The cache is located next to a few Eastern hemlocks, Tsuga canadensis (not to be confused with poison hemlock, Conium maculatum, which is found in Europe and is what killed Socrates). The Eastern hemlock is a majestic conifer tree native to the Eastern U.S., but unfortunately it is currently being attacked by a tiny insect from Asia called the hemlock woolly adelgid.
The insect was introduced (accidentally) to eastern Virginia in 1951, but stayed far away from here until 2006, when it was discovered in Buchanan and Dickenson Counties. Its cousin, the balsam woolly adelgid, was responsible for killing 95% of the Fraser firs in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You can identify the adelgid by looking for white fuzzy balls on the underside of a branch (usually during late fall, winter, and early spring).
While you’re hunting for the cache, flip over a hemlock branch and see if you can see any white fuzzies along the twigs at the base of the needles. I found some while hiding this cache (which you can see in the photo above), so unfortunately it seems to be here to stay.
FTF goes to Scouter James 1948!