Ribeira da Madalena

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJrn7OZFbws



Esta multi cache leva-nos a visitar o sítio do socorro onde começa a nossa pequena caminhada pela Levada Nova.

This multi-cache leads us to Socorro where our little walk along the Levada Nova begins.




A Levada Nova inicia-se na central hidroeléctrica da Calheta e, no concelho da Ponta do Sol, percorre a uma altitude de 650 metros o vale da ribeira da Madalena e os Canhas.

Levada Nova begins in Calheta's hydroelectric plant, and in the municipality of Ponta do Sol, it travels at an altitude of 650 meters in the valley of the Ribeira da Madalena and Canhas.



Devido à sua localização esta levada permite uma grande diversidade de motivos de interesse fazendo alternar as zonas habitadas e cultivadas com zonas de floresta indígena e exótica.

Due to its location this levada allows a wide variety of interesting features alternating between the inhabited and cultivated areas and the indigenous and exotic forest.



Ao contornar o vale da ribeira da Madalena podemos encontrar um belíssimo núcleo de Laurissilva onde podemos encontrar os Pombos Trocaz, os Tentilhões e os Bisbis que alegram o verde das encostas.

By walking around the valley of the Ribeira da Madalena we can find a beautiful core of Laurissilva Forest where we can find many birds which gladden the green slopes: Pombo Trocaz, Tentilhões and Bisbis.



CACHE:

STAGE 1

Esta etapa leva-nos até uma pequena capela no sítio do Socorro.
Responde à seguinte pergunta para descobrir as coordenadas da próxima etapa.

This stage takes us to a small chapel in Socorro.
Answer the following question to find the coordinates to the next stage.

Qual é o número que está em frente à porta da pequena capela?
What is the number that is in front of the door of the little chapel?
2009 = N 32° 43.455 W 017° 07.577
2010 = N 32° 43.228 W 017° 07.620
2011 = N 32° 43.303 W 017° 07.479



STAGE 2

Chegamos a um dos afluentes da Ribeira da Madalena. Depois de passar a ponte, sai do trilho em direcção à origem do afluente.
Segue a hint e o spoiler e procura pelo micro container que contêm as coordenadas da etapa final.

We reach a small water stream that pours into Ribeira da Madalena.
After crossing the bridge, turn right following the water's origin.
Follow the hint and spoiler and look for the micro container containing the coordinates to the final stage.



FINAL STAGE

Novamente depois de uma ponte, terás de sair do trilho seguindo pela direita.
Antes, observa a pequena cascata que passa por debaixo da ponte.
Utiliza a hint e o spoiler para encontrar a cache.

Again after a bridge, you must exit the track turning right.
First, look at the small waterfall passing under the bridge.
Use the hint and spoiler to find the cache.




Atenção / Attention:

Time: 2h
Distance: 4km walk

O sinal GPS é fraco nesta área. Os spoilers e hints são muito importantes.

The GPS signal is weak in this area. The spoilers and hints are very important.

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Ribeira da Madalena - Video

A small video that shows you some images of Levada Nova. 

A short levada walk that guides you trough the valley of Ribeira da Madalena.

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Pico Arieiro - Pico Ruivo - Encumeada (Video)

The following video covers this Geocaching Route:

1 - O Pescador do Arieiro GC39X8C
2 - PICO DO ARIEIRO GC2YG7H
3 - Pico Arieiro GC1DW8D
4 - Twin Peaks GC3EJ5T
5 - Pico Ruivo GC1DXZJ
6 - Pico do Jorge GC1FG8H
7 - Escadas GC1J6X0

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Levada da Negra - Video

This is a video near the cache Levada da Negra.
Here you can see Pico Escalvado (1700 m) and Terreiro do Freixo (1420 m).
In the corrals in Terreiro do Freixo, the flocks of sheep were gathered and the tradicional shearing was done. A great popular party was made in that area with the presence of lots of people.

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Pico Castelo - Video

Located on the stunning island of Porto Santo, Madeira Islands, Pico do Castelo is the best known elevation of the island and is one of the best points to admire the beauty of this natural landscape, where one can see some islets that surround the island. 

 The highest point of Pico Castelo reaches 430 meters in height, lying almost on top is the bust in honor of Schiappa de Azevedo, who contributed greatly to the afforestation of the hill, once more desertified, there are also the ruins of a sixteenth century fortress , a symbol of defense of the people on the island from continued pirate attacks during turbulent centuries.

This afforestation had its beginning 30 years later, and now there is an opulent vegetation of tree species, which still at sea and over long distances causes admiration to the observer, in striking contrast to the aridity of the other hills. 

Its central location and ease of organizing the defense of people made it a real castle.  

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Video - Moria and Caldeirão do Inferno

Video - Moria and Caldeirão do Inferno


This video shows some images of a group of geocachers in search of the caches:

• Moria

• Caldeirão do Inferno 

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Tips for Improving your Swag

4 Geocaching.com Tips for Improving your Swag

 

In geocaching, like in life, it’s all about the small things. That’s especially true when you crack open a geocache and discover all the small things inside. The little objects at the bottom of the geocache are trade items, also known as “swag.” You are welcome to take a trade item from a geocache, so long as you replace it with an item of equal or greater value.


A trade item might be a small toy, a signature item from a local geocacher, or a fun trinket. But sometimes the small things inside a cache can be a big disappointment. With more than 1.6 million geocaches around the world, the swag in some of those caches is less than desirable.


Here’s what you can do to change that. Check out these 4 quick tips:


• Choose trade items that you would enjoy finding in a cache
• Fun items to trade include small toys, patches, pins, or an item that symbolizes who you are (a signature item)
• Never put food or scented items in a geocache (animals are especially good geocachers when they smell food)
• If you wouldn’t want to carry an item in your pocket, don’t put it in a geocache

For ideas on good swag items, click here.

You may also find Trackables at the bottom of a cache. These are not swag, but items owned by other geocachers that are meant to travel from cache to cache. Trackables are etched with a unique code and generally include the text “trackable atwww.geocaching.com.” When you take a Trackable from a cache, you are not required to leave anything in its place, but you should move it on to another geocache and log its movement. (Read about Trackable etiquette.)


source: http://blog.geocaching.com/2012/03/groundspeak-weekly-newsletter-march-14-2012/

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Twin Peaks

Translation: 

TWIN PEAKS

You can watch a VIDEO of the placement of the cache:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_DgGLgRGUo



O nome da cache foi inspirado na famosa série de televisão do início dos anos 90.

The name of the cache was inspired by the famous TV series of the early '90s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oDuGN6K3VQ


A cache encontra-se no segundo pico mais alto da Ilha da Madeira, o Pico das Torres (1851 m). O Pico das Torres é um local óptimo para a prática de escalada e acessível através do percurso que liga os picos mais conhecidos da ilha da Madeira, o Pico do Arieiro (1818 m) e o Pico Ruivo (1861 m), percorrendo para tal, parte da área do Maciço Montanhoso Central, área integrante da Rede Natura 2000.

The cache is on the second highest peak of Madeira Island, Pico das Torres (1851 m).Pico das Torres is a great place to practice climbing and we can get there through the path that connects the most well known peaks from Madeira, Pico do Arieiro (1818 m) and Pico Ruivo (1861 m). To do so, you will walk through part of the Massif Central Mountainous area that is part of the Natura 2000 network.

Com início no Pico do Areeiro, passados alguns metros deparamo-nos com o miradouro do Ninho da Manta. Desta plataforma, onde supostamente esta ave de rapina nidificava, pode ver-se o vale da Fajã da Nogueira, onde nidificam alguns Patagarros (Puffinus puffinnus), São Roque do Faial e grande parte da cordilheira montanhosa central. Este é o único local conhecido no Mundo onde ocorre a nidificação da Freira da Madeira (Pterodroma madeira), espécie endémica da ilha e considerada a ave marinha mais ameaçada da Europa.

Starting at Pico do Areeiro, after a few meters you will find Ninho da Manta viewpoint.From this platform, where supposedly this bird of prey nested, one can see the valley of Fajã da Nogueira, where some Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinnus), São Roque do Faial and much of the Central Mountain Range. This is the only known location in the world where there is nesting of Zino's Petrel (Pterodroma madeira), an endemic specie from the island that is considered the most endangered seabird of Europe. 

Ao longo do percurso encontram-se várias grutas escavadas nos tufos vulcânicos, onde o gado se refugiava e que serviam de abrigo aos pastores. Podemos ainda observar diversas aves, das quais se destacam as espécies restritas à Macaronésia, o Canário (Serinus canaria), o Corre-caminhos (Anthus berthelottii madeirensis) e a Andorinha-da-serra (Apus unicolor), assim como outras subespécies restritas ao arquipélago da Madeira, Pardal-da-terra (Petronia petronia madeirensis), Tentilhão (Fringilla coelebs madeirensis) e o Bisbis (Regulus ignicapillus madeirensis).




Along the route there are several caves dug out of volcanic tuff where the cattle took refuge and which served as shelter for the shepherds. We can also see various birds,including most importantly the species restricted to Macaronesia, the canary (Serinuscanaria), the Berthelot's Pipit (Anthus berthelottii madeirensis) and the Plain Swift (Apus unicolor), as well as other subspecies restricted to the archipelago Madeira, the Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia madeirensis), The Madeiran Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs madeirensis) and the Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus madeirensis).

Os últimos kilómetros até a cache são um desafio especialmente difícil devido à subida íngreme esculpida na rocha.
Os últimos metros deverão ser feitos com cuidado.
Ao fazer o teu log terás uma vista panorâmica que irá te permitir observar os Twin Peaks: 

Pico do Arieiro e o Pico Ruivo.

The last few kilometers to the cache are a especially difficult challenge because of the steep climb carved in the rock.
The last meters should be handled carefully.
When doing your log you will have a panoramic view that will allow you to to observe the Twin Peaks:

On one side Pico do Arieiro and on the other Pico Ruivo.



Distância / Distance:  7 Km (Pico Arieiro-Cache-Pico Ruivo)
Tempo / Time: 3h 30m/3h
Altitude: 1861m - 1542m
Material: lanterna, calçado apropriado, àgua, lanche / flashlight, proper footwear, water, snacks 

Sugestão para percurso / Suggested Geocaching Route:

1- Poço da Neve GC1BZGX
2 - Arieiro - Ao lado do Pico GC2HRJ0
3 - O Pescador do Arieiro GC39X8C
4 - PICO DO ARIEIRO GC2YG7H
5 - Pico Arieiro GC1DW8D
6 - Twin Peaks GC3EJ5T

7 - Pico Ruivo GC1DXZJ

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