 Dirty Harry’s Manzanita
A cache by Big Eagle Hidden: 3/3/2007
Size:  (Small) Difficulty:  Terrain:  (1 is easiest, 5 is hardest)
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This cache is a small container about 3 inches in diameter and 3
inches deep, resting in a rock teepee near a moss covered rock.
There are two species of Manzanita in the Santa Monica Mountains:
Arctostaphylos glandulosa and Arctostaphylos glauca, or by common
name: Eastwood and Bigberry respectively. They are both attractive
shrubs with a beautiful smooth, red bark, are evergreen, and look
very similar. They frequently grow near each other. There are a
couple ways to differentiate between the two. One way is to notice
that the Bigberry reseeds after a fire and has a single trunk. The
Eastwood has a basal burl and root-crown sprouts after a fire
resulting in a number of trunks.
The easiest way to differentiate them is that the stems and
leaves of the Bigberry are smooth and hairless. The Eastwood stems
and leaves are hairy and somewhat rough. Since Clint Eastwood
played Dirty Harry in the movies, all you have to remember is that
the hairy Manzanita is the Eastwood Manzanita. Not much of a clue
for this cache because the area is replete with this shrub.
Today our volunteer trail maintenance crew worked up this
section of the Backbone Trail from the junction with the connector
trail that begins at about milepost 3 on Stunt. This would be the
easiest access. Watch out for reckless motorcyclists and sports car
drivers.
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Additional Hints (Decrypt)
Rnfg fvqr bs genvy.(Decrypted Hints)
Find...
Logged Visits (25 total. )
23 
1 
1
Warning. Spoilers may be included in the descriptions or links.
Cache find counts are based on the last time the page generated.
 February 2 by dbir (1114 found)
In time, I may actually learn something about the plant life around here. Thanks for the lesson, and thanks for the cache.
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January 24 by location_scouts (196 found)
Cool cache on our way down the backbone. Cache was dry even after all of the heavy rains this week. 4 of 8 today as we make progress on the The Spinal Tap Backbone Challenge. TFTC!
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September 26, 2009 by paleolith (463 found)
Passed interbang1 on the way down from SWIFTS' ROOST RETURNS, but without stopping. Thanks for the great geotrail, made it easy without looking bad at all. I forgot my PDA but luckily I'd read the descriptions last night, so I was trying to identify the two species of manzanita all the way down the BBT. They all looked hairy, probably from the dust. If there's A. glauca around, I never identified it by the leaves, though I saw some that seemed to have single trunks. I got no help from Dirty Clint.Just as I was replacing the cache, another hiker came by -- I ended up seeing several, they just didn't get started as early as I did. This one was scouting out new routes for his weekly outing group. They've been doing hikes and rides in the San Gabriels for a long time and for some reason are looking for a change of venue. I gather they think it won't be as hot in the SMM. I have an email from him I need to reply to. Well, it's not time for lunch, but it is time to visit the Backbone Lunch Rock - East. Edward
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September 26, 2009 by interbang1 (849 found)
Found the cache and learned something about manzanitas. I thought this trail might be overgrown, but it's well-maintained and has a lot of nice shade on a hot day.
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June 25, 2009 by pianofab (523 found)
Nice manzanita! One more BBT cache for me. TFTC
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Current Time: 2/10/2010 3:16:08 AM (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) (11:16 AM GMT)
Last Updated: 2/2/2010 8:16:56 PM (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) (4:16 AM GMT)
Rendered: From Database
Coordinates are in the WGS84 datum
