulmun trail was fine and the soft sand tested it somewhat but I just kept it at a pace that felt comfortable without holding anyone else up too much.

At one of Granetts previous way points we spotted our goal off in the distance, #$$#@ that was a long way away.. No I’m serious it was a speck in the distance and considering how far we had walked, how could it not be closer

Once we made it to the Thompson Bay camp it started to get really interesting as the terrain kicked it up a notch or five, much to my delight the leg was doing OK, if at times reminding me with a jolt to watch my footing.
A slight course correction, came back up from the camp in the valley and followed the trail.. [?]Ok calling it a trail is being generous, but some broken branches and jinta29s trail maps helped heaps.

As we got closer and closer the prickly scrub went from low to medium to over our heads and back again, now and then we would lose the trail, stop and spread out only to find it again, eventually.

A rest at the worlds best hidden boot station before striking out again up a steep hill covered in bush.
At last we where only a couple of hundred meters away, a dugite sunning himself on a flat rock joined in our enthusiasm, as we kept a respectable distance but admired him all the same.

As we made it to the base Kyzabra split to the right as the bulk went left, after calling out he joined up around the back, only to then decide he was on the right track and headed back around the front for a right hand side assault taking Granett with him.

I kept moving around and before long I heard a Yell from jinta29 as he made the discovery, with some directions I weaved through the last of the scrub barrier and scrambled up the rocks forgetting my leg and joining Krabiboy and jinta29 in a bit of a happy dance and hi-5s all around.

We rested while Kyzabra and Granett rounded the rock once again and followed our gentle coaxing remarks to the GZ.

Views were drunk in, photos taken, Logs signed, Pathtags and Extagz dropped off, periscope broadcasts were done and snacks consumed as we enjoyed this amazing cache placement and the journey.

After a well deserved rest we headed back down, past the same dugite and followed the trail on our GPSs. The trip back was faster than getting there but near the end knees and legs were feeling the days hike.
Back at camp we rested for a bit, then some napped and others drove into Walpole for some more caches! Ahh hell no!

Granett and Co - So glad you found this! Unbelievably johnroen and I were there with a couple of others the previous week to check on it (Friday 20 Nov and again Saturday 21 Nov) so we almost crossed paths.
More incredibly - you were still effectively 2nd to find even after almost a year between the failed attempt and now (we'll discount the muggle who was officially FTF).

I hope we can meet up one day and talk about it in more detail - it was lot of effort to get this approved by Geocaching WA and we've had a fair bit of scrutiny from DPAW as well but I truly think it is a great location and glad to share it. It's my first cache so hopefully have set the bar high.

A point for next person attempting the cache - I noticed that both the pencil and small biro I had left in the cache are gone - I imagine either the muggle or Ozcrawf inadvertently took them (probably whilst delirious from the hike). If anyone is heading in in the next few months would be great if you could replace the pencil for me.

This should definitely be a D5 how else are we to get our souvenirs this is on my list just for the view, now if only I can rope some gullible person in .

This entry was edited by Rach2 on Monday, 24 August 2015 at 10:22:31 UTC.

Hi, In response to the question on paths -

You can take either of the first two but the first one ie on the left, zig zag past a fallen tree and down to the stream is the best. The second path is fairly disused, steep, overgrown and difficult to navigate but you can use it to get to the other side of the gully and it meets up with the trail from the first near the top of the ridge line. Once you are out of the gully it can be difficult to work out the trail as there are a lot of kangaroo tracks everywhere. Head for Mt Hopkins but keep a bit to the left and you should find the trail, keep looking for broken/snapped branches on the shrubs as a guide. On your way back (after you know the trail for sure) it would be good if you could do the same to keep the trail as distinct as possible. The wilderness comes back pretty fast here and anything we can do to help keep the path open is a help to all.

As a side note we were there a few weeks back and hiked to Mt Hopkins in torrential rain. We did not feel comfortable climbing up onto the final big rocks as they were too slippery and exposed. We did make it to the Forrest of Arms for the first time ever - thanks OzCrawf for the guidance tips.

Will check on the cache again soon. Happy Hunting!

When you come into the main Thompson Cove camp, there are several trails leading out, a total of four if you include the path coming in. Starting from the entrance into the camp, and going in a clockwise direction around the camp, there are the following:
1. almost immediately to the left: a narrow path that zig-zags around some trees
2. a bit further around: a narrow and straight path that plunges immediately down a steep incline
3. almost opposite the entrance: the trail that leads to the Thompson Cove coast
4. back where you started: the entrance/exit trail out of the Nuyts wilderness area or towards Aldridge Cove
Which is of the first two above should we be taking to get to Mt Hopkins?

I enjoyed a fantastic long hike today in the Nuyts wilderness area to Aldridge Cove (the raw power of the ocean was amazing!) and Thompson Cove (more serene but still beautiful). I had the Mt Hopkins cache as a possible option, but after reading the description and logs, and viewing the trails in person, I figured it would be better attempted with a companion rather than alone, especially since the trail isn't clearly marked.

Interestingly I have a Department of Parks & Wildlife pamphlet about the Nuyts walking area, and it lists the walk to Mount Hopkins as a Class 6 hike, with this description: "Follow the trail to Thompson Cove. From here, there is no marked track and you must traverse thick scrub. Enjoy spectacular scenery and the challenge of adventure. Use of a compass or GPS and map is essential."

On the walk in to the Thompson Cove camp, several hundred meters before the junction to Aldridge Cove, there was an arrowed sign "Mt Hopkins" lying on the ground (in case it proves useful to others, it was located at the coordinates: S 35 02.598, E 116 38.971). There seemed to be a faint trail along a ridge towards Mt Hopkins from this point, but I can't be certain. Would this be an alternate route perhaps? Or would the sign originally have been at the Thompson Cove camp? - it did match the style of the sign to the beach that is located at the camp. Any ideas?

At any rate, thanks for placing this cache, hopefully I'll have an opportunity to make a return visit with a friend who shares my love for adventure some day, because it is a beautiful area.

Congratulations on the FTF (well 2TF maybe) OzCrawf. Was beginning to wonder if it would be found, and then to have been pipped at the post by a Muggle! Thanks for the positive feedback - you have no idea how hard it was to get this cache approved given that I live in Perth and supposedly couldn't maintain if needed. I'll be back down there in 2 weeks so will probably check on it. I'm intrigued by your visit to the Forest of Arms - might PM you about that.

I had a fantastic days caching heading out into Nuyts Wilderness to find this cache. When I was planning for my Easter trip this year I noticed this cache and put it to the top of my to do list. the fact that it still remained un-logged after almost 5 months when i set off added to the thrill. It has been many years since I've been into Mt Hopkins and I was looking forward to the trip. I set off from the suspension bridge at 8:30am and arrived at the Peppermints campsite an hour later. It was just as I remembered it but sadly I wasn't going to be spending the night. I then set off for Hopkins. The track has definitely got a lot harder to follow and I lost it a couple of times on the way but this all added to the adventure. Just under an hour later I arrived at the boot cleaning station then proceeded up the hill. I took the wrong route to GZ but eventually got to the right spot and made a quick find once there. Upon opening the cache I saw the FTF prize, a nice Aussie geocoin and thought 'yes' FTF. Then I opened the log book and found that the cache had been logged over a week earlier, not by another cacher but a MUGGLE! I took the FTF prize and have left one of my pathtags in the cache. After replacing the cache I set off to visit the Valley of the Arms, a location just as magical as I remembered it. Then it was back to the suspension bridge to await pickup by the family. The whole trip took 5 1/2hours including the diversion to the valley of the arms. I can thoroughly recommend the cache but advise to go well prepared. Thanks Goody Oz for a fantastic cache, a well deserved fav from me.

This experience was so crazy (good and bad) that I'm not even sure if I found the cache. Let me preface this by saying what I had done was extremely dumb and that I knew better but did it anyways. So I hope anyone who attempts this geocache learns from my experience and does the following:

1. Give yourself about 8 hours. I ran a good bit and it still took me 4.5.

2. Don't leave if it will get dark in less than 8 hours before you leave (see #1)

3. You should bring at least one large water bottle. There is a stream at the point where it gets rough for you to refill your water bottle (no dysentery for me yet)

4. You should probably bring a friend along, as there is no cell service and you can barely walk parts of the trail without an injury. You both need to be in good physical shape.

Anyways, my story goes like this. Left the car park at approximately 4 PM giving myself 3 hours to get to the top and back before dark. I ran most of the way out and made it to the first campsite in probably 35 minutes. So far so good. Now, there is absolutely no telling where to go from this point. You can go to the right from where you entered the campsite or you can go straight. Let's just say, going right is the incorrect path. Going straight, the path made a bit more sense, however I spent the next hour bushwhacking approximately 1 mile to the top. Sometimes it seemed as if I was on a very faint path, but following it usually led into some very thick bush and I was stepping on brush left and right trying to get where I was going.

After finally making it to the top, I must say the views were spectacular. Following the gps coordinates to a T and found nothing in the spot, although I did find a coffee can in the crevice. Went to the top of the rock and took some pictures, but it was getting dark very fast as it was slightly after 6. After frantically bushwhacking and following my gps track as good as I could, my gps died just as I could barely see anything. Luckily, within 5 minutes of my GPS dying I made it back to the main campsite and walked back to the car park in darkness (at least those trails were marked). As I type this back in my hotel room, I feel very fortunate that I made it back ok. Please prepare yourselves appropriately everyone!

TFTC!



This entry was edited by ajmoore88 on Tuesday, 03 February 2015 at 13:10:48 UTC.

Hi ajmoore88, Firstly congratulations on getting to Mt Hopkins - as previously outlined and reinforced by the first two attempts - a challenge not for the feint hearted.
I need to say two things - firstly I agree with your comment that it was a bit crazy to set off at 4pm. You are VERY lucky to have made it back safe. I thought the description was pretty clear on the time required for this cache but I'm going to update it now and make it even clearer. This is an ALL DAY cache find or an overnight camping one not a couple of hours late in the afternoon. I'm really glad that you didn't become a missing person down there.
The second thing is that I hate to tell you this but you clearly did not find the cache. The cache is an official geocache brand mighty mega cache (green). It has a range of contents inside it including something for FTF and a log book etc). It is tied on a piece of rockclimbing accessory rope and is in a crevice in some rocks. It is pretty easy to find once you are in position as there are very few places that it could be. I suspect given that you were not on Mt Hopkins till dusk and so were probably pretty tired and somewhat concerned about getting down and back that you maybe ran out of time to search it out.
On a final note we had hoped to add some waypoints for this cache but we have been unable to find the GPS log from when we placed it and so we won't be able to add any waypoints at this stage. John will go back and visit the cache in the next couple of weeks and add some points at that time.
Paul

Hi Granett, sorry to hear of your difficulties in finding Mt Hopkins. It can certainly be some tough country to bash through if you lose the path! We'll go back to our gps in the next couple of days and get a way point or two for the route between the campsite and the cache location. I'm glad you decided to turn back once water was getting low.
For those that come after it is a good idea to refill your bottles when you cross the creek by the campsite as its the only reliable source of good water.

Staying a week in Walpole and the wife had a shopping day planned for today so I thought I would make the trek to this one and maybe pick up a FTF.

After picking up the WA Explorers cache at the suspension bridge I started my trek to Thompson Cove. A very pleasant walk that had variety of vegetation. Found a small group of campers when I got there and had a chat to them for a bit before making my way up the hill.

That's when the fun started, I thought I was following the right trail but it disappeared before my eyes, decided to press on through some low scrub which soon become not so low scrub. At this point I was about 800 meters from GZ and could see a ridge over to my right and the rocks of Mt Hopkins straight ahead. I foolishly decided to go straight ahead.

The scrub was about head height and was getting thicker and thicker, the vines were trying to strangle me at every turn and I tripped over too many times to recall, after about 40 minutes or so my GPSr showed GZ to be 250 meters away but there was no way I could get through, I couldn't even see the rocks any more. I decided to back track and try a different approach.

Made my way back to where I could see the ridge and headed in that direction, came upon a sand dune with steep sides and at one point I was on hands and knees crawling up the dune to get to the bush at the top. Got there and still could not find any discernible track, I was getting annoyed and not having fun anymore, the drizzly rain that kept coming and going didn't help either.

I had used up half of my water and was running out of time so decided to call it quits. Followed the gps trail back to the campsite and took the long trek back to the car.

All in all, writing this log the next day, it was an interesting adventure, one that I will never forget. I'm not sure if I'll get the chance to come back or not, but if I do a couple of waypoints along the way would be nice, the shoe cleaning station for example.

TFTH

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