“Do Your Best” on Horn Hollow Trail Cache
-The Horn Hollow Trail is a loop trail that begins and ends near the Welcome Center. It runs through the Cave Branch valley, parallel to the entrance highway, then ascends into a streamless valley called Horn Hollow, passing a number of cave entrances. The trail then ascends to a high ridgetop before dropping down into a small valley on the return trip to the Welcome Center. This hilly, but scenic trail is especially rewarding during the spring wildflower season, during April and May. The trail is two-miles in length and is marked with green blazes. (Reprinted from the Carter Caves Website: http://parks.ky.gov/findparks/resortparks/cc/trails/)
If you walk the entire trail you will encounter two moderate accents and corresponding descents. Along the trail you will cross a bridge, pass several cave entrances, and walk past a spring well. The spring well is basically a small dam built to pool the spring’s water. People would then collect the clean water for drinking. The abundance of these natural springs and limestone account for the formation of the area’s caves.
This cache was originally placed by Cub Scout Pack 171 from Carter City, KY which was part of the Cardinal District of the Tri-State Area Council. Both the Cardinal District and Tri-State Area Councils have been eliminated. The cache is now maintained by Cub Scout Pack 168 from Olive Hill (which is part of the Adena District of the Buckskin Area Council). The Cub Scouts can earn an award called the “Leave No Trace Award.” Leave No Trace is a plan that helps people take better care of the environment and protect it for future generations. In the spirit of “Leave No Trace” and “Cache In / Trash Out,” please bring a trash bag and carry out any refuse left behind by less considerate hikers.
Cub Scout motto: Do Your Best
Cub Scouting 12 Core Values
1. Citizenship: Contributing service and showing responsibility to local, state, and national communities.
2. Compassion: Being kind and considerate, and showing concern for the well-being of others.
3. Cooperation: Being helpful and working together with others toward a common goal.
4. Courage: Being brave and doing what is right regardless of our fears, the difficulties, or the consequences.
5. Faith: Having inner strength and confidence based on our trust in God.
6. Health and Fitness: Being personally committed to keeping our minds and bodies clean and fit.
7. Honesty: Telling the truth and being worthy of trust.
8. Perseverance: Sticking with something and not giving up, even if it is difficult.
9. Positive Attitude: Being cheerful and setting our minds to look for and find the best in all situations.
10. Resourcefulness: Using human and other resources to their fullest.
11. Respect: Showing regard for the worth of something or someone.
12. Responsibility: Fulfilling our duty to God, country, other people, and ourselves.
Special thanks goes to Coy Ainsley (Carter Caves Park Naturalist), Carey Tichenor (Director of the Division of Recreation & Interpretation of Kentucky State Parks), and Carter Caves State Park for allowing us to place this cache.
The Kentucky State Parks have official rules to be followed when considering the placement of a geocache on a state park (failure to follow these rules will result in the removal of the cache by park staff). The following rules are reprinted form a letter provided by Coy Ainsley:
1. Geocachers must contact the park prior to their visit to obtain permission to place a geocache, and inquire about possible designation and/or “off limit” areas.
2. The following parks have dedicated state nature preserves on them: Blue Licks Battlefield, Carter Caves, Cumberland Falls, John James Audubon, Kingdom Come, Natural Bridge, and Pine Mountain. Geocaches are not allowed on state nature preserves. Geocaches at these parks must be placed in appropriated areas of the park not dedicated at nature preserves.
3. Activities must be confined directly to the trail, and refrain from having to get off the trail to place or hunt for a geocache. Caches shall be placed no more than an arm’s length off park trails, Do no access fragile areas, such as rockhouses, caves, bogs, wetlands, steep slopes, historic structures, and other sensitive sites. Avoid areas closed to the public, or deemed unsafe.
4. Follow all trail rules. Trail systems and some parks, close at dark.
5. Do not interfere, or detract from other park visitors’ experiences. Do not place the cache in high use visitation areas.
6. Adhere to all other land use rules and posted information.
7. Report any incidents, problems, or violations to the appropriate park staff.
8. Encourage friends, and fellow geocachers to follow this policy.