Without Salt Traditional Cache
kmurph38: The container was destroyed and needs a replacement.
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Half-day round trip hike up the Bug Spring Trail on Mt. Lemmon, Arizona.
This hike features beautiful views of Mt. Lemmon and the Catalina Highway, Tucson far below, and the Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains. Bring your camera. Check with the Mt. Lemmon web site for rules and fees about parking.
Park at the Bug Spring trailhead on Mt. Lemmon's Catalina Highway. The trailhead is immediately on your right as you enter the small parking area. Follow the Bug Spring Trail all the way - there's no need to go off-trail, and the trail is easy to follow, but it DOES NOT go to Bug Spring. The Bug Spring wash will be far below you on your right as you hike up. Hiking up the ridge to the cache is moderately strenuous ... a moderate hike going up and easy coming down. During the warmer months you can see several species of snakes, tarantulas, deer, lizards, raptors and jack rabbits. In the spring and after the monsoons there will be many wildflowers and butterflys. Unless it's during the rainy season or when there's winter snow melt runoff, there's no water on this route, and there's little shade.
The hike to the cache is just over 2 miles one-way and is suitable for dogs and teenagers. Bring plenty of water. The trail is also used by mountain bikes. There are lots of places to rest and enjoy the views. The trail ascends steadily up the mountain ridge starting at 4972 feet and ending at 5980 feet. As you get above 5600 feet there are fewer trail signs, especially up on the rocks. Look for the rock cairns, and turqoise paint marks. The trail follows the ridge top all the way.
The cache is hidden near the top of the ridge where there are large, cathedral-like rocks which are visible from almost anywhere in the valley. It's hidden between two tall, erect monoliths (actually, there are three - a smaller one between the two large ones). The cache is in a translucent Maxi-Loc 1.4 liter plastic container, 6" high by 5" wide and 4" deep with a snap-on lid - hidden under some rocks, of course. Be careful that the top is snap-locked on all 4 sides when you re-hide it erect.
If you stand on a small rock outcrop north of the monoliths and look south through the opening between them you'll see Mt. Wrightson off in the distance. The cache will be about 15' below where you're standing.
After your rest and the kids playing on the huge rocks (if you want more hiking), continue on the trail North. After a short distance it descends down into cool, shaded pine forests for another 2.3 miles following a stream to the Middle Bear picnic site. The Bug Spring Trail is 4.5 miles end-to-end.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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