NOTICE - Only number 1 and 7 for this trail are still in place. The rest were destroyed and have been archived. I have left the two remaining caches as tributes...but archived the rest to open up room for new caches
This is the first Liberty Power Trail (LPT).
If you only read one cache page this should be the one you read. Please take a few minutes and read the general information below. The contents will make your experience much better.
General Information for the LPT
This trail is intended to provide a challenging hike and lots of fairly easy caches. No real difficult hides. The experienced cacher should have no issues at all with the hides.
For the most part the hides are small containers (see attached pictures), hung from red wire, on the backs of trees. When I say small container, think bison tube...but in reality they are small plastic containers covered in cammo tape. The top (the part with the wire through it) screws off of the bottom. Inside is a small log.
On most of the hides there will be a yellow zip tie on the front side of the tree where the hide is located (see attached picture). Find the zip tie, look on the back of the tree and you will probably find the cache.
There are three caches that break this routine. The first cache is a standard small hide. The container is big enough for small trackables and the log. But most importantly, it also contains about 15 golf pencils. If you have forgotten a writing implement, grab one. You can return it here or at the other end of the trail. The last cache in this series is also big enough to hold the pencils...so feel free to leave them there. Finally, cache 19 is a little different. There is a very picturesque water fall here and I placed another small container.
At least read the first part of each cache page. It will describe the hide and in some cases tell you what trail to take. They will not be as long as this one...but will contain critical info in the header.
Also...some of the cache names contain the acronym ATF. This stands for After The Find and generally will give you trail directions. You will find these on finds before you get to trail choices. Pay attention and you won't get lost.
If you follow the trail and get all of the LPT caches (21), solve the two puzzles that have finals out here, do a 1 mile, round trip hike, to Huh?, a 3/4 round trip hike to EH Cacoeg - Not East, and complete the hike (after LPT 21) to EH Cacoeg - Not South, you can pick up a total of 26 caches along this trail. Not bad for a few hours hiking!
Parking
The coordinates for this cache are the best parking for the start of the trail. Almost anywhere else along the trail you will find it illegal to park.
Please note...the hike is approximately 3 miles from start to finish. Unless you have two cars or someone willing to pick you up at the other end, you will have to walk back the way you came. That means a 6 mile round trip hike with several short, but steep, hills along the way. Know your limits and plan accordingly.
Now...about the other end of the trail. You will find your self at the end of Oakland Mills Road. On most maps it appears that this road goes through, but it does not. There is a locked gate and no parking signs everywhere. You will find and additional waypoint below that is for trail end parking. If you park a second car there you will have about a 1 mile walk along a narrow paved road and then about a 1/4 mile walk along a two lane road with traffic. Please be careful. I generally hike one way and have my wife pick me up and drive me back to my car at the start. But I am way out of shape!
Notes
1. If the coordinates seem off...post what you got. I have taken at least two readings for every hide...one last June and one today (December). Some were off a bit...so there is bounce. Don't complain in the logs...just post what YOU got and move on.
2. If you find a yellow zip tie on the front of the tree and don't find the cache on the back...let me know. DNF's are not something to be ashamed of. It is the only way to let me know something is wrong.
3. Please, please, please...return the caches to the state you find them in. If they are covered, please cover them. If they are hanging, please hang them. They are not intended to be 5 star hides.
4. The terrain is based on the hike from this cache. It will steadily increase. If you work this trail backwards then it will make no sense.
5. There is bow hunting in the reservoir from September through January. WEAR ORANGE when out here.
6. Most of the these hides are very close to the trail. Be mindful of others and try to use stealth. I know it is hard when wearing orange...but try.
LPT 1 - The Gate - Specifics
This is your first stop.
Easy and quick hide just inside the gate. This area is very visible to muggles. Please use stealth and rehide as well or better than you found.
After crossing the gate, about 15 yards from the gate, on the left hand side you will see a large, fallen, branch perpendicular to the trail. This branch leads back towards two fallen trees. If you look closely you will see that this branch is trapped under the two fallen trees. Where the branch goes under the trees, look to the right. You will notice some bark, that is from these trees, but is slightly out of place. Container is under the bark. No need to go into the thorns.
Small lock-n-lock container. Hope this helps.