I backpacked up to Horton Springs with our Boy Scout Troop, and had the unresistable urge to hide a geocache. The only suitable container I had was my latchtop sandwich container that was full of oreos. The only paper I had for a log was the printout for GC1Q9T7 which I had found earlier. I added a few small trinkets I assembled from other scout leaders, and headed up the side of the hill. The cache was born.
The cache is located near Horton Springs. Head east from Payson on Hwy 260 to FR 289, then go north 1 mile to the Horton Creek Trailhead. The 4 mile Horton Creek trail is a gradual climb on a good trail. I would rate this terrain a 1.5-2. Once you arrive at the springs, take a short break, then head west through the fence, past the two campsites. You will head into a small side canyon which is also the Horton Springs trail, assuming you can find this trail within the overgrowth, strewn with dead trees and thorny plants.
The cache is up the ridge on the west side of this small canyon. It is a brutal climb up a steep hill, guarded by decaying logs, loose footing, thick and thorny overgrowth, and possible rattlesnakes. This last 500 feet is what makes the terrain a 4.
If you brought young children, they may want to wait at the springs.
When you're most of the way up this hillside, look for a big rock approximately 10X20 feet in size near the top.
The cache is hidden directly south of this rock, under a smaller rock in Arizona fashion
Despite finding a location that had unrestricted access to the sky, the coordinates were hard to pin down. In addition to the Mogollon Shift, the topographical diversity resulted in my six readings varying by 36 feet. As a result, the cache difficulty is a 3. I've taken several photographs of the area to help with the search. I strongly recommend printing these out before commencing the search.
All these warnings aside, should you find this cache, you will be rewarded by great views, and the find is a 3/4, which is nothing to sneeze at. Please post pictures of you at the cache for others to see.
