The cache is designed to teach you what poison ivy looks like,
before you unwittingly encounter it while caching. DO NOT TRY
APPROACHING THIS ONE CROSS-COUNTRY, ‘CAUSE YOU’LL END
UP IN A SWAMP - FOLLOW THE TRAIL!
The trail starts at N43 32.123 W080 13.162 and initially follows
a boardwalk through the swamp. Then you enter a short bit of
hardwood forest, and then come to a second short stretch of
boardwalk. The poison ivy starts 30 feet before the second stretch
of boardwalk, and carpets the ground on both sides. It continues
after the boardwalk for 100 feet or more. Watch for its
characteristic three leaves.
The cache is about 10 feet along the boardwalk; put it back
carefully with the wire twisted through the holes in the stake, so
it doesn’t fall; sometimes there is water below. It's a
letterbox, though there's room for some tiny trinkets or a geocoin;
please don't take the stamp or ink pad!
This would be a good walk for kids – as long as you keep
track of them when you reach the poison ivy. Not only is it a good
way for them to learn what it looks like, the walk along the
boardwalk is very interesting. At some times of the year there is a
display on aquatic insects designed for kids. Left a geocoin I
brought home from Calgary for the FTF.
There are lots of other trails to walk in the Arboretum, and a
few other caches nearby. Dogs must be kept on a leash.
