Through me you pass into the city of woe:
Through me you pass into eternal pain:
Through me among the people lost for aye.
Justice the founder of my fabric mov'd:
To rear me was the task of power divine,
Supremest wisdom, and primeval love.
Before me things create were none, save things
Eternal, and eternal I endure.
All hope abandon ye who enter here.
Such characters in colour dim I mark'd
Over a portal's lofty arch inscrib'd:
Whereat I thus: Master, these words import
-- Dante Alighieri, ca. 1306 A.D.
This cache is located in an area known to locals as "Devil's Kitchen". Your search begins at the coordinates listed above. The following cryptic poem was transcribed from an ancient parchment. Correctly interpreted, it should lead to the cache.
The Devil’s Kitchen lieth down the hall
Ye shall find the prize, if ye hath the gall
Boldly ye enter, yet turn to the side
Ye may be stuck if thy chest be wide
Crawl on in darkness, ye shalt find the bump
Watch thy knees as ye climb up
When ye reach the tree which lives no more
On thy knees, make passage ‘neath stony door
Heaven’s light shines into the far crevasse
Beyond the hall shalt ye find the cache
On the rock, symbols in blood are writ
In this hellish place the treasure sits
Please be forewarned this is not your ordinary cache. Persons who fit the following description should avoid this cache:
- Persons afraid to get wet, dirty and smelly
- Persons afraid of the dark and/or tight spaces
- Persons afraid of spiders, snakes, and other creepy crawlies that inhabit the dark places of the earth
Note well: YOU WILL GET DIRTY. It is highly advisable that you bring a change of clothes, a good bright flashlight or two, and a fearless sense of adventure. Please note, Coopers Rock State Forest has a very healthy population of rattlesnakes. None were spotted during the scouting or placement of this geocache, but the area looks "snakey". Please be slow, careful, and methodical during this cache hunt. Explore the area slowly and look under/around rocks before sticking any appendages in that you do not wish bitten. It may appear to you that alternate exit routes exist from the "kitchen", however, in the interest of safety we advise you leave the way you came in. Although we have not enabled the "kid friendly" geo-attribute, your 8-12 year olds will probably LOVE this cache, properly supervised, of course.