What Grows Up Must Come Down? Mystery Cache

This cache has been archived.

Oceanic815: Due to the extensive sewer line construction in area right next to cache, decided to archive it. This park is ripe for new caches... if a CO and finders can stand the vegetation, especially in spring and summer.

More
Hidden : 3/22/2009
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
4 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

The cache is NOT at the posted coordinates, but they can be used for parking. Walk down and cross bridge, enter woods on right.

Cache is at:
N40 11.6AB
W075 26.9XY

 This cache is a small lock-and-lock container as of Dec. 13, 2009, due to the prior ammo box being muggled. It is about 15-20 feet at a bearing of 330 degrees from the GZ you will get from the coordinates given by "Birdwatcher" and "Give A Hoot" - just look for the nearest geo-significant object.

This is one of three caches that are linked to each other, in that you must find the two Traditional caches in order to find the Mystery cache. The numbers for “AB” and “XY” can be found inside the other two caches. From the parking area, it is about a 1.5 mile round trip walk. The two Traditional caches are:

GC1P1NJ = Birdwatcher (Traditional)
GC1P1NR = Give A Hoot! (Traditional)

This is one of four total caches in a piece of the fragmented Montgomery County “Central Perkiomen Valley Park”. The walk from the parking area begins by following a clearing from when an underground sewer pipeline was installed, and it is gradually giving way again to tall grasses and multiflora rose (a.k.a. sticker bushes). There are one or more stream crossings involved, which most times are not challenging at all, and in summer may often be dry – but after a really heavy rain may be un-crossable. If the Perkiomen has not flooded, but is just running high, the second stream crossing will wet your feet- and maybe more! It could also be a pretty muddy walk back to this cache, depending on how much recent rain there was. However, there is a bit of a path or track in the direction of the cache making the walk a little easier- if you can find it. In the Spring, the ground will be covered with Lesser Celandine, an undesirable invasive plant species with small yellow flowers. There are also patches of Virginia Bluebells, which has purple-blue flowers. There is plenty of poison ivy too, which can be avoided with care. Stinging nettles are also in abundance, so shorts are not recommended.

Most of this piece of the park is essentially a floodplain, so there will be trouble accessing this cache and the two Traditional caches needed to find this one if the Perkiomen is or has recently reached flood stage. .

CITO Note: At Ground Zero for this cache, you are likely to find a fair amount of broken glass from what appears to have been an old trash dumping site that the river is gradually uncovering during floods, so be careful with any small children, and the feet of geo-dogs. When I placed the cache, I found a suitable container nearby that I filled with broken glass and carried out of there for recycling. I brought the container back to the cache site empty, and encourage other cachers to CAREFULLY put any broken glass they find in it (you will know it when you see it), and include a note in their log when the container is full, and I will come and empty and recycle it again.

This cache was placed with permission of the Park Manager, and inspected by Ranger O’Connor. Please read and observe all Park rules listed at the following website. According to park regulations, no hunting is permitted in the park. Park is open dawn to dusk. (visit link)

UPDATE May 22, 2009: Wow, how the Japanese Knotweed, Multiflora Rose, Poison Ivy, Stinging Nettles, and Garlic Mustard have grown in the spring! There IS a way to get to final from either Birdwatcher or Give A Hoot caches, and avoid almost all of that mess (except the low-growing poison ivy). Just head toward the Perkiomen and look for ATV trail. There is one very easy spot to cross the small tributary to the Perkiomen too.

Special Turtle Team Note: anyone who caches in sandals and shorts in here deserves their fate!

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



Advertising with Us