Heather Lake Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Heather Lake is a popular
year-round hike just off of the Mountain Loop Highway outside
of Granite Falls.
The hike itself is almost two miles one way with 1000 feet of
elevation gain, ending at an elevation of about 2450 feet. The
trail crews have already been at work on the trail to the lake, and
the downed trees from this past winter's storms have already been
cleared.
The trail is heavily used, with most hikers visiting on weekends in
late spring, summer and fall. Snowshoers visit in the winter,
although I can't promise that the cache will be accessable with
snow on the ground.
The trail passes through an old clearcut, now occupied by
thirty-foot-tall trees and a splendid stand of old growth. It
begins on the level, climbs steeply in the middle, and then
flattens out for the final approach to the lake.
Glacier carved Heather Lake sits in a subalpine forest and meadow
setting and lies below the cliffs of Mt. Pilchuck. When the
conditions allow, make sure to follow the loop trail, with its
boardwalk, around the lake. The south side of the lake offers the
best opportunity for fishing access, wildfowers, and berry picking.
About the cache:
- Please be gentle as you search for the
cache. The immediate area is rather fragile. The cache
is well hidden in its visible hidey hole.
- It would be a shame to not find this cache after the hike to
get here. Take the spoiler photos with you, just in case.
- Although we're not absolutely certain, we believe that the
cache is hidden 60-80 feet away from the trail. There was a fair
amount of snow still present when the cache was hidden. When spring
bursts forth, there may be a fair amount of bushwacking needed to
access its location.
- You are looking for a regular sized Lock 'n' Lock container
without camo.
- A Northwest Forest Pass is required for each vehicle parked at
the trailhead.
- FTF prize is a set of travel bug tags, and bragging
rights.
Finally, please let me know if there are problems with either the
cache or its coordinates. Most importantly, have fun!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[Spoiler photos show what you're looking for.] Ybbx sbe n zbff pbirerq zbhaq arne n fznyyvfu pheirq gerr. Gur pnpur vf va gur zbhaq, nobhg n sbbg vagb n ivfvoyr ubyr.