Quadricentennial Challenge
Catskills Live! Trails & Wilderness Association issues
a
challenge to all — venture forth and seek all 15
Quadricentennial Challenge geocaches. Go to many great places
throughout Ulster County — visit the shores of the Hudson,
feel the
cool air in an historic cement mine, enjoy our small parks, ride on
our rail trails, summit two Catskill peaks, and savor the
breath-taking view from Gertrude's Nose in Minnewaska State Park
Preserve. Bask in our county's treasures with family and friends,
exercise your body, and build lasting memories. Over 100 specially
minted commemorative Quadricentennial geocoins were released from
15 Challenge geocaches set up in 2009 in celebration of the 400th
anniversary of the exploration of New York State by Henry Hudson.
Congratulations to Joe The Mailman, the first person to complete
all 15 caches! Funding for the Challenge was provided by Ulster
County and the Hudson River Valley Greenway.
John Burroughs Sanctuary
While separated in time by hundreds of years, John Burroughs and
Henry Hudson both opened up important new frontiers in the Hudson
Valley that ultimately extended throughout the world and shaped our
society. Henry Hudson opened the Hudson Valley to exploration,
homesteading, and eventually exploitation. Famed naturalist John
Burroughs taught us the importance of observing, studying, and
preserving nature.
Today, we recognize John Burroughs for his deep appreciation of
natural history that has, in turn, led others to protect some of
our nation's most cherished lands. Burroughs spent time in this
sanctuary and the surrounding area from 1873 until his death in
1921. You may sense his presence as you enjoy these preserved lands
that are the landscape of his essays.
Spend some time in and around the 196-acre John Burroughs
Sanctuary
and you will come to appreciate the rugged, pristine, beauty of
nature that Burroughs loved and wrote about.
Slabsides and the sanctuary are owned and maintained by the John
Burroughs Association.
The countryside here is comprised of rocky ledges, forest lands,
vast wetlands, the rushing Black Creek, and primeval waterfalls
— all teaming with animals and plants.
This is a true paradise for naturalists.
Black Creek Fault, Deformed Bedrock &
Wetlands
Time and nature are a powerful team. The rugged character of
the
area and rich species diversity resulted from a combination
of
folding and faulting of the bedrock, natural stream erosion,
and
rock removal by glaciers. This portion of the Hudson Valley
is
known by geologists because of its many faults. For observant
geocachers, there are many geologic clues that tell the tale of the
sculpted landscape — small and large.
Look, for example, at the lightning-like pattern in the bedrock
some 25 feet from the steps of John Burroughs' Slabsides cottage
retreat he built in 1895. These extension veins are evidence of
nearby faulting. As seen on the map above, Burroughs spent
considerable time nearly on top of a huge fault!
It
is this same Black Creek Fault that serves to contain water in the
northeastern end of his beloved Sanctuary Pond. The linear trend of
this fault and deformed rock layers are readily visible on
satellite imagery. Eons ago, rock layers east of the fault line
were thrust up vertically from their original horizontal position.
These layers now act as a natural dam. Other clear signs of
faulting and folding can be seen in geologic rock layers that are
upturned at various angles, ranging from a few degrees to vertical.
The map above, which is based on field mapping and aerial
photography, shows how bedrock layers curve into and abruptly end
in the Black Creek Fault. You can walk across this massive fault
line near the northern tip of Sanctuary Pond, about 35 feet north
of the Alfred Adams Connecting Trail and 125 feet from Sanctuary
Pond.
Most of the bedrock layers between the Slabsides cabin and
Sanctuary Pond slope downward to the southeast between 15 and 36
degrees from horizontal. However, at and just west of the Black
Creek Fault, rock layers are drag folded and upturned steeply
toward vertical. Look for this change. With practice, some
geologists think they can feel faint vibrations when they cross
fault lines. Can you?
An
important second factor serves to keep much of the Sanctuary Pond
water within the pond — southeast sloping bedrock layers
situated west of the Black Creek fault. Excellent examples of this
sloping bedrock may be seen on the northwest facing side of the
peninsula jutting into Sanctuary Pond and at the nearby Wake Robin
geocache placement.
Look closely at these layers and at the deformed rock layers that
hold the Sanctuary Pond water in. They are comprised of the
resistant sandstone of the Slab Sides Formation, named by
geologists in honor of John Burroughs. Glaciers that invaded the
area plucked off rock layers, leaving a saw tooth-like land profile
that holds water on the down slope side and dams water on the
upslope side. These geologic processes and the resulting landscape
profile impound small and large wetlands, commonly with waterfalls
at their downstream ends.
Two of the waterfalls situated along the Black Creek and a short
distance upstream of Slabsides once had thriving grist mills. It is
easy to envision John Burroughs reveling and sharing in the wild
beauty of his surroundings. We are fortunate today that The John
Burroughs Association and Scenic Hudson have worked to preserve
much of this Black Creek land just as it was long ago. The two
waterfalls depicted are north of Floyd Ackert Road and are not
within the John Burroughs Sanctuary. Bedrock at these falls is
comprised of the beautiful pink sandstone and conglomerates of the
Shaupeneak Formation.
Flora and Fauna
The John Burroughs Sanctuary teams with flora and fauna throughout
forest lands, wetlands, on rocky ledges, in streams, and in
Sanctuary Pond. Picture the pleasant sight of beavers slapping
their tails on Sanctuary Pond shrouded in early morning mist.
NYS Quad Challenge Geocache — Burroughs' Natural
Refrigerator
This geocache is strategically placed in a small, cool, natural
cave that was used by John Burroughs to store butter and other
perishables — nature's refrigerator. While Burroughs used a
wooden ladder to descend into this cave, it is easily accessed by
scrambling down rocks behind his Slabsides cabin. A flashlight is
not needed. Joan Burroughs selected this cache location to help
preserve knowledge of her great grandfather's daily life.
It
is likely that Burroughs constructed a wooden door or covered rock
storage cache here to secure his food from animals. The geocache is
a 2-liter cylindrical poly bottle hidden where access does not
necessitate damaging vegetation. The cache is filled with
kid-friendly items and, initially, four NYS Quadricentennial
Challenge geocoins designed to travel throughout the world. This
geocache location was selected and approved by The John Burroughs
Association.
Nearby Wake Robin Geocache
Another excellent geocache, though currently rogue (not yet
formally permitted), is present in the John Burroughs Sanctuary
along the Elizabeth Burroughs Kelley Connector Trail that connects
the Slabsides cabin and Sanctuary Pond. The Wake Robin geocache
(GC135YP) was placed on May 26, 2007 and has, to date, been visited
by more than 30 geocachers. Their logged comments, much like the
guest book names of many of Burroughs' visitors (e.g., Theodore
Roosevelt, Muir, Edison, Ford), show their appreciation for being
introduced to this beautiful, historic, sanctuary steeped in
nature. The Wake Robin cache is sited in a habitat-friendly
location some 150 feet southwest of a relict laid stone catchment
dam and pond. What do you think this structure was used for? The
adjacent photo (labeled Southeast sloping bedrock nearcache)
depicts multiple bedrock layers like those seen sloping at 23
degrees to the southeast near the Wake Robin geocache. Most of
Sanctuary Pond lies above similarly sloping bedrock layers.
Parking
Small parking areas are present along Floyd Ackert Road and near
the entry gate on Burroughs Drive. The John Burroughs Sanctuary is
open from dawn to dusk.
Please Cache In and Trash Out!