On June 17, 1972, five Republican operatives broke in to the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate Hotel in Washington. They were looking for information that might give President Richard Nixon an advantage over Senator George McGovern in the 1972 presidential election, in which Nixon was ultimately re-elected with the second-largest margin in American history.
The Watergate burglars, however, were unsuccessful. Apprehended by a security guard, they were tried and convicted in January 1973. An investigation into the Nixon Administration's connections to the burglary soon followed. After a lengthy series of resignations, firings, indictments, and convictions of Nixon Administration officials over a period of one and a half years, damning audiotape evidence finally revealed that Nixon had begun working only a few days after the burglary to cover up the ties between the burglars and the White House. Caught in a massive web of lies, and clearly guilty of criminal conduct, Nixon's support in Congress collapsed. With impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate a foregone conclusion, Nixon resigned the Presidency.
Thirty-five years have passed since the Watergate burglary, and you would think that scholars would have examined every possible angle. I, however, have uncovered something that has been overlooked to this day.
Consider this:
- Nixon was born in 1913.
- Nixon was 35 when he was elected to his second term in the House of Representatives.
- Nixon's resignation was effective on August 9, 1974 at 10:00 a.m. MDT.
- The Watergate scandal cast a long shadow over Nixon's second term in office and rocked the political establishment.
Now consider this:
If, 13 minutes before Nixon's resignation took effect, a vertical 35-foot pole had been embedded in the pile of rocks that are conveniently located at the posted coordinates, the pole would have cast its own long shadow. The tip of the pole's shadow would have marked the exact hiding place of the cache.
Coincidence? I think not!
The cache, which is a camouflage-painted ammo can, is hidden at a lower elevation than the posted coordinates, which are at the summit of Church Fork Peak. You will need to factor this into your calculations. Do your homework, be prepared to make some field measurements, and bring a calculator!
The best way to get to Church Fork Peak is from the Mt. Aire/Lamb's Canyon/Elbow Fork trailhead in Millcreek Canyon. Take the Elbow Fork Trail west until you reach the Burch Hollow Trail, which you can follow north to the ridge between Millcreek Canyon and Parley's Canyon. The rest of the hike from here is a faily easy bushwhack. You'll generally follow the ridge west, but in most places it is easier to stay slightly to the north of the ridge.
Congratulations to himilecyclist for being first to find and for spinning one heck of a yarn.