Petenwell Dike Walk - Wisconsin River Harnassed Traditional Cache
Petenwell Dike Walk - Wisconsin River Harnassed
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Great views of Petenwell from along the dike is what you will find
here. The Dike is straight as an arrow, with a wide gravel walking
path at the top. I try to avoid rock hides whenever possible, but
all there is here is rocks, so not many options of where to hide a
cache here. So to make it easier, the cache is just north of the
wooden post, and I placed a small cairn next to the cache to make
it easier. If you want to make the cairn taller, please do so.
The Wisconsin River is the hardest working river in the nation.
From its headwaters on the Wisconsin-Michigan border in Lac Vieux
Desert, it falls more than 1,000 feet on its 500-mile journey
through the state, before emptying into the Mississippi River at
Prairie du Chien.
Since the Ice Age, the mighty river has scoured gorges and cut
great rapids and waterfalls, whose roar has been replaced by the
hum of turbines and waterwheels at 26 hydroelectric dams. The
energy generated each year would supply the electrical needs of
every home in Madison for a year.
The Wisconsin, long notorious for devastating floods, is now
partially controlled by 21 reservoirs (flowages) on the river. Many
reservoirs are lowered prior to spring runoff in anticipation of
high water when spring breakup begins.
The Petenwell Dam and the Castle Rock Dam (its sister downriver)
are unique, because they are built on sand and were the first such
projects undertaken in the United States. The concrete dams are
classified as "floating-type construction" with imbedded cutoff
walls that penetrate deep into the glacial sands, permanently
anchoring them.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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