Solution
A ladder just happens to present itself.
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Convenient friend is convenient
but I suspect cousin mafia here.
Did she get there before them
and make it so a ladder was near?
Kai has a way to rise in the world
and Near has a way to succeed.
She’s going to win the box today
as she pays defeat zero heed.
In the woods they walk, all fancy free
as other plot behind the scenes.
They’d better not ruin the day by play
or they’ll see what an angry Dragon means…
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Darn and blast it all, I forgot to click “Reply”. Now it’s all displaced…
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Lovely as always, but mind how you’re using “near;” pun-tential abounds. And I do agree, ’tis a bit too convenient, but may still be chance.
Opportunity: A lizard with a ladder. Well, dragon, but still.
What a convenient coincidence! But is Antonio’s ladder long enough? It looks like only three or four meters, and the birdhouse looked like it was higher than that.
Is Antonio part of Annabella’s help forces? Or is he really carrying a ladder through the forest at the time it is needed by accident?
Vulturella would have had to work very fast to find out what geostashing is, find the map of stashes, figure out which stash Near was going for, get to the spot before Near and Kai who already had the map ready, find the fake birdhouse and the broken ladder, leave without being seen, and then arrange to have Antonio walk past carrying a ladder. Unless Near and Kai were delayed, that is, but we didn’t see any delay.
It is possible Annabella is lurking in the bushes nearby, watching stealthily. If she found the damaged ladder while sneaking around, she could have called Antonio quietly or even SMSed him to bring a ladder…
If there’s good enough reception in the area. Mind you, Kai & Near were using a mobile phone to track down the geocache and find out the clue, so there seems to be usable reception in the area…
If she’s hidden in the bushes, she must be in a spot where they haven’t looked for the stash.
Eh, I could have done it back then. Heck I HAVE done it back then 😋. Knowing the area REALLY helps, but observing where they are, where they can see, where the plants are around you and not getting trapped are all important tips…
I was in the Scouting Movement, we played games while camping. Once when I was an older teenager, I was partnered with another guy while the Scout Group he helped lead tried to hunt us and other pairs down. They managed to stumble across us while we were moving, we ran a bit, I managed to hide while the other guy kept running. Eventually my partner called out that he had been caught, meaning we were both out. I climbed out of the logs & bush right next to the Scouts who realised I didn’t keep running & were looking for me…
You don’t need reception to use GPS. That said, there probably IS usable reception, they are not far from city.
The map data, the hint “Look up.” and the two-star rating didn’t come through GPS satellites. GPS gives you the time and your own coordinates, nothing else.
A geocaching app thoughtfully designed for remote locations might cache all the relevant data while it can, so it can zoom in the map or display the hint on request even if it loses Internet access later. An app designed to minimize bandwidth usage might download each chunk of data only on demand, and would thus be dependent on constant Internet access.
That said, I’m sure there is cellphone coverage. This is not a remote location. It’s a rural area, but not wilderness.
Finding a review of the stash location could have revealed the broken ladder without going there. Something big like that would have been commented on.
I don’t think so. I think if Antonio is involved at all, he’s bringing the replacement ladder after someone reported the old one was busted. But he’s not exactly sure where it goes.
Alternatively, he’s not involved at all, except by random timing.
I like the little ear twitch in panel 3 ~
Super Dragon Hearing ACTIVATE!
Awww, I was kind of hoping to see some of Kai’s basketball moves again. (see https://www.twindragonscomic.com/comic/change-of-pace/ and https://www.twindragonscomic.com/comic/flying-point/)
Still, it’s nice to see that they found a quick and convenient solution. I wonder how the ladder broke in the first place. Is Annabella involved in this in some way?
Just one ladder and a toadstool away from first cache.
And here we meet a local, and look at that, he’s got a ladder, how convenient.
Every day a little sadder, a little madder, someone get me a ladder
–Greg Lake & Peter Sinfield, “Still… You Turn me On” (Emerson, Lake & Palmer)
I know, not entirely appropriate, but I couldn’t help being reminded of it.
Well, they still have to climb, just not the tree’s trunk but a ladder.
Well, that was lucky! I’m starting to think that maybe the Geostash’s placement wasn’t the best idea, since it requires a ladder which can be broken or stolen. Thankfully, Antonio just happened to be walking along the path with a ladder (Kai’s big ears aren’t just for show, it seems). Now, was this also a coincidence or was this planned by Annabella? Now the cute couple can safely retrieve the Geostash without damaging Near’s pretty dress. Speaking of, Kai should go up the ladder since he’s wearing pants.
Panel 4: Near is exceptionally cute here. I keep sayin’ it, Kai is a very very lucky guy. She’s both beautiful and fun.
Damnit, that wasn’t supposed to be a reply.
I’m wondering if someone deliberately broke the first ladder – I doubt simple neglect would result in such a break. Who broke it and why?
it was kai, they also have the weight of a dragon
Maybe the last people who tried to get to this geocache broke the ladder, either accidentally or deliberately, and didn’t report it to whoever created it or the geocache website. I wouldn’t rule out the ladder being destroyed deliberately, but considering how it’s a small town where everyone knows everyone else, I doubt a local would do that….
That makes me curious, I’m thinking a local set the geocache up, I wonder if Annabella, Kai or Kaya are going to/have remembered someone mentioning that they set something up in the forrest? If Annabella has remembered, it’ll help her with her interfering- I mean assistance….
Well that was convenient. Good thing Kai knew that guy too. Wonder what happened to smash the old ladder they were supposed to use?
I guess the short answer is: weather.
I doubt there is much production of wooden ladders in modern times. I’m sure there is smaller specific purpose models in production still. A fairly normal looking wooden ladder though is probably quite old. Left in a remote place exposed to the elements with no routine oil/wax/paint applied for protection it wouldn’t last long.
Awww, I was kind of hoping to see Kai show off his basketball skills (like he did waaay back in https://www.twindragonscomic.com/comic/change-of-pace/ and https://www.twindragonscomic.com/comic/flying-point/)
Still, it’s nice that they found a solution to the ladder problem so quickly. Looking forward to what happens next!
[Note: I tried posting a similar comment earlier, but I don’t see it now. Let’s try this again]
Antonio has some incredible wrist strength. I could never carry a ladder completly above my shoulder lke that, I always have to put my arm through the ladder and let it hang.
Heh, I was a fireman for a decade, try dragging a 4 inch fire hose at a dead run with full gear on and doing that 4 times while a house is burning near by. Each trip got longer for each section… And carrying the nozzle on a sling the whole time while the guy was hooking up the hydrant and starting the pump and another was connecting the hose sections. As far as a ladder goes, I carried a 16 foot extension ladder on my shoulder when I was 14-15 y/o. If you do it enough, you hardly notice.
I’m afraid I don’t see how dragging a firehose is an exceptional strain on the wrists in particular.
Did you balance your extension ladder the way Antonio does, holding only the bottom stile? Or did you hold the top stile or one of the rungs to prevent the ladder from falling to the left or right?
yes, exactly. I’ve never seen a fireman carry a ladder exactly *that* way. Horizontally, yes. But not completely above the shoulder like that. I’m not sure why Scarsdale seemed to think I was focusing on *strength*, rather than the *technique*.
Well, that’s up there with Squall and Rinoa crossing paths with the Ragnarok.
Well it seems I was partially right last week. Access method nearby at ground level, but I was thinking a mechanism to perhaps lower the entire “birdhouse” or at least part of it. I’ll admit, I got the mechanism part wrong. A simple ladder it is…
Simply suspicious, nothing unusual to read into this.
It is common knowledge among handymen that ladders require a lot of fresh air and sunlight for optimum health. Most manufacturers recommend taking them on long walks through parks and woodlands on a regular basis. True fact!
Yep. That’s why they’re always on the outside of their Master’s vehicles, typically on the roof. Same reason that people open car windows slightly for dogs – so they can get some fresh air during the trip….
Least that’s what Daniel the Human told me last Tuesday….