Treasure Island Adventure
Follow the footsteps of Jim Hawkins and Robinson Crusoe as you explore a deserted, forested island in the heart of the metroplex. You'll need a boat. I recommend landing on the eastern side of the island, as close to the posted coordinates as possible. The island has no actual trails, but you can follow the five stages north to south without "serious" bushwhacking — if you choose the right route; otherwise, things can get rough! From the start to the final cache is just over one-third mile (one-way), but this is no walk in the park! Bring water, wear sturdy boots, and carry a web-whacking snake-scaring stick. I've never seen a snake on this island, but spider webs abound. Some poison ivy is present but easy to avoid if you know what it looks like.
Each stage is a small container with a note followed by a pair of 3-digit numbers (XXX YYY), representing the final three digits of the latitude and longitude of the next stage. All of the stages (except the posted Stage 1) have the following coordinates: N 32 42.XXX W 097 13.YYY. The small containers are intended to be unnoticeable to (theoretical) muggles, but not unduly difficult to find — once your GPS finally settles down under the canopy. Clues are available to hopefully ensure no one's island expedition ends in frustration; the main challenge of this adventure is path-finding. Please replace the notes and containers carefully. The final stage is an ammo can with a log and plenty of trade swag. First-to-find wins a 4-gig thumb drive, with some classic island literature and a few "island" tunes included. (Congrats to co-FTFs Hedge Hopper, MustangJoni, and R.O.B. and to second-to-find saigals for snagging the drive!)
The lake has three boat ramps. Daily permits ($5) are available at self-pay stations near the two east-side ramps, though canoeists may prefer approaching from the west. I recommend studying a satellite map of the island to get an idea of the layout and possible routes. And as you do, recall the words of young Jim Hawkins:
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I brooded by the hour together over the map, all the details of which I well remembered. Sitting by the fire in the housekeeper's room, I approached that island, in my fancy, from every possible direction; I explored every acre of its surface ... Sometimes the isle was thick with savages, with whom we fought; sometimes full of dangerous animals that hunted us; but in all my fancies nothing occurred to me so strange and tragic as our actual adventures.
Treasure Island, Robert Lewis Stevenson
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