Hell's Gate Falls Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size:  (regular)
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This cache is located at Hells Gate Falls on the West Branch Union River. Great Pond is the headwaters of the West Branch Union River. Look at the Delorme Gazetteer on map 24 the very top of the page in the middle. The terrain is a steep decline and heavy vegetation so stick to the trail that is marked out. Some places are wet. This is not for the casual cacher, this requires some hiking and climbing an incline on the way back to the parking spot. Heed the ratings.
BEWARE! There are some places on Earth that are gateways to other dimensions, or other unknown places. Keep your eyes open and beware near HELLS GATE FALLS! There is no telling where you could end up. There is a minion keeping watch in the cache. LEAVE HIM THERE or else! His numbers are printed on the lid so he can be "discovered" if you dare, but do not REMOVE HIM please.
Take the Stud Mill Rd to the 23-00-00 rd. Follow that until the sharp right where the ITS trail runs. Take the straight away onto the 23-06-00 rd. Stay on this road. Take the third right and head in. About a half mile in you will come to fork 1, stay right on the plainly traveled road. About another mile in you will see fork 2, take the left fork and stay on this road to head to the parking area for this cache. From the parking area you will see the Silsby Plain below and a HUGE blue berry barren to the south. At the parking cords, walk back on the road the way you came in about 100 yards to the trailhead cords. You should see a low spot right beside the road. It looks like a drainage ditch. Start down this gully and follow the game trail until you start to see trail marks on the trees. This will lead you towards the falls. If the conditions are right you can hear the falls from the parking area. If you are a kayak er/canoe er you can access this cache off the West Branch Union River. There is an eddy pool just before the falls at the bend of the river. The cache is on the west side of the river. There may be a way in from the east side as well if you look at some of the maps of the area, but if you come from that way be prepared to wade across the river. It doesn't appear to be more than 3-4 feet deep and the current isn't too strong at this point on the river. Use your best judgment!
The cache is in a .50 cal ammo can right near the falls. Replace the cache as you found it please. Stop and smell the roses while you are there. It is a beautiful spot to relax and listen to the falls. Its a bit of a challenge to get to it, but that is half the fun.
*UPDATE* 09-04-10
Apparently some noisy geocachers disturbed some bear hunters and they have asked the following be posted on this cache
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Bear season is Last Monday in August to September 30th. Please be quiet when in the woods and do not stray from the cache location and do not bring food into the woods.
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Please be mindful of others in the area hunting. I am not aware of any warning signs in the area about bear baiting but please be courteous to others and keep the noise down. Thank you.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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