This cache is inspired by Shakespeare's history King Henry
VI, Part I. A synopsis of the play as well as the full text
can be found here. The three Henry VI plays are part of the
historical series known as the wars of the roses. The
series follows the battles between the House of Lancaster and the
House of York for the English throne. The series name comes from
the symbols for the two houses - a white rose for the House of York
and a red rose for the House of Lancaster.
These plays are bookended by the two most popular plays in the
series - King Henry V and Richard III, but these plays make up the
core of the history. I saw the entire series performed in a single
weekend - 21+ hours of plays - back in 1988 performed by the
English Shakespeare Company. To this day, it was the greatest
experience I've had in the theatre. Well, maybe second to meeting
my wife. Don't worry - like all the caches in my Shakespeare
series, you don't have to read or see the play to find the
cache.
"Of all base passions, fear is the
most accursed." (Act V, Scene II)
The Bicentennial Trail
In 1976, the town of Amherst created the Bicentennial Trail. The
goal was to have a continuous trail that went from Amherst Center
up to Joe English Reservation. Unfortunately, that goal has yet to
be accomplished. However, there is about four miles of continuous
trail that goes from Joe English about 3/4 of the way to the town
center. The trail passes through three conservation areas and
several easements. This reminds me of the wars series - the House
Of York had plans on holding the English throne forever. They held
the throne for quite a while but, in the end, they came up short
also.
The trail is not one of the prettiest in Joe English, but it
does have a good personality. The trail is well marked with white
blazes, which is good since it would be difficult to follow this
trail without them. Keep your eyes open for the blazes and you'll
stay on the trail.
The Cache
From the parking area, take the Hammond Brook Trail for a short
distance and then turn left onto the Bicentennial Trail. If you
cross a bridge over the brook, you've gone too far. The trail
starts out with a nice stroll along a babbling brook but then
climbs in elevation once you cross the brook. The hunt ends with a
500' bushwhack. Depending on how wet the weather has been,
you may want to wait until you cross a small stream before you
start your bushwhack. You'll be almost perpendicular to the cache
at this point.
The cache is a large lock & lock container that should be
easy to find even after a large snowfall.
If you want some variety on your return trip, keep bushwhacking
west after you find the cache and you will run into the Hemlock
Trail (yellow blazes) in 400' - 800' which will take you back to
the bridge over the brook by way of a much easier descent.
The terrain has a '3' rating because there are a few rough
spots, a few steep inclines, and the bushwhack at the end.