Forest Twins
Typical “Forest Twins”—two old growth Washington fir trees
measuring 29 feet in circumference. 165 feet to the first limb
where they will top off 36 inches in diameter, sound, straight,
clean and clear, between seven and eight hundred years old. About 1
talley south of the north forty line of the S.W. ¼ S.E. ¼ 6-28-SE.
Looking Southeast. Edward and David Hartley trying to circle one of
the babies. —Roland Hartley, August 2, 1908.
The above photo was taken within a few miles of the cache hike
area by Roland Hartley, later Washington State Governor, when he
conducted a timber cruising survey in this area with his two young
sons in the summer of 1908. Some of the massive old-growth stumps
are still visible along the hike route.
Photo #1496 courtesy of Monroe Historical Society.
Take SR 2 toward Sultan; at the traffic light just west of
Sultan turn north onto Old Owen Rd. In a short distance, turn north
again onto Reiner Rd. After several miles, turn east onto Lake
Chaplain Rd. Read the warning signs at the gate. This area is
controlled by the City of Everett (water system) and the Snohomish
County PUD (Jackson Hyro Project). It is normally open for
limited recreational use during the daytime from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
daily but can be closed for security reasons. Follow the
road to the parking coordinates at the gate for Diversion Dam Road
at N 47 55.856 W 121 49.099. Read the sign and register; there is
no fee. Dogs are welcome on a leash, but no horses or ORVs. The
area is regularly patrolled so you will not find the dumping and
shooting trash so common in other DNR areas. The walk to the cache
is 5-6 miles roundtrip with some elevation changes along a good
dirt road, which after the first mile offers peekaboo views into
the impressive Sultan River Gorge. As you near the cache, take the
side road that drops into the gorge. Both it and the main road end
at the dam, but the dam area is closed to the public. The cache is
a short distance beyond a concrete service tower for the pipeline
at the bottom of the gorge. You are looking for a small lock'nlock
box hidden under a rock wall behind a tree a few feet off the road
on the side away from the river. You may continue on this road for
a short while for good views of the river until you near the
Diversion Dam. Cache seekers assume all risks involved in
seeking a cache.