I was searching some of the older caches in the area the other day
and ran across a few that had been archived for various reasons.
The Ghosts of Occoquan was archived last November and never
resurfaced. Thought this would be a nice spot for a revival. As I
planned this,
Rambo's Fountainhead Cache also appeared so now there are
two (OK more like 32 now, but there were none in July 2002) that
are in the area for your geocaching pleasure.
There are a few ways to enter the area, the easiest being from
south at the Fountainhead Regional Park parking lot off of Hampton
Road. Of course you can enter the Bull Run Occoquan Trail at many
places along its 17-mile course, the next closest being at Bull Run
Marina to the north. You can also approach via water if you are
able, with a floating dock/pier located at N38 43.277 W077
20.214
From either direction the trail has a branch at approximately
N38 43.639 W077 20.435, which is the remnants of and old road. For
those skeptical since my
On the (not so) Beaten Track cache is admittedly a bit of a
stretch as far as a path goes, the
topo maps clearly show this one . This cleared, level trail
heads towards the river and requires an additional hike of .3 - .4
miles one way.
I considered making this a mystery or multi based on some
feedback, but decided to leave it as is - a remnant of the old
style of caching. The posted coordinates are in a clearing, near
the remnants of an old house that sits atop a hill that tumbles
down to the water. Not sure who lived there or when it was
abandoned - any info or speculation would be appreciated. This
ghost house (my name to fit the theme) is still standing but does
not appear to be too stable so please be cautious and do not enter
it. While a compass is not required for the next part it is
recommended. From this spot (the cache's listed coordinates) walk
approximately 250 feet to the southwest, I got 243 degrees with my
compass or 233T. The object(s) you should be heading for are
several formations of large black rocks. Perhaps the largest should
be vaguely visible directly from the ghost house (at least I could
see it) - so the compass is a nice option to confirm your
direction. The cache is hidden in/near one of the formations.
I'm not sure why the rocks are black (fire, mold, moss, make up
your own spooky story), but they do stand out. Finding the cache
should not be too difficult - it is concealed in a manner to
minimize any chance findings. Please restore it to a well hidden
condition when you are done. The cache itself is a small ammo box
that is stuffed to the rim with an assortment of goodies including
2 mini-compasses; 4 small stuffed animals; 2 SpongeBob keychains;
glow-in-the-dark smiley faces; a slinky; 2 cars; and a few McD type
toys. Please take something bigger than you bring initially
otherwise you literally won't be able to close it back up.