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T824 Table Mesa Traditional Cache

Hidden : 10/8/2000
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
4 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

Arizona has a second GPS Stash. It's located in the Upper Sonoran Desert north of Phoenix. The location is at the Degree Confluence. This stash was placed by BSA Troop 824.

The site is about a mile hike from Table Mesa Rd. This "road" is a non-maintained dirt road that goes from I-17 to the dirt road north of Seven Springs Recreation Area.

Travel on Table Mesa Rd. from I-17 to the closest point to the Stash will REQUIRE a high clearance 4WD vehicle. I would NOT recommend approaching from that direction. Travel from the Seven Springs area can be done with a high clearance 2WD truck, but I highly recommend a 4WD vehicle.

The cache is easy to find once you get to the location. However, getting to the parking area is not easy due to the condition of Table Mesa Rd. I would rate the terrain as 4 since there is an 800 ft. elevation climb over a steep and rocky route.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ADDED 5/23/01
Some advice in approaching this cache. GET A TOPO MAP OF THE AREA. Come in from the Seven Springs side. If you can't drive past Little Grapevine Canyon (N34°00.038 W111°58.248) stay on the road and continue hiking in until you get to a parking area at N33°59.375 W111°59.803. Then cross the creek bed and head up the ridge directly towards the cache. The drainage directly north of the parking area is choked with boulders and vegetation.

UPDATE 1/1/02
The Difficulty Rating of this cache has been reduced from 4 to 2 since the cache itself is fairly easy to find once you are in the area. The Terrain Rating is still 4 due to the lack of a trail and the climb.

UPDATE 4/7/02
The cache container has been replaced with a smaller metal can. The original plastic bucket had started to crack from the harsh Arizona sun. It is located under a small pile of rocks and currently has a javalina skull on top. The coordinates are slightly off, but close enough to get you there. It is NOT under one of the big juniper trees, but rather out in the open.

UPDATE 12/26/05
A visit to the cache site after the Cave Creek Complex fire revealed the cache has survived. The javalina skull is missing. The large juniper tree is now a black skeleton. The container is located at an offset of about 34ft. NE of the above coordinates under a pile of rocks.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Sbe nqqvgvbany vasbezngvba naq cubgbf frr: uggc://jjj.pbasyhrapr.bet/pbasyhrapr.cuc?yng=34&yba=-112&ivfvg=1

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)