Search activities
Urban Walk - Redmond Ridge

Trip

Urban Walk - Redmond Ridge

Walk and Explore in a New Way. Geocaching is real-world treasure hunting. Practice navigation using a smartphone app & work as a team to solve clues to find caches (containers hidden by others). Geocaching experience NOT required. REQUIRED: Experience walking on forest trails. Read Leader's Notes for trip description. Also see Required Equipment.

Contacts

Roseanne Lorenzana
Roseanne Lorenzana
Primary Leader
  • Easy/Moderate
  • Moderate
  • Mileage: 5.0 mi
  • Elevation Gain: 250 ft
  • High Point Elevation: 570 ft
  • Pace: 2-2.5 mph when walking; pace nil when searching for geocaches
  • 9:00am ready to walk. Outdoor seating area on east side of Starbucks in the Village at Redmond Ridge Mall (23515 NE Novelty Hill Rd, Redmond, WA 98053). Park in the center of the mall parking lot and not in front of stores. Meeting location is adjacent to intersection of Novelty Hill Rd and Trilogy Pkwy.
  • Weather - Link to NWS forecast
  • Toilet – Available in Starbucks and in QFC grocery store in the mall
  • Route – Loop through the Trilogy Community Trails.  Exact route will be sent to participants in Hello Walker email.
  • We'll search for 12 geocaches. Our loop route meanders on wide, graveled trails through public greenspaces, forest and wildlife preserves. There is one set of several stairs, each 4-6 steps.
  • Searching for these geocaches requires handling forest materials such as stones, leaves, bark, twigs and a rare blackberry vine. You may wish to wear tough gloves and/or use a hiking pole to poke into possible hiding locations.
  • There will be a snack/lunch break at Kari’s Bog overlook area.
  • Trails are in a forested area and near wetlands.
  • Please review "Required Equipment" tab in this announcement. You must be able to comply.
  • IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO OBTAIN THE REQUIRED SMARTPHONE APPS this would not be good activity for you (see required equipment).
  • Leaders may contact you to check your preparedness to use the smart phone app and mapping app.
  • This activity will follow the Mountaineers principles of Leave-No-Trace outdoor ethics (LINK)
Route/Place

Union Hill Novelty Hill

Roster
Required Equipment

Required Equipment

  • Trail shoes with grippy soles appropriate for uphill and downhill on maintained trails, as well as stepping off-trail. Long pants (plus rain pants) and long-sleeved shirt appropriate for encountering wet, leafy shrubs.  Gloves & pole for handling forest materials.
  • Smartphone with GPS capability and fully charged battery
  • Geocaching mobile app downloaded to your smartphone (https://www.geocaching.com/play/mobile) Requires creating user account. Recommendation: Pick a short username. You’ll be signing this name on a sometimes tiny log in a cache to register your find.
  • Mapping mobile app downloaded to your smartphone. App must show both roads and trails, such as Gaia GPS or AllTrails. Google maps does not show all the trails; so, is not appropriate for this activity.
  • Pen for writing your username on the geocaching log.
  • Hands-free way to secure your smartphone for quick access. You must be able to frequently look at your smartphone. Having it stored in a backpack won’t work for geocaching.
  • Geocaching.com website bookmarked on your smartphone browser. Optional, but very helpful. (https://www.geocaching.com/play/search)
  • Watch this 45 second video, “What is Geocaching?” There are more than 3 million active geocaches worldwide. Geocaches are hidden in 191 different countries on all seven continents (even Antarctica).
  • Watch this 3 minute video, “What is Geocaching?” Shows geocaching in urban & suburban locations, as well as types of cache containers.

URBAN WALK ESSENTIALS

  • Navigation - paper map, phone app, compass, whistle
  • Sun/Weather protection
  • First Aid - Red Cross style, focus blister & cuts/scrapes
  • Repair kit - knife (shoe or gear repair)
  • Food & Water - at least a snack
  • Extra clothing – as needed for conditions
  • Day Pack - large enough to carry or stow clothing and carry water & snacks
Trip Reports