This is the second in a small series of caches which are 'virtual docent hikes' through Edgewood Natural Preserve, presenting the natural history of the park to geocachers. Their information is based on the guided tours given by the Friends of Edgewood during the spring and summer wildflower season. This cache features the perennial plants of Edgewood.
The cache creators were members of the Edgewood docent team, and invite you to join one of the 'real' docent hikes in additional to seeking this cache. For now, the other cache in the series is Serpentine. With some careful planning you can do the two sets of stages on one hike, with one or two backtracks depending on your starting point.
The stages for this cache are presented in the order encountered when starting from the Clarkia trailhead on Cañada Road (see Parking waypoint), but it will also work fine if accessed from the trailheads mentioned in Serpentine or Edgewood's Back Door.
Stage 1: N 37 27.580 W 122 17.002 The shrub growing in a loose stand here is a California native, the Yerba Santa or Eriodictyon californicum. Our private name for it has been 'yerba purple', for its lavender blooms in the late spring and early summer. The bush occurs intermixed with other chaparral vegetation, and occasionally in pure stands such as this one. Its leaves are often sticky, or covered in a sooty fungus. The native Americans brewed a bitter tea from them, used for everything from tuberculosis to rheumatism to sore throat.
Clue: Look across the canyon to the southwest. You will see some power poles silhouetted on the ridge beyond. How many are there? Multiply that number by 2 to get B. (Ignore the poles off in another direction, and more distant poles.)
Stage 2: N 37 27.704 W 122 16.885 Here you are in an area of chaparral vegetation, growing in soil that has weathered from serpentine rock. This is the preferred habitat of the short, prickly leaved tree you see here, the Leather Oak, Quercus durata. Its leaves are small and harden quickly after they grow, to protect the tree's moisture from the intense summer sun.
Clue: Look down the trail and you'll see a few posts. Walk over and check them out. How many are there? (Count both sides of the trail.) That number is A.
(If you've been following the Clarkia trail, continue to its junction with a road. Turn left, and then take the right fork at post 20 onto the Serpentine Trail.. There's a nice resting spot at N 37 27.827 W 122 16.721. No clue here, just a great view. On a clear day the peak of Mount Diablo is visible behind the East Bay hills. The green area on the near side of the Bay is Baer Island, a salt marsh being restored as a wildlife refuge. The small grove of trees just downhill are more leather oaks. From here, continue on the Serpentine trail, then at Post 17 take a left towards the ridge top ahead.)
Stage 3: N 37 27.836 W 122 16.823 You are standing on one of the high points of the park, at 809 feet. Here are large specimens of two of the characteristic oaks of California. Facing south, to your right is the Coast Live Oak, Quercus agrifolia, the dominant oak of the coast ranges. It is called a 'live' oak because it keeps its leaves through the entire year. To your left, at the end of the fence, is an equally large Valley Oak, Quercus lobata, more typical of the inland valleys. Depending on the season you visit, it may have dropped its leaves, being a deciduous variety.
Clue: Look around and find a bench nearby. Note the dedication. How many letters in the first two words? That's E.
Return to the junction at Post 17 and continue straight on the Live Oak Trail.
Stage 4: N 37 27.978 W 122 17.121 Having climbed over the highest point of the central ridge, at 872 feet, you find one of the most beautiful of California native trees, the Pacific Madrone, Arbutus menziesii. It periodically sheds its outer bark layers to discourage insects, exposing a handsome mahogany inner layer. This feels cool to the touch on a hot day, so the madrone is nicknamed the 'refrigerator tree'. It bears orange-red fruits in the late fall and winter.
Clue: Walk a little further west along the trail, and find another bench. What is the number of the birth month? That's C. What is the last digit of the birth day? That's D.
Continue on Live Oak Trail to Post 12. Turn left onto the Franciscan Trail.
Stage 5: N 37 28.045 W 122 17.190 The small, long leafed tree growing just below the trail here is the California Bay Laurel, Umbellularia californica. In Oregon they call it myrtlewood, and its straight-grained fragrant wood is used to make tourist curios. If you've any doubt whether you've got the right tree, give the leaves a pinch and sniff. The right ones have a pungent, spicy smell. In fact, the leaves of the California bay can be used as a substitute for the ordinary culinary Mediterranean bay leaves when cooking. Use one leaf for every two specified in the recipe, as the local variety is stronger.
Clue: Turn around and at N 37 28.046 W 122 17,186 look uphill. Over to your right a bit is a larger specimen of California bay, with the basal burl that is characteristic of mature trees. Now look left, just above the trail. You should see a smaller multi-trunked dead oak, with a small hollow at the base that would be a good cache hidey hole, if only they were allowed in this park! How many trunks does this oak have? Divide that number by two, and the result is F.
Continue on the Franciscan Trail. At Post 15 take a hard right onto Ridgeview Trail. At Post 13 turn left on Edgewood Trail, which at Post 14 becomes Sunset Trail. At Post 22 turn right onto Clarkia Trail.
Final: Head back to the trailhead, and then go check out N 37 27.ABC W 122 17.DEF. Remember these digits are NOT in the order you collected them! The cache is a small lock & lock. We hope you enjoyed the walk!
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.