Thanks a lot for all the emails, unfortunately I forgot to check them
before I left, so called home & had my wife summarize them. I was able
to get all 15 of the original theme park boxes plus the HH, & 3 of the 5
boxes added on later. I wasn't able to get Grumpy Grinch's Rattler box
because I couldn't figure out where exactly he was talking about, nor
artTrekker's box because her clues were just too confusing after being
out in the sun all day. Thanks to those that organized it. An
astonishing array of boxes & beautiful stamps. I bet you were cursing
Poison Ivy when her's showed up. & I now have a grudge to be settled
with the Green Tortuga (just glad I took my heart medicine that day).

Lessons learned:

1) High boots or look like a dork with your pants tucked into your
socks.
2) Always sit with your back to the wind. I multi-colored many of the
stamps, but had real problems with the wind drying the ink out before I
finished coloring.
3) Skip the 3 "add-on" boxes by Doublesaj & Old Blue, artTrekker &
Grumpy Grinch, & do them last. I was able to find the Ds&OB & GG boxes
in the complete darkeness, with only a full moon & my headlights.
4) While social trails aren't a good thing, making it obvious that
there's something hiding under that unusual pile of rocks, they do
significantly speed up the hunting process when you're fast loosing
light.
5) Don't let your daughter play with the flashlight from your boxing kit
the night before & forget to put it back in your bag. I had to walk
back from box #15 under only a full moon, & with only having my
prescription sunglasses with me, I couldn't see the ridgeline well at
all, so just had to guess as to where the gravel road might be & hope I
got close.
6) Don't wear black clothes
7) Bring more than 1 pink marker/ink pad. I never thought I'd be using
my pink marker so much. I think I just about dried it out.
8) If you rollerblade, wear your wrist braces & knee pads. I'm really
serious about this. Having never worn the braces, I don't know how easy
it'd be to stamp with them on, but after taking serious falls 3 times,
twisting both ankles, jamming an index finger & ramming my knee straight
into a sharp rock, any kind of protective gear would have been smart.
Or maybe a walking stick instead.

It took me 3 hours from leaving the car, to getting back to the car,
getting all 15 stamps, the HH & Grumpy Grinch's box that was up on the
plateau. This included taking the time to do multi-coloring on about
half the stamps, but I did serious streamlining of my stamping process,
& I had the previous social trails that did help out some. I was able
to get Grumpy's box by the parking lot, & Doublesaj & Old Blue's box, &
look for artTrekker's & give up, in about another additional 30 min.


Oh, & if all this wasn't enough, I was also the First Finder of
California Bear's Mudpot box. Beautiful hike, but the box stinks (in a
good way ;-)