Soils of RI #24: Wapping Traditional Geocache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This is the 24th 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.
This cache is located within the Tri-Pond recreation area in Peacedale. As you approach GZ, marvel at the fact that you are standing on a relatively rare soil in RI. Wapping soils are of small extent, and are typically found only in this part of RI. I scoured the Soil Survey long and hard to find this one!
Wapping soils are moderately well drained soils that formed in 2 parent materials. The deeper layers of the soil are comprised of sandy glacial till, a material directly deposited by glaciers 14,000 to 18,000 years ago. After the glaciers retreated, winds picked up the finer soil particles, such as fine sands and silt, and deposited those particles on top of the sandy till. The result is a soil that has two distinctly different textures as you get deeper into the ground.
The silty topsoil is excellent for agriculture. Most areas of Wapping soil are used for cultivated crops, hay, or pasture. Common crops are silage corn, tobacco, vegetables and nursery stock. Some areas are wooded and scattered areas are used for community development. Common trees are red and white oak, white pine, hemlock, black cherry, white ash, red maple and sugar maple.
Cache is located not too far off the yellow trail in the park. There are a variety of ways onto the trail system, including the bike path. The easiest access point is the included waypoint on Route 108. From there, you will walk around to the south end of the pond. There is a large beech tree where what looks to be either an old path or deer path spurs off from the main trail. My GPS was crazy while hiding this, probably due to the weather and tree cover. I averaged 10 points to get this coordinate. Please let me know your coords in your posts if mine are off so I can make this more accurate if needed.
CC contains a log, swag, and an official series description. Please make sure the lid is secured on the CC before you return the cache to its hiding spot.
High fives to Blue Falcons and Mayflower2 for the FTF!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Vafvqr n cresrpgyl fvmrq gerr gehax.