Congdon Trail / Tischer Creek
(Winter Rating D-5 T-4.5) (Summer Rating D-5 T-3.5 )
This is one of my favorite trails in the area. I grew up here as a kid. In the summer there are beautiful waterfalls and scenic woods. In the winter I used to ride my sled down the winding road and trails. Take the time to enjoy the journey. You will cover a lot of ground, about three miles from start to finish. 
Here is a challenging cache, not all will find. Even with the name and location to start you will have your work cut out for you. This is rated at the highest difficulty for a reason. This has a bit of everything: It’s a multi/mini/virtual/variable/puzzle cache. First, you will need to solve a puzzle from your first two virtual stops. Then, it gets tougher. You will be exposed to a number of different sizes and shaped containers, ranging from mini to the final full-sized ammo can. You will need to find them all to log the final cache. I won’t tell you how many multiple sub caches there are. But, I’ll give you a few hints:
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The containers are made to blend in with their environment.
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None of the containers are the same shape or size.
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None of the containers are underwater.
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You may not always be going the same direction or on the same trail.
The winding course of Tischer Creek the is all about the water, woods and nature. When I was growing up here we called it Congdon Creek. There are numerous water falls, rapids, bridges, and pools that flow through shady glens, tall coniferous trees, and towering cliffs. This creek actual starts way up in Hartley Park and ends at the famous Congdon Mansion known as Glensheen, where it flows into Lake Superior.
The part of the trail you will walk runs from Lake Superior to Vermilion Road. The trailhead is 1.5 miles one way, which is an easy hike. The trail head start is at 32nd Ave. East and Superior Street and the hike takes about 1 and ½ hours. Some of you may wish to break this up into more than one trip. There is parking available all along Congdon Park Drive, on the side by the woods. It is not necessary to turn off of Congdon Park Drive and park in front of people's homes on Greysolon Place. Please help reduce the amount of traffic in front of people's homes, and respect their privacy, by parking over by the creek. Thank you.
NOTE: The terrain in the winter time can be dangerous and difficult, USE CAUTION!!! I needed walking poles and snowshoes when I started placing this cache and ice-grippers when I finished, VERY ICEY!!! The creek is beautiful, but treat it with respect. The water runs year-round. I do not recommend walking on the creek when it is frozen!!!
Your journey starts here: N 46° 48. 946 W 092° 03. 009
Question #1: How many dormers do you see from this location on the carriage house?
Add 1 to your answer and substitute it for A in the following coordinates: N46 49.003 W092 03.33A. Go there for your next clue.
Question #2: How many Inuksuit do you see on this block?
Substitute your answer for B in the following coordinates: N 46° 49. 1B3 W 092° 03. 474. Go there, and you are on your trek. Note: These take a lot of hard work please do not disturb. Respect the artist's heritage and many hours of work.
Good Luck :-)
Some Interesting Information:
Glensheen - Congdon Estate: http://www.d.umn.edu/glen/text/history.htm
A map of the area: http://www.ci.duluth.mn.us/city/parksandrecreation/trailmaps/CongdonTrail.pdf
About Inuksuit: http://www.rockpeople.org/statement.htm
News Article: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com
About the Creek: http://www.duluthstreams.org/streams/tischerstream.html
Some neat old photos: http://www.duluthstreams.org/streams/tischerphoto.html
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Created by: Jeepers_Creepers
last updated September 8 2007
copyright 2004