Admire the Gator Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Located along the Ice Cave Trail (#608)
Alligator Juniper (genus Juniperus deppeana) are the least common of the junipers in the pinyon-juniper vegetation type. It can be a large tree, growing in height to 50’ with a trunk of 4’ in diameter. The tree is easily identified by its bark, which becomes deeply fissured with age to form squares one to two inches on a side resembling Alligator skin. The Alligator Juniper typically grows in oak and pinion-juniper woodlands at elevations between 4500 and 8000 feet.
Alligator juniper is a hard wood that is very slow to rot, making the dead wood prime fuel for forest fires. Being such a hard, rot resistant wood made it historically useful as fence posts, canes, and mine timbers. It has a high heat output making it excellent firewood. Native Americans used the cone-berries to make medicines and teas.
In addition, the shapes of an Alligator Juniper can be very unique, almost approaching ”forest art”. Please feel free to take a picture of a unique, artful Alligator Juniper and attach it to your log.
This cache is a 4 ½” diameter by 7” high container located along the Ice Cave Trail (#608). It contains a gold silver dollar for the FTF. There is no need to bushwack as the cache is located alongside the trail. GZ is 1.7 mi from Blue Ridge TH#1, 2.5 mi from Ice Cave TH, and 3.8 mi from Timber Mesa TH (via Osprey Connector). The terrain rating is due to the somewhat rocky trails leading to Admire the Gator.
Exact trail information can be found at:
www.tracks-pinetop-lakeside.org/trail1.htm
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)