After the initial drive to the above parking coords, the first part of this cache-hunt is a very short nice walk through woods. The final section is mighty steep and can be somewhat dangerous due to the environmental hazards such as terrain--it is very steep and rocky in places and the trails are hard to follow in places, weather--very changeable--hot in summer cold and icy in winter and wildlife--Yellow Jackets, Copperheads and the occasional Timber Rattlesnake can be found here. It is for these reasons that I have rated it highly in the terrain and overall difficulty areas. If you are used to these sort of environmental conditions then you will have no problems at all.
Items you will need to complete this cache hunt: Road atlas/maps on GPS, water, snacks, camera, first aid kit and a flashlight/headlight.
You can get to this cache from a variety of different roads so it's up to you to figure it out. The hard part comes when you get to the above coords which is where you will park your vehicle--a small pull-off on the side of a dirt road under a large tree overlooking Henderson and Rutherford Countys. If there is a car there, park along the side of the road nearby but don't park in the road or you will probably be towed. [From the property owner, a geocacher named ihate2erg, "Feel Free to park in front of the house with the wooden log fence around it. That's my second cousins and they use it as a vacation home. They wont mind. They've actually been caching with us and they understand people come to see sunset alot."]
Once parked, enter the below coords into your GPS:
35 23.952 N
082 16.372 W
From the parking area, walk uphill along the road to the first driveway on the left. It is a semi-circle drive with three or four houses along it. Follow this drive, passing the first house on the left (made of rock) while following the split-rail fence on the left toward the woods. Go to the right of the fence walking between the fence and an old rock well that is located to the right. Walk down towards the edge of the woods where you will find an unmarked trail.
The trail is very small and hard to see, especially in the summer months, but your GPS should direct you along in the general direction of the next target location that is listed above.
Follow the trail until you come out onto a flat rock with a view of the valley below--now input the below coords into your GPS:
35 23.947 N
082 16.408 W
From the middle of the large flat rock look to your left for a somewhat hidden but usually clear trail leading steeply down the mountain...follow this trail...your GPS will do the rest.
The cache is located in the very back of a small fissure cave. It is about head high on a ledge cradled in the rocks.
TRAIL NOTE: The trail to the cache has seen some damage in recent years...it is even harder to navigate now than before (or I'm just getting old)!
NOTE: Although this beautiful place is locally known and visited, please be honest in your actions near the houses and be nice to any locals you meet. This is private property and they know that the cache is here and you must pass through their yards/lands to get to the cache so be respectful of their property please.
NOTE: If you visit this cache in mid to late July and early August you will be rewarded by thousands of sweet Blueberries that are growing all over the rocky outcrops.
NOTE: If you visit in the early evening you will be rewarded with a beautiful sunset from the rocky outcrops so enjoy and take only pictures (and trash--CITO) and leave only footprints (and a trinket in the cache). There is also a nice view from the top of the rocks above the cave at:
35 23.947 N
082 16.393 W
...check it out but be careful as there is no trail.
WILDLIFE NOTE: During warmer months, be alert for Yellowjackets/Hornets, Timber Rattlesnakes and Copperheads. Although rare, if you see any snakes please do not kill or harm them as they are protected. You are much more likely either fall down and/or be harmed by one of the two most dangerous lifeforms on the planet--Poison Ivy and/or Mosquitoes!!
CrotalusRex's WILD Disclaimer
Remember! This is a WILD area with all of its WILD components: You may encounter living wild creatures with their own agendas. No matter your perceived status, beauty, machismo, power and achievements in the "human" world you are nothing to them (well, except possibly food!). Most of these creatures are "smarter" (instinct) than you are so you will never see them. They will know you are coming long before you arrive by your odd smell, noisy heavy gait, loud voice and unusual coloration--they just want us to think we "scared" them off--you will smell, hear or if you're lucky catch a fleeting glimpse of...something. Some of these creatures may or may not hurt you--but if you corner any of them they WILL defend themselves with whatever means they have--tooth, claw, fang, venom, sting and so on! These creatures will leave scat behind them (i.e Poo, poop, droppings, turd, doo, doo doo, dung, guano, pellets, log, sh*t, shite, crap, plop, squirt...) this may be fresh or sun bleached...the fresh variety may be accompanied by a rather unpleasant odor so WATCH OUT! Often, if you poke a stick at scat in just the right way you will be able to determine what type of creature left it there and just what that creature had eaten for its last meal!! WOW-ain't nature grand!--if you have any questions about some scat, hair, teeth, bones or any other part of a critter alive or not that you find--you can feel free to save it in a baggie and e-mail me and I will help you ID it's owner.
Plants--these things are usually green and just about everywhere--even in the water! Some are pretty, some taste good and some others will kill you if you eat them (know these well if you plan to eat "random" plants for fun as I do)! There are also some plants that will make you itch and/or bleed--it helps to know these well also! You may encounter pollen--it is a by-product of many plants that may make some of you sneeze, itch and cough.
There will be dirt, mud (wet dirt), sand (often found in dirt and mud), flotsam and jetsam (whatever the heck that is?) Rocks--watch out for these things--you may trip on them and fall down (but they can be used as TOOLS if you know what you are doing!) You may suddenly or gradually--depending on your locale--encounter: uneven ground or rough surfaces (that may cause you to fall down and/or abrade your skin), heat, cold, wet water (that becomes hard and cold in the colder times) and OH MY--this often will fall unpredictably from the sky and if you are not prepared it will make you and your coverings WET--GASP!! Sometimes you may encounter this wet water in large quantities and sometimes it may have a high concentration of salt, dirt, mud, silt, scat (human and/or animal) and/or toxic chemicals so don't try to drink it if you are unsure of its source...it is however most enjoyable to play in (i.e.: frolic, cavort, rough-and-tumble, surf, swim, leap...) when the weather (see weather below) is nice. Dryness--in combination with the wind may chap exposed skin. Sand, a by-product of rocks--this makes you itch if you get it in your nether-regions or cry if you get it in your eyes. Wind (see also air below)--this is invisible and may chap exposed skin and disturb carefully placed hair, air(see also wind above)--this is also invisible and could be anywhere from hot to warm or cool to cold and it may be still or moving so fast (wind) that you will not be able to stand up--this is called a storm, storms are often accompanied by bright flashes of light followed by loud, earth shaking sounds that come from an unseen source--this is commonly referred to as thunder and lightning--when this is near you should hide. Weather--a combination of many of the factors present here(see above and below). This is entirely unpredictable unless you believe what the NWS tells you. Sometimes you will see a very bright disk overhead but don't look directly at it as it will damage your eyes. It may also cause red burns on your exposed skin so bring your protective devices and chemicals. Often there is a lack of light accompanied by a large glowing disk in the sky and countless tiny glowing points of light that are pleasant to look at...and so on.
Often you may hear unpredictable sounds created from unknown sources some of these may be creepy, some may be pleasant, some may be loud (see thunder above)...and sometimes these loud sounds will scare you or hurt your ears!
Finally, you may encounter other beings like yourself--often with their companion animals--as well as their associated mechanical and electrical constructs and often with small replications of themselves tagging along. These beings are BY FAR the most dangerous creatures you will ever encounter so WATCH OUT! and if in doubt, do as I do: RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!
You may be wondering why my WILD Disclaimer is a bit overkill, obvious and silly...oh but there is a reason for the madness. Believe it or not many of my geocaches have received some rather "wimpy and whiny" logs complaining about GASP! briars, mud, terrain, weather and so on...so obviously this disclaimer is a bit tongue in cheek so enjoy!
FTF HONORS GO TO Felis concolor!!!
