Soils of RI #4: Sudbury Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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(regular)
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This is the fourth in a series of caches honoring the 58 different types of soils found within the State of Rhode Island. Soils were a major factor in the settling and early farming of RI, and soils continue to influence our industry, recreation, wildlife, and homes. As you complete this series, please take note of how the soil is determined in-part by the landscape position (summit, sideslope, drainageway), which in turn affects the vegetation.
Cache is located within the Ten Mile River Greenway in a transitional area between the Hinckley soils in the uplands to the Rippowam soils in the wetlands. Sudbury soils are classified as moderately and somewhat-poorly drained, meaning the water table could be anywhere from 12 to 24 inches from the soil surface.
Sudbury soils formed in sandy, water-sorted materials that were deposted as glaciers melted in the area around 14,000 years ago. These soils are used for farming. Where they are forested, typical trees include red maple, a variety of oaks, white pine, birch, and hemlock. Houses built on these soils may need sump pumps and drains, and septic systems may need special design.
This is a nice site to observe how vegetation changes with both landscape position and soil type. The nearby Hinckley cache is at a higher elevation with more oaks and less undergrowth. The nearby Rippowam cache is dominated by wetland vegetation.
Easiest parking is in Slater Park. From there, you have a short walk on the bikepath to the abandoned train trestle. Once on the trestle, you can walk along the tracks for a short while before scrambling down an embankment to get to the cache. Please utilize the included waypoints to minimize bushwhacking.
Congrats to HoboCP for some nice bushwhacking to get the FTF for this and the Rippowam cache in the same day!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Arne n yvggyr fgernz.. ohg erzrzore, Fhqohel vf abg n jrgynaq fbvy. Oruvaq n urzybpx oenapu gung unatf ybj gb gur tebhaq.