Mule Ridge Saddle Traditional Cache
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Mule Ridge Saddle, another adventure that celebrates the amazing vistas available just minutes from downtown Redding. Bring a camera, water, and enjoy visiting the Pinnacle of the BLM trail network that will connect Muletown Road, the Princess Ditch trail and the Swasey BLM network in 2012.
In 2005, Kanaka shared the magic of a little travelled trail, the Princess Ditch and taught cachers the history of this special area as they discovered the caches Go Bear Go! and Princess 1900.
Fast forward to 2011. The BLM has ambitious plans to add 19 miles of trails to this area that will connect Muletown road, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, and the extensive BLM trails off of Swasey Drive. This network is marked. Half of it is smooth BLM-ified, trail and half is flagged but NOT negotiable by mountainbike.
At the saddle you will find a network of trails, four that converge. Today it is a huge staging area for BLM trail construction. About .75 miles of trails have been build extending away from the saddle. You can only imagine the picnic area that will eventually be created here.
Accessing this ridge will be a snap on the new trails. Today, November 2011, you will have two options, one is on trails and dirt roads and the other has a bushwack of over .5 miles along steep hillside, flagged, but very challenging. I came on the trails from the Princess Ditch.
Via Princess Ditch: Begin at the cache Princess - 1900 - South and travel north or join the trail near Go Dog Go! parking at the end of the paved Muletown Road. The jeep road at N40 32.263 W122 31.225 will head east to the ridge. At N40 32.542 W122 30.497 is a trail crossing that is the BLM trail. In 2012 you will likely be accessing the ridge via this trail. In November 2011, it is cleared but not easily negotiable. Continue up the road (used by BLM for trail access) and then head north once you reach the ridge
Via Swasey BLM: Take Escelator or Mule Mountain Trail (Terminator) to the saddle east of Mule Mountain. The new trail is roughly cut AROUND Mule Mountain. I did not come this way. It is very crude in 2011, though it is flagged. You will not want to drag your bike this way, but a very adventurous soul could hike this.
Via Mule Mountain Saltlick - Really adventurous, take a ride/hike up and over Mule Mountain.
Metal water bottle (thanks Desert (B) Rats). Difficulty rating will go down when the new trail is completed.
FTF Bandana. Congrats to itsthebd, Swimbait and Schoon for the joint FTF. They bushwhacked up the hill, making their own trail!!!
Carpe Diem, Carpe Geocachiem. . .MtnMike
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ebpxf, svffher. Nobir gur cngu.
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