The current name of this creek is Cross Brook, but it has had many names in the past, including Little Cohas, Piper's, and Phillip's. I like the first of these best, since that is the oldest name on record.
Little Cohas was the name of a Pennacook Abenaki who lived in this vicinity in the 18th century.
"Cohas" is one of many alternate spellings of the more famous word "Coos" (as in Coos County), which means "the small pine tree." The plural form is "Cohasak" or "Cowasuck" which is the name of a band of still-living Pennacook Abenakis. Their logo prominently features a pine tree.
The logo also features a rising sun, as "Abenaki" means "people of the dawn", "people of the east" or "people of the rising sun."
In Little Cohas' honor, I have filled the cache container with a set of Native American figurines/toys, including some people, a campfire, a dugout canoe, and a deer hide stretched over a wooden frame. I place no restriction on the types of items you might leave here in trade, but if you can leave something related to Native Americans (or small pine trees), that would be fabulous. Little Cohas was interested in trade, and once petitioned the British Crown to build a truck house at the confluence of his brook and the Merrimack. From what I can tell, a "truck house" (the term predates our current use of "truck") was an Indian trading post. Ultimately, his request was denied.
Little Cohas was known as a friendly Indian who spent his time hunting and fishing around Sandogardy pond and his creek. He had a cabin between two birch trees along the creek's bank about a mile upstream from here (the creek flows through the pond).
It's a bit of a bushwhack to get to the cache, but a skilled Abenaki would not be bothered by the level 4 terrain rating, and I know at least one ten year-old girl who made the trek without problem or complaint. Note that the cache is on the west side of the brook, so your best bet is to approach it from there. If you find yourself on the wrong side of the brook, don't despair - there's a log you can cross about a 50 yards downstream (just be careful).
And now for the puzzle. As I researched this cache, I wanted very much to know the meaning of "Cohas". This led me to dig into the Abenaki language, and now I lead you there as well.
Pebonkik:
Iawinska taba nas,
Nisinska taba nas taba noliwiw minit.
Alinkihlôt:
Tôbawôz kasinska taba pazekw,
Nsinska taba nguedôz taba nsôzek kasatgua nguedôz kasinska taba pazekw minit.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.