The hike is not hard until the last part that is an ascent up steep
steps. Take your time and watch your footing, especially when it is
wet out. Once you get there, take a nice break and enjoy the
view.
This earthcache is a fossil site. The fossil in particular is a
hadrosaur. This particular fossil is not very large. Therefore, it
is nearly impossible to pinpoint exactly what kind of hadrosaur it
may have been.
Hadrosaurs lived in the crustaceous period. Hadrosaurs were also
known as duckbilled dinosaurs. They had one of the most spectacular
sets of teeth of any plant-eating dinosaur. They had hundreds of
sharp, diamond-shaped teeth lined on both sides of their upper and
lower jaws. These teeth were set way back in the jaw, leaving the
beak toothless. When eating, their jaws acted like huge vegetable
grinders. New teeth were constantly replacing old ones, as they
grew old. Some had up to almost 900 teeth.
Hadrosaurs grew from around 10 feet long to over 40 feet long.
They mainly walked on their powerful hind legs, but could also get
down on all fours to rummage for food on the ground. They had
different shaped skulls, some with long horns sticking straight up
or straight back. Others had more of a dome shaped head. Fossil
sites have found large groups of hadrosaurs, meaning they most
likely lived as a herd. They have also found fossil sites of mother
and egg nests showing that the hadrosaur took care of its
young.
To log this cache, you must answer some questions. Answers to the
questions can be found on the sign at the cache site.
1.(Note: As of 1/1/11 taking pictures for earthcaches are
optional, not manditory to log the find) Take a picture of yourself
or group with a gps in hand and the fossil area in the
background.
2. What type of rock is the fossil found in?
3. What part of the dinosaur is this fossil?
4. How did the Hadrosaur remains become fossilized?
Please email the cache owner with the answers to the questions,
do not post them in your log. Please post your pic on the cache
page for all to see. Please respect the area around the fossil and
do not go beyond the posted signs. Continue on the trail you were
on a little farther and you will come to a bench that overlooks the
park. You can see millions of years of history all around you in
the rocks. Enjoy the hike and the find.
Information about Hadrosaur was found at
http://www.nps.gov/akso/parkwise/Students/ReferenceLibrary/Paleontology/Hadrosaurs.htm
Other information was from Eyewitness books: Dinosaur by David,
Norman, Ph.D.