[ranger rock]

On January 23, 1944 A Grumman F4F Piloted by Lieutenant John R. Crowe Crashed at this site. He was a Navy pilot From Alameda, CA. To see the actual pictures of the wreckage go to my blog: http://mosswalks.blogspot.com/2013/04/airplane-canyon-trek-to-wwii-plane.html Yesterday we went on a long wet hike and bike to find an old plane wreck in the Willapa Hills and to get geocache find #20,000 for a friend. We were surpised to find so much of the wreckage still there. Total for the day was 33.5 miles hiking and biking

1--First-starting-point

2--my-gear-packed-poorly

3-first-gate-and-first-staring-point

4-pretty-site-on-first-road

5-bridge-on-first-road

6-time-for-plan-B-this-route-is-not-going-to-work

PLAN B

7-second-starting-point

8-riding

9-pushing

8-and-a-half-jelly-lichens-on-the-road-up

10-navigating

11-climbing

12-resting

13-pushing-in-the-rain-and-mud

14-sheltering-from-the-wind-and-rain

After 20 miles of hiking and biking this turns out to be the easiest way up

16-just-400-feet-straight-up-to-the-cache-now

17-saw-this-fungi-in-the-clear-cut

18-at-the-crash-site-at-last

19-geocache-find-twenty-thousand

20-at-five-thirty-we-have-to-make-it-back-down-to-our-bikes-and-the-road-quickly-bike-circled

21-heading-back-down-to-the-road

22-quick-coffee-and-change-into-dry-socks-at-cianabar-creek

23-and-a-half-looking-back-at-the-crash-site-and-the-hill-we-climbed

23-cinabar-creek

24-time-for-the-thirteen-mile-long-mostly-downhill-ride-out

25-on-the-way-out-one-of-us-has-a-front-fender

26-mossy-goodness-on-the-way-out

27-a-welcome-site-after-a-33-mile-day

Pictures of the wreckage, gravemarker and our track log at: http://mosswalks.blogspot.com/2013/04/airplane-canyon-trek-to-wwii-plane.html

[HumpnoocheeGirl]

Wow! That's quite the trek for a day trip A very nice pick for #20,000 and an opportunity to remember our veterans. How did your food supply work for you?

[ranger rock]

I ate all the chocolate (two king sized bars), most of the pepperoni (5 sticks) and a few of the almonds. I almost have enough left over for a short day hike. I also ate a sandwich with swiss cheese and mayo and one premier protein bar. One cup of Vinacafe coffee too. I almost never pack or treat my water, but since this hike was all on a tree farm, I packed water in my platypus. Too bad but my tap water tasted terrible. I think I did not rinse out my platypus well enough after I took it out of the freezer and bleached it. So..... I ended up dumping all my tap water and drinking some untreated tree farm water. But since it was at 2,500 feet and this is still spring I think it was safe. I assume that they spray most of the herbicides in summer. Of course I carried all my heavy water nearly to the top of the hike before I realized it was so bad and had to dump it. I kind of forced myself to eat on this hike because I did not want to bonk. That strategy seemed to work out ok. Normally I try to run a calorie deficit on my hikes so I can lose weight, but this was not the day for dieting! It would have been just 26 miles if we had started out on the right route and if I had not dropped my GSP and gone 1.25 miles before I missed it.

[Trail Seeker]

There are vistas, camping, and fishing destinations which are common hiking opportunities. This is so unique ..... reaching a remote crash site that happened 68 years ago. An excellent report. Thanks for your effort.

[Phil]

Really cool. Looks like a strange, devastated area

[ranger rock]

[funkycamper]

What a fascinating trip! Do you think my semi-skinny tire hybrid could handle it? I'm guessing not but would love to follow in your footsteps to do this one.

[ranger rock]

[Blowdown]

Wow! Geocache twenty THOUSAND?!? Very impressive. Nice work!