This cache is a tribute to Rocking the Goat, who originally designed this earthcache. RTG is gone but not forgotten. All credit for the cache should be given to him, we just put forth the effort to keep this cache around for all to continue to enjoy
The park is open 9AM-5PM Memorial Day-Columbus Day, with a $2.00 parking fee. A Senior Pass is available for free for those over 62 years of age, and is good at all Mass. State Parks.
If the park is closed you may park at the gate near Rt.8 & walk the 1/2 mi. to the IP, Terrain then becomes a 3.
More Info here
In the park you will see where erosion has created a 60 foot deep natural wonder over millions of years. The Natural Bridge started in the Cambrian period of the Paleozoic Era occurring 550 million years ago. The warm shallow oceans deposited sea shells which dissolved into a white chalky calcium carbonate sediment. The calcium carbonate piled up to such depth that its own weight compressed it into a soft, sedimentary rock now known as limestone. The Berkshire mountains that surround this area were formed by slow, colossal continental collisions called orogenies. The slow process of mountain building buckled, folded and lifted the earth's crust, forming mountain ranges. The Taconic mountains to the west and the Hoosac range to the east originally reached heights of 14,00020,000 feet. However, 350 million years of erosion have removed much of the rock. The marble you see today was formed when limestone was under tremendous pressure and heat during mountain formation. The Natural Bridge story began with a climate change and the arrival of the Ice Age about 2,000,000 years ago. After several advances and retreats across New England, the last ice sheet retreated 13,000 years ago. The meltwaters from mile-thick glaciers cut deeper and deeper, sculpting the Hudson Brook chasm and the marble bridge that spans it.
Natural Bridge marble as a building material was recognized in 1810; quarrying soon began. This quarry produced most of the white marble used for tombstones in local cemeteries and mantel pieces and hearthstones. The growing popularity of marble created a wider market, and the first regular operations at the quarry commenced in 1837. A mill was built to produce a variety of by-products: poultry grit, powder for toothpaste, face powder, pigment for paint, putty and soap. The 98 per cent calcium carbonate was also used as a neutralizer in the chemical industry.
To log this cache you must answer three questions and have the option to post a photo.
#-1 What type of stone forms the natural arch?
#-2 At the IP find a flat stone that has an elevation inscribed on it (the coordinates on it are not correct). On your way up or down the road stop at the bottom of the quarry N42*42.440 W073*05.528 and take an elevation reading, determine the difference between the two?
#-3 In 1947 how much stone was mined each day?
Photo Option: Go to N42*42.450 W073*05.558 or any other location the Stone Bridge can be seen and get a photo of you and your GPS with the Natural Bridge in the view.
Log your find and E-mail me the answers to questions #1-3 (do not post in your log please).
Photos are NOT a logging requirement and ARE encouraged to be posted in logs as you please. Happy caching!