Becket Quarry Cache Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This is a regular cache in a spectacular location known as the Historic Becket Quarry. The quarry is currently under the jurisdiction of the Becket Land Trust. There are two different ways to reach the location of this cache. One is a steeper more scenic route probably not appropriate for younger children The other offers a less intense climb but sacrifices the view.
The former Hudson-Chester Quarry was once one of the largest of several in the area, extracting granite and shipping it by railroad for polishing to nearby Chester and Hudson, N.Y. Gravestones and monuments were the main products. The quarry opened in the 1850's and closed in the 1960's. It is one of the most intact historic quarry landscapes in Massachusetts, with a blacksmith shop, standing derrick, and experimental air-drill testing tunnel.
Tucked between Becket's forests and hills, the old granite quarry sits like a sunken vessel, a living museum with rusted artifacts left behind when the Hudson-Chester Granite Company suddenly folded.
When it was abandoned it was as if the men just walked away for lunch and never came back, and that's what makes it a wonderful museum. There are trucks, drills, and derricks (booms to hoist granite) throughout the site. Apparently mismanagement and lack of money for necessary improvements led to the abandonment.
The cache itself rests near one of the previously mentioned derricks which was abandoned over forty years ago. It can be reached by following the quarry steps counterclockwise around the quarry, which is a much more scenic route. Using this route,the official trail dies down and you are made to climb a rock hill to refind the trail ontop. The cache can also be reached by following the trails which go around the quarry in a clockwise fashion, which may be an easier hike, but much less fun. Make sure to be aware of your surroundings no matter which route. Part of the beauty of this location was that all of the original tools used in the quarry were left behind, so be aware of hanging cables and mining tracks.
Please make sure to obey all the regulations of the Land Trust, as they are stated at the trailhead. Please do not attempt to find this cache at night and BE CAREFUL. Also have fun and enjoy this place! There is so much to see.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Va gur ebpxf, arne gur pnoyr.
Treasures
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