Morris Canal - Hopatcong State Park Mystery Cache
Morris Canal - Hopatcong State Park
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The cache is NOT located at the posted coordinates!!! A good place to park and begin your adventure is N40 54.975 W074 39.841. These are your Parking Coordinates!!! However, permission was granted to place the final cache at it's current location. Please be careful, and use safety when obtaining the final cache. THIS IS A SNOW FRIENDLY CACHE, once you've figured out how to get there/here.
The Township of Roxbury, has some of the most unique attributes of the Morris Canal, which operated from 1831 to 1924, and connected the Delaware River in Phillipsburg, NJ, to the Hudson River in Jersey City, NJ. The construction of the Canal began on July 12, 1825, near the present town of Ledgewood, NJ (part of Roxbury Twp.). The Canal traversed a total of 102 miles in northern New Jersey, and went through elevation changes that totaled 1,674 feet. To overcome these changes, canal barges were moved over 23 "inclined planes" and 23 various sized locks. Barges were cradled in "plane cars" that moved both up and down the plane on rails mounted on support stones, which were powered by water from the upper levels of the canal. This water eventually flowed through "Scotch Turbines" located deep underground at the incline planes, housed in what were called power houses. The Canal transported primarily anthracite coal, but also moved farm products , manufactured goods, raw materials, and construction materials. Literally, the pinnacle of the Morris Canal was Lake Hopatcong, which supplied much of the water needed to float the barges, and power the turbines needed to haul those barges up and down the planes. The Hopatcong State Park houses an example of a Scotch Turbine used to power Plane 3 East, which was located in Ledgewood, NJ. These turbines operated on the same principle as a giant revolving lawn sprinkler. The Roxbury Morris Canal Park, located in Ledgewood, NJ, houses a restored turbine chamber of the power house used for Plane 2 East, as well as a canal basin used to stage the barges being lifted and/or lowered down the plane.
The final cache, can be located by completing a series of field puzzles.
It is safe to assume the coordinates for the cache can be found at: N 40 A B . C D E; W 074 F G . H I J
Have fun with the cache, and I hope you will learn a bit more about the Morris Canal. Let's get on with the challenge! The geocache has been placed with permission from the NJDEP.
1. Lock Tender's House - N 40 54.987 W 074 39.895 - Morris County Historical sign in front of the Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum. What you need for Variable B: How many letters are in the nineteenth (19th) WORD (exclude any numbers) after the "YEAR" the Lock Tender's home was built?
2. Morris Canal Greenway - N 40 54.990 W 074 39.999 - The Morris Canal was an engineering marvel of it's time between 1824 & 1924. To find Variable G: How many important Morris Canal sites are circled on this map? Take away three (3) to get the answer you need.The sign with information was found to be broken and faded so VARIABLE G is 9!!!
3. Mill Stone - N 40 54.994 W 074 39.890 - Before the Morris Canal was built here, the Brookland Forge & Mill were established onsite, and operated until the land was sold for construction of the Morris Canal in the 1820's. To find Variable H: How many decades passed before the mill stone was moved to it's current location, after it was found?
4. Scotch Turbine - N 40 55.038 W 074 39.836 - Behold the workhorse of each of the 23 Planes found on the Morris Canal, which provided the power to both lift, and lower, barges the total of 1,674 feet of elevation change along the canal. To find Variable D: From which Plane did this Scotch Turbine originate from?
5. Boat Dock - N 40 55.068 W 074 39.815 - Lake Hopatcong is now a popular destination for boaters from throughout the Tri-State (NJ/NY/PA) area, whether for fishing, water skiing, boat races, etc.... To find Variable A: How many words are on the NJDEP Parks & Forestry sign here? Subtract the number of letters in the first (1st) word from the number of letters from the third (3rd) word to get the value you need.
6. Lake Hopatcong Dam - N 40 55.050 W 074 39.847 - This Lake Hopatcong dam replaced the original dam so that the depth of the lake increased, becoming the primary source of water for the entire Morris Canal. To find Variable F: The Morris Canal was built for boats of 25-tons between 1827 and 18_1. DON'T GO ANYWHERE YET!!! To find Variable E: During the Morris Canal's best year, hundreds of thousands of tons of freight were transported. What is the last number of that total, found on the plaque?
7. Picnic Grove - N 40 55.040 W 074 39.890 - Hopatcong State Park offers one of the few areas around Lake Hopatcong, where the public can access the lake for swimming, picnicing, BBQ-ing, laying on the beach, etc... This is one of the many areas where visitors can enjoy themselves, and cook their own food. To find Variable C: Count the number of picnic tables here, and then subtract the number of BBQ grills.
8. Damn that Dam. Having found the all of the picnic tables and BBQ grills, turn north again and face the Lake Hopatcong Dam. The dam is critical at controlling the amount of water that empties the lake, and providing the water needed for the Musconetcong River. To find Variable I: Count the number of sluice gates found on the dam.
9. High Water Mark - N 40 55.037 W 074 39.934 - Located in this area, the NJDEP does have a water monitoring station, however, getting information the old-fashioned way is still just as reliable. Located at the point where the headwaters of the Musconetcong River travel underneath Lakeside Boulevard, is a Water Depth Gauge. Walk up to the water depth gauge and find the highest water depth indicated. The second digit (number), minus the first digit (number) will give you Variable J.
Final notes: Between Memorial Day, and Labor Day, there is a fee charged to enter the final cache location between 08:30am and 4:30pm. After 4:30pm entry is free, but the area closes at 8:30pm sharp. PLEASE REPLACE THE CACHE EXACTLY AS YOU FOUND IT!!! PLEASE REPLACE THE CACHE EXACTLY AS YOU FOUND IT!!! This cache is BYOP as well. Log only. Muggles can be plentiful at any time, especially during the summer months. I don't want it to "get legs".
Geocache Identification Permit Approval Number: HSP20180122001
Permit Expires on: 1/22/2027
YOU CAN CHECK YOUR ANSWERS FOR THIS PUZZLE IN GeoChecker.com.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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Ercynpr pnpur RKNPGYL nf sbhaq.
Treasures
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