Dexter Pond / Long Hill Loop Traditional Cache
robnsamcabot: Archiving this to make room for a new Puzzle cache here, just submitted to MadMin.
Dexter Pond / Long Hill Loop
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Just off of Exit 15 on Route 128, this cache almost shares a border with the Essex County Club’s golf course. The parking waypoints are for Dexter Pond (on the right, take a quick peek, park here for ice skating), and the trailhead, perhaps 50 yards / meters further in on Colburn Road, on the left. This cache is a 7”x7”x2.5” Lock ‘n’ Lock, be prepared for some thorns and bugs galore. It’s a 30’ bushwhack off the trail.
The creation of a circular trail in 2001 upon land held under a conservation restriction linking Dexter Pond to an old carriage road (an extension of Magnolia Avenue), thereby allowing people to make a complete loop around Long Hill.
This area contains two surface water bodies, wetlands, and many unique wildlife habitats. For many years, Dexter Pond was a part of the more than 200-acre Sidney Allen Estate. When Mrs. Allen died in 1971, the estate was offered for sale. Recognizing the potential of the area to impact on Town well-being, Town officials participated actively in seeking a new owner for the property who would be sensitive to its natural resources.
A circular trail was created in 2001 linking Dexter Pond to an old carriage road (an extension of Magnolia Avenue), thereby allowing people to make a complete loop around Long Hill. The Dexter Pond Conservation Area itself now comprises approximately 30 acres of forested uplands, bordering wetlands and a large open pond surrounded by a perimeter trail. Dexter Pond has a surface area of approximately 2.8 acres and an average depth of only 3-4 feet. The pond is fed from both groundwater flow and a surface stream that enters along its eastern shore. The pond freezes over in the winter months providing recreation for ice skaters. In my childhood, Dexter Pond and nearby Chebacco Lake were the two places locals could find a game of “pickup” hockey. Any similarities of this cache to the Showtime series “Dexter” are strictly coincidental (although you might lose blood to the thorns or mosquitoes).
First-To-Find prize is an American coin rarer than our usual leave, a Liberty Dime from 1916 that is .900 silver. The designer, Charles Barber, was Chief Engraver of the mint and because of his position, a default “winner” of his submission of his own coin design. Of all the political strains imposed onto this coin, there was one minting that still captivates the envy of collectors worldwide. Only twenty-four 1894-S proof-grade coins were ever made. The reason why so few were made is unclear. One theory is that each of Daggett’s seven friends received 3 coins, and Daggett kept three for himself. Allegedly, Daggett gave his three coins to his daughter on a hot day, and his daughter spent one of the dimes on a dish of ice cream. Reminds me of when I tried to buy some penny candy (I’m dating myself here) with an 1853 large cent. Fortunately, Mrs. Rice over at Floyd’s in then downtown Manchester-by-the-Sea wouldn’t let me do so. Her storefront has a cameo in the movie “State and Main” starring Alec Baldwin and Sarah Jessica Parker. For more interesting coin lore involving Chief Engraver Barber, please consult “Double Eagle: The Epic Story of the World’s Most Valuable Coin” by Alison Frankel. The FTF "bat phone" rang this morning and chief turtles answered the call! (I also used to buy comic books, then 25¢, from Mrs. Rice.) A happy 10/10/10!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Vs abg cebcreyl er-uvqqra, guvf pnpur nyzbfg jvaxf ng lbh juvyr lbh’er fgvyy ba gur genvy. Sebz haqre n ebpx, 30’ njnl.