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Grandfather Oaks Letterbox Hybrid

This cache has been archived.

timebandits: When I placed this letterbox, over 8 years ago on a very cold day in January, the large-fallen-hollow tree was a home both to my letterbox and I'm sure many woodland animals. There is not much left of the tree today, as it has mostly returned back to earth.

Congratulations to all the geocachers who ventured out and found Grandfather Oaks. Looking forward to finding a new cache placed by another cacher now that this area is open. There are lots of great hiding spots!

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Hidden : 1/30/2008
Difficulty:
3.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

Located on Old Hickory Trail in Pittsfield Preserve. Note the coordinates are for parking only.

There is a stamp in the cache for you to stamp into your own log book (or paper). Please bring an inkpad if you want to stamp. This cache has been approved by the Pittsfield Township Parks & Recreation Department. I would like to thank them for their service to our community.


It is written that the new settlers to this land could ride side-by-side through the forests. They were awed by the number of mature oaks and hickories and how little underbrush there was.

What happened? Why is it so different today?

The answer lies with the previous caretakers of our forests, the Native Americans. To make hunting easier, and also due to warfare, they would burn the forests. Only those trees that could survive the fire would remain, and many native plants and flowers prospered without the underbrush.

Today our forests are different, as they are filled with invasive species. The oak seedlings are shaded and not able to mature.

What stories do our grandfather oaks tell? Follow the trail and find one grandfather oak at N 42 11.884, W 083 42.462. The other can be seen in the field, about 120 paces away.

Let these two elders point the way towards the cache. The cache is 180 paces away on a line with the trees. Note that the trail runs somewhat parallel to this line.

Don't be fooled by the quirky squirrel. You're not there yet. You still have over 60 paces to go.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Uvag 1: Vg bapr fgbbq, cebhq naq gnyy. Uvag 2: uggc://vzt.trbpnpuvat.pbz/pnpur/ybt/2570r77s-q1q1-4on9-n418-rr88pp867o32.wct

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)