Please take note: The Provincial Parks coin program will be coming to a close at the end of 2019. It was a great program but it has run its course, and it is time to look at something new. Passports will be accepted until the end of the year, If there is an issue with a cache please communicate by sending a message on the cache page. The address has changed to send in the passports, please use this address:
Nova Scotia Dept. of Lands and Forestry
15 Arlington Place, Suite 7
Truro, Nova Scotia
B2N 0G9
Nestled along the bank of the Meander River, near the town of Windsor, Smileys Provincial Park provides a magnificent backdrop for lovers of nature and those who just want to relax and explore the local attractions.
Many people associate Smileys’ location near Windsor and Brooklyn, with the white gypsum cliffs that look like giant teeth glistening along many rivers and streams. But how did the gypsum get here? Nearly 350 million years ago, this parkland sat on a wide basin extending from the Bay of Fundy all the way to northern Cape Breton. Towering mountains to the south and north gradually eroded, depositing thousands of metres of sediment in the basin. Many millions of years later, the sea retreated and erosion exposed the underlying limestone and gypsum. This wealth of gypsum has resulted in a landscape feature called karst topography, which is characterized by round sinkholes, underground streams and even a few caves.
A walk along the trails will take you through a mix of forest habitats, rich farmland, dykelands, and salt marshes. Vegetation in and around the park has been greatly influenced by the gentle relief and poor drainage, as well as by humans. Tree lovers will delight in the abundance of white birch, red maple, poplar, eastern hemlock and white pine. Scattered sugar maple, beech and yellow birch occupy the better-drained low ridges, while black cherry, white ash and American elm dominate the flood plain. Stop for a moment and admire the patience and power of nature; see how she has reclaimed abandoned farms and re-colonized them with white and red spruce and balsam fir. Bring your binoculars and your bird guide! Flood plain plants such as nodding trillium, false Solomon’s seal, bloodroot, yellow violet, ostrich fern and the rare blue cohosh attract a wide variety of feathered friends.
This geocache is part of the 2010 NS Provincial Parks Geocaching challenge. For more information about the geocaching challenge, click the following LINK for more information. To participate in the challenge, you will need to download the associated PASSPORT. At each geocache, there is a punch that you can mark the corresponding box on your passport. Collect all 5 and you can send in your passport to receive a free trackable geocoin.
In order to solve this geocache, you will need to brush up on your knowledge of trees. Refer to the following links to help you.
How to Solve This Multi
1. At the starting coordinates; identify the species of tree that you see. (Hint: you will see a yellow trail marker 5 feet up the tree)
Answer: 4 letters, look towards the east, the tallest tree should be visible. Place each letter in the following slots.
(a) ___
(b) ___
(c) ___
(d) ___
2. Refer to this cipher key to get the corresponding digits from step 1. (eg. the letter I = 2 + 4 = 6)
| 0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
| 1 |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
| 2 |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
| 3 |
K |
L |
M |
N |
O |
| 4 |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
| 5 |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
3. Use your answers in step 2 to discover the final geocache location:
N 4a 00.b47 W d3 a8.a27
4. Verify your answers...
i. The checksum from step 2 is a + b + c + d= 24
ii. The geocache is located within the park along trails or access road, No bush wacking required
The Series
The geocaches that are part of the passport program are:
The Passport
You can download the passport from NS Parks.