The Bay Path Traditional Cache
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Size: 
(regular)
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A 5-10 minute walk in the Mill Pond/Danforth Farm conservation area in Wilbraham.
The Bay Path was originally a Native American trail providing an overland link between the Connecticut River and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Explorers, some led by the redoubtable Miles Standish, were probably the first white men to set foot on the Path. Originally merely a well-trodden footpath, the Bay Path was later expanded and its route occasionally altered as the Colonists introduced wagons and oxen to overland transport. As the main artery for overland travel before the excavation of the ledges occupied by the current Route 20 and railroad along the Chicopee River bend, the Path also provided the route through North Wilbraham by which General Knox dragged 59 cannon and mortars to the Heights of Dorchester in 1776.
While the Path generally followed the route of route 20 on leaving Springfield, the original path wound up the lower part of Mountain Road to take advantage of the then-easier terrain at the time, avoiding the high ledge along the bend of the Chicopee River. The Path diverted to the left just as Mountain Road bears right past Poplar Dr., up over a slight ridge and down the hill toward Crane Hill Rd. where it crosses Twelve-Mile Brook. From there, the Path continued east, crossing what is now Silver St. about a half mile south of Rte. 20 before passing on into Monson.
For more information on the Path, see Levi Chase, “The Bay Path and Along the Way” (1919) and J.G. Holland’s novel “The Bay Path” (1857). A detailed description of the Wilbraham segment can be found in chapter 6 of Charles L. Merrick, "History of Wilbraham" (1964).
The Cache is an ammo can, hidden in the Mill Pond/Danforth Farm conservation area in Wilbraham off Crane Hill Rd. Parking is at the start of the disc golf course. The cache is a 5-10 minute walk from the parking area, and about 50' from the trail. From the cache site, an observant cacher can see the remains of the Twelve Mile Brook dam. Cache is kid-friendly, but parents should be mindful of a steep hill nearby.
Congratulations to XiaDog & Dosido for FTF!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Bar pbhyq qb jbefr guna or n fjvatre bs gurz.