Downtown Louisville Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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A boat cache hidden in downtown Louisville... or what used to be downtown Louisville before the lake was built.
When Fort Loudon Lake was impounded most of the city of Louisville ended up underwater. Today there are just a few remaining streets west of here, although the remains of several buildings can be seen around the marina when the water is low enough. If you look northeast of the island where the cache is hidden you will see several cedar trees on an "island" just big enough for one person to stand on. When the lake is low you can see hundreds of bricks and a set of concrete steps surrounding these trees. They've always fascinated me but I don't know anything about their history.
Although you can practically see the cache site from Louisville Road, you'll have to cross water to get there. To reach this cache, you have several options. There are boat ramps at the nearby marina (which I believe will cost you), or at Louisville Point Park (which is free but is only open from sunrise to sunset). Alternatively, I guess you could swim if you want. Problem is you'll have to get permission to cross private property or else you'd better be able to swim 0.3 miles round trip from the marina. Do not try to swim directly across from the closest point on Louisville Road unless you get permission to cross the property.
This little island is choked with privet, thorns, and poison ivy. What more could you ask for? Also, in the summer months you'll have to wade in about a foot of water to reach the shore, as the bank is pretty undercut and the vegetation hangs out far enough to keep a boat from getting too close. There's no real path to the cache, but it isn't too far from the shore.
Although mud and clay surround the island the cache rests on, be careful approaching the other islands in this area. There are a large number of rocks that hide just under the water in many places. Depending on how the water level has recently changed mud and debris can cloud the water, hiding these obstacles from view. There are buoys to mark the areas of safe passage, but use care when boating outside of them.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gnyy fghzc. Gnyy ohpxrg.