Cannonball run Traditional Cache
Mushroom finder: It appears that the BSA now has a lease on this tract of Corps owned land. I am archiving the cache to avoid future conflicts.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT ATTEMPTING THIS CACHE IF YOU DO NOT POSSESS
THE PROPER EQUIPMENT, EXPERIENCE AND COMMON SENSE REQUIRED TO
EXECUTE IT SAFELY! ONLY YOU KNOW YOUR OWN PERSONAL ABILITIES AND
LIMITATIONS AND I CANNOT ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR
ACTIONS.
This cache is located inside Cannonball Cave on Cedar Bluff in St. Clair county.
Cedar Bluff overlooks Horseshoe Bend on the Osage arm of Truman Lake. To reach the cache site you will need a boat and rock climbing/rappelling gear, neither is optional. Cedar Bluff is located entirely on US Corps of Engineers land and permission was obtained from the Kansas City District office. Although there are some roads off from State Highway C that come very close to Cedar Bluff, DO NOT attempt to reach the cache from this direction as it is all private land with no public easement back to the Corps land.
I recommend launching your boat from Tally Bend access located on State Highway C. The run to Horseshoe Bend is about 4 miles by water. If you have a vessel that can be hand launched or trailer launched in very shallow water, you can reduce the trip to less than 1/2 mile by launching from State Highway CC which dead ends in the water just SW of Cedar Bluff.
Once there you will have to climb to the base of the bluff from the water. This basically amounts to a steep scramble over loose rock, logs and other debris. The difficulty and height of this scramble can vary greatly depending on the lake level.
Once you have reached the base of the bluff there is a good trail and a nice place to have a campfire of even camp out if you like. Follow this trail westward until you reach a huge crevasse known as the Devil's Staircase. You will need to free climb the 125' staircase (don't worry, 1000's of Boy Scouts have free climbed it over the years).
Once at the top, enjoy the view while you catch your breath and maybe take a few photos. Now follow a path eastward until you reach the posted coordinates. This is the spot where you will want to set up your rappelling gear. Running
your line straight down from the big knarly cedar will give you the best approach to Cannonball Cave. You will actually free fall over the mouth of the cave to a narrow ledge. If you run your line too far to the west you will free fall past the whole thing with no way to get in.
After you have obtained the cache and completed your descent, you will need to climb Devil's staircase once again to retrieve your gear. At this point you can follow the path eastward to the entrance of Rattlesnake Cave. WARNING! Make sure you watch were you are walking and not staring at the GPS as you can easily step right into the cave. This cave is completely lit by daylight so no flashlight is required. Once you have reached the bottom of the cave the cavern makes a 90 degree turn and comes right out the face of the bluff about 5' off the ground.
Be sure to check out the pics I have attached and please feel free to include your own pics in your log. Happy hunting, have fun and BE SAFE!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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