VSP Fairy Stone 75th Anniversary Adventure Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Virginia State Parks: Virginia State Parks 75th Anniversary Geocaching Adventure series ended on December 15, 2011. Look for the upcoming series, Virginia State Parks Blooming Adventure in March 2012.

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Hidden : 2/9/2011
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:


This is an easy park and grab located at the Stuart’s Knob Trail Head in Fairy Stone State Park. It is part of a statewide series of caches commemorating the 75th anniversary of Virginia State Parks. After you find the geocache, stay a while and hike the trails to learn more about Fairy Stone, one of the six original Virginia State Parks that opened in 1936.

This is a relatively easy park and grab traditional cache. The location can be reached by a short walk from the Stuart’s Knob Trail Head parking area, probably less than 100 yards. There is some underbrush and downed logs along the way, so you may have to step carefully. Other hazards to be aware of include: poison ivy, copperhead snakes, and ticks. After you leave the parking area, the tree cover is fairly heavy, so your GPS unit may not be able to pinpoint the exact cache location.
Fairy Stone State Park is one of the six original Virginia State Parks that opened in 1936. The others include: Westmoreland, First Landing (Seashore), Hungry Mother, Douthat, and Staunton River. The six original state parks were all built by the Civilian Conservation Corps as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s plan to help the country get through the Great Depression.

When the CCC started work on Fairy Stone, the area was an abandoned iron mining and logging community. The CCCs worked from 1933 to 1941 to repair the land by quarrying and placing many tons of stone, planting thousands of trees, building roads and bridges, constructing cabins, and most notably, building Fairy Stone Dam to create the 168 acre lake. Over time, the CCC contributions have become less apparent and the locations of the twin camps that housed the CCC workers have been hidden by the passage of time. However, much of what they built is still in use today, including the 9 original log cabins, shelters 1 and 2, the lodge, the beach shelters, and the conference center. Throughout the park, you can identify the distinct CCC building styles, utilizing large rough timber posts and stone construction. Even after 75 years, Fairy Stone remains indebted to the Civilian Conservation Corps men who made the park what it is with their own blood and sweat.


This cache is part of the Virginia State Parks 75th Anniversary Geocaching Adventure. Each state park has a cache for this series, each with a unique collector’s card. There are small prizes for finding 5, 10, 20, and ALL of the caches. Most parks require a small parking fee while geocaching. For more information go to: www.virginiaoutdoors.com.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Sbhaqngvbaf

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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