This is the fifth cache of our series, Sacred Springs. A sacred spring, or holy well, is a small body of water emerging from underground and venerated either in a pagan or a Christian context, often both. The term is commonly employed to refer to any water source of limited size which has some significance in the folklore of the local area. This can take the form of a particular name, an associated legend, or the attribution of healing qualities. In Christian legend, the spring water is often said to have been made to flow by the action of a saint. Our approach on the sacrality of these springs is slightly profane: it refers mostly to the holiness of native land.
Even the name of this spring betrays its secret story. Who knows what other secrets are hidden behind the name of this place. The Hidden Spring is between the St. John's Well and the Pater Memorial Trail, on right side of Plesca Valley. Some hikers call it the Shepard's Spring. Of course, the spring can be approached from several directions, but we went there from another spring: Elisabeth's Spring. We climbed the new unpaved road rising from Plesca Valley (Parking) trough Pater-Hill to Manastur. Barely a hundred meters before the peak, (Entrance) turned right to an unmarked trail in a pine tree forest. We walked along this path, and about one kilometer we reached a downhill clearing, at its bottom corner lies a canyon hiding the concrete ring of the Hidden Spring. We placed our cache on the other side of the gap at 1 m height in a tree.
Chiar si numele acestui izvor face referire la un loc misterios. Cine stie ce fel de secrete se ascund în acest loc in afara de Izvorul Ascuns :D. Izvorul se afla intre Sf. Ioan si Creasta Capul Dealului, pe partea dreapta Vaii Plescai. Unii excursionisti îl numesc si Izvorul Ciobanului. Desigur, putem ajunge la izvor din mai multe directii, dar noi am mers acolo de la un alt izvor: de la Izvorul Elisabeta. Am urcat pe noul drum neasfaltat din Valea Plesca (Parking) spre Creasta Capul Dealului. Cam la o suta de metri înainte de a atinge creasta, (Entrance) am luat-o spre dreapta pe o carare nemarcata care trece printr-o padure de pin. Am mers pe aceasta poteca aproximativ un kilometru, apoi am ajuns la o poiana asezata în panta, la coltul de jos al acesteia se afla o râpa care camufleaza Izvorul Ascuns. Am ascuns geocutiuta pe celalalt mal al râpei intr-un copac, la 1 m inaltime.
