Bullseye Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Rexrider98: After 12 years it's time to return this site to nature. Read several last day owner's maintenance log entries below if interested. The last arrow has pierced the Bullseye.

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Hidden : 2/9/2008
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
4 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Located in the large, infrequently visited North central section of Harold Parker State Forest, on the North Andover side of the town line. Depending on your approach, you’ll do a half mile or more on up-and-down trails then a couple tenths bushwhacking, including navigating around some swamp and small pond areas. This a small, log-only cache, but easily found once you get there using some geo-sense and/or the hint.

I don’t know if it’s exactly at the bullseye or not, but my intention was to put this cache exactly in the middle---the bullseye---of this large, previously un-cached woodlands bounded by Rt. 114, Harold Parker Rd., Middleton Rd. and Boston St., which contains the North central section of Harold Parker State Forest. I pulled the dead-center coordinates off a topo map, loaded them in my GPSr, and went there. It's a cool place. This section of Harold Parker doesn’t get much use except from loggers and hunters, so you’ll probably have it to yourself (unless you go when they're logging or hunting...). Year-round gunshots from the shooting range at the Andover Sportsmen’s Club a half-mile to the SW may rattle you, but ASC is outside the State Forest boundary. On the other hand, there IS hunting in this part of Harold Parker so you’ll want to be careful during hunting season. Consult page 8 of (visit link) for MA hunting information and schedules. My reading of these indicates there is never hunting on any Sunday. If you go out during hunting season, be sure to wear bright colors, ideally orange.

There are only a couple trails into this part of Harold Parker---see map at (visit link) . I recommend parking on Harold Parker Road at N42/37.424 W71/04.286, where there is room for a car or two on each side of the road. There appears to be another way to get in from Middleton Road, but topos and satellite images suggest that may be a pretty wet route. I haven't tried it yet, but I'd be curious to hear a report if someone decides to do it.

(3/28/08 update: thanks to MiniCachingCrew who says the Middleton Road trail in is do-able; see their log below)

(1/19/09 upate: I snowshoed in from Middleton Road today, and it's a nice route in, with parking at a picnic pavillion which seemed to be plowed out in the winter. Cannot vouch for wetness during other times of the year, but with 12-18" of fresh powder, it was a great and very pretty route in. I have now posted this trailhead as an alternate parking location.)

Finally, this a small, log-only cache, but can be easily found---once you get there---with some geo-sense and/or the hint. PLEASE REHIDE CAREFULLY AND EXACTLY WHERE YOU FOUND IT, since I’ve learned the hard way---having my Shangri-Lost cache (visit link) stolen from the middle of nowhere---that there’s no such thing as a muggle-proof cache in hunting territory.

Have fun!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

haqrearngu ONPX FVQR bs ynetr obhyqre ba gbc bs uvyy. Sebag fvqr vf gbb bcra, cyrnfr ercynpr BAYL haqre onpx fvqr bireunat. Sebag naq onpx jvyy or irel boivbhf bapr lbh trg gurer.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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