It was cold when we got there. The parking area and trailheads at Uvas Canyon sit at about 1000 to 1100 feet, and the tree cover is very thick. Bill had printed out a list of about 11 or 12 caches for us to find, so we got started right away.
The first couple were hidden along a creekside trail, that leads to an alcove with waterfalls. Very pretty. It was quite muddy. At first, Bill and the dog clambered down a pseudo-trail that was steep longways and sideways. Needless to say, I freaked when my foot slipped, so I refused to go down further. Found a different trail and made it down to the waterfalls. Devon had fun playing in the fast-moving shallows of the creek. He seemed a little bit freaked out, though.
Found a couple more caches closer to the trailheads, and then we clambered up Knibb's Knob trail to find a whole string of them. Holy mother of God, this trail was steep! According to GPS, from the trailhead to the last cache we found, there was a 1,700-foot elevation gain! Seventeen hundred feet in 1.9 miles! Yes, ask your hiker and mountaineer friends... that is a steep hiking trail! Thank goodness we had walking sticks (Bill's ski poles).
Above photo by Neil Jacklin.The views up on the trail were spectacular. There were spots along the way where you could stand on level ground and take in the scenery. There was even a point where there was a bench and trellis set up off the trail. We stopped there to rest and eat and give Snorty McDoggelsson his water.
We managed to find 8 or 9 of the 11 or 12 caches we set out to find. Not bad for a day out in the hills! Got some cool stuff like a metal alien thingmajig and a geocoin.
Anyway, it was quite an adventure. The hike was fantastic. The trail was wide and well-maintained, there aren't that many ticks (ask the dog), the views are awesome, and overall it's strenuous but not murderous. Methinks we'll be back sometime soon!