Sanchez's Fire in the Cane Fields Traditional Cache
Sanchez's Fire in the Cane Fields
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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"Rafael
E. Sanchez Memorial Trail"
You are looking for a cache on
the Rafael E. Sanchez Memorial Trail in Lake Okeechobee Ridge Park.
Both the North and South Parking areas are listed as waypoints in
order to stage vechicles for your hike. A map can be printed or
viewed by clicking on the Related Web-Page Link above. Please use
the trail and "DO NOT BUSHWACK" directly from the highway to
the cache.
Lake Okeechobee Ridge Park is a 250 acre county park along the
east side of Conners Highway (US 98/441) in western Martin County.
The Rafael E. Sanchez Memorial Trail runs the length of the park,
from Port Mayaca north to almost Chancey Bay. This unconventional
conservation site is a narrow strip of tropical hardwood hammock
sandwiched between expansive sugar cane fields to the east and the
cleared area of the Herbert Hoover Dike to the west. This small
forested ridge is thought to be the historic shoreline of Lake
Okeechobee before the dike's construction, and contains large, old
growth trees that offer a glimpse of what this area might have
looked like 100 years ago. Migrating songbirds find welcome respite
from sugar cane and the open water of the "Big Lake" in this long,
narrow strip of hammock, and can be concentrated in significant
numbers in migratory months.
Put on your boots, bring your bug spray and be sure to bring a lot
of water and snacks for this six mile journey through old
Florida!
"Sugarcane
Harvesting"
To the east you'll see the
sugarcane fields. You may even see them harvesting it now.
Sugarcane is harvested by hand and mechanically. Hand harvesting
accounts for more than half of production, and is dominant in the
developing world. In hand harvesting, the field is first set on
fire. The fire burns dry leaves, and kills any lurking venomous
snakes, without harming the stalks and roots. Harvesters then cut
the cane just above ground-level using cane knives or machetes. A
skilled harvester can cut 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) of sugarcane per
hour. Mechanical harvesting uses a combine, or sugarcane harvester.
The machine cuts the cane at the base of the stalk, strips the
leaves, chops the cane into consistent lengths and deposits it into
a transporter following alongside. The harvester then blows the
trash back onto the field. Such machines can harvest 100 long tons
each hour; however, harvested cane must be rapidly processed. Once
cut, sugarcane begins to lose its sugar content, and damage to the
cane during mechanical harvesting accelerates this decline. This
decline is offset because a modern chopper harvester can complete
the harvest faster and more efficiently than hand cutting and
loading.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Nzzb Pna
Treasures
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