This is not your typical geocache, it is an EarthCache, you will not be looking for a "cache container" rather, an EarthCache is designed to bring you to a geological feature.
This Earthcache is located in Wyalusing State Park in Wisconsin. A vehicle admission sticker (annual or daily) is required.
Please note there is a designated trail to get to this cache.
This EarthCache location will take you on a beautiful short hike (or longer if you choose) in Wyalusing State Park to two locations to view a unique geological feature, the Confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers. Each location will provide a different angle/view of the Confluence..
As with any geocache you can earn a "find" for this EarthCache if you complete the requirements listed at the bottom of the page.
What is a Confluence?
A confluence describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where a tributary joins a more major river, called the mainstream when that major river is also the highest order stream in the drainage basin.
What is a River?
A river is a natural waterway that transits water through a landscape from higher to lower elevations, called divides. The divide determines the direction in which a river will flow. It is an integral component of the water cycle. The water within a river is generally collected from precipitation through surface runoff, groundwater recharge (as seen at baseflow conditions / during periods of lack of precipitation) and the release of stored water in natural reservoirs, such as a glacier.
A River starts at a point called its source, and enters a sea or lake at its Mouth. Along its length it may be joined by smaller rivers called tributaries; A river and its tributaries are contained within a drainage basin called the watershed. The point at which two or more rivers join, is called the Confluence.
What is a Tributary?
A tributary is a stream or river which flows into a mainstream (or parent) river, and which does not flow directly into a sea.
People began arriving here about 11,000 years ago, as the glaciers retreated.
Historic Indians (those encountered by the first Europeans) considered the region near the mouth of the Wisconsin river a “neutral” land. At least fourteen different tribes lived in the area or visited to trade.
Journeying from Green Bay via the Fox and Wisconsin rivers, the first Europeans to enter the area were Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet. They recorded seeing the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers on June 17, 1673. Their exact vantage point is unknown, although it is likely they saw it from one of the bluffs in the park. A marker at Point Lookout commemorates this event.
Take nothing but photos. Leave only footprints behind.
To get to the Earthcache:
There are small to medium parking lots near both WP1 and the listed cache coordinates or you can do some hiking in the park. It's your choice. Just be sure to park in parking lots.
You can do the 2 stops in any order.
Submission Requirements to log the EarthCache:
**DO NOT ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN YOUR LOG**
In order to get credit for this cache you must send an email to us with answers to the below questions.
Waypoint1 (WP1) and the EarthCache coordinates listed will bring you to signs. You will find some of the answers on these signs.
Remember you need to read the cache description for the educational portion of the Earthcache and apply what you have learned to what you observe at the location and use this information to answer the Earthcache questions.
1. WP1. Use the sign at Waypoint1 (WP1) to answer questions a-b.
a. Is the Wisconsin River a tributary or mainstream?
b. Some areas in the park received names for the way they were used by Native Americans. What is at least one thing you think they may have used this location for?
2. EarthCache coordinates. Use the sign at the EarthCache coordinates to answer question e.
c. There is a memorial nearby. What is it?
d. Where is each river in relation to where you are standing?
e. Take a reading from where you are standing, what is the elevation?
f. Describe the state of the water at the confluence (ie. turbulent, rapids, calm)?
Please do not wait on a reply from us to log your visit.
Failure to email the answers to the above questions within one week of logging a "find" will be quietly removed without notice.
Any log containing spoilers (ie. photos of the sign or answers to the above questions) will result in log deletion without notice.
UPDATE 2015: EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Earthcaches are not virtual caches. Answers are required per Geocaching.com guidelines. Too many are logging that they visited at the time of their visit using their phones but then never follow through with the required submission of the Earthcache answers. This is even after we message them that their answers still need to be submitted to claim the find--they don't respond, ever. There is no method available on Geocaching.com to track all this and it is extremely time consuming to keep track of who has and hasn't submitted answers. Answers must be submitted at the same time your are logging your find.
(Special circumstances will be allowed on a trial basis to see if it works: if you mention in your log that you will be submitting your answers within the same week of logging your find AND you do follow through and submit your answers, then your log will not be deleted prior to the submission of your answers.)
UPDATE 2021: If people did not submit their EarthCache answers, we had been messaging them requesting their answers be sent (even though the info above has always said logs would be quietly removed). The following has been added to the first lines of the cache description: Too many are ignoring our request for un-submitted answers so we have decided in the interest of time and sanity, we will no longer message you prior to deleting your log if you do not submit the answers at the time of logging your find.
If your log is deleted, you are welcome to submit your EarthCache answers and re-log your find. Thank you.
The Geocache Notification Form has been submitted to and permission for this EarthCache approved by the Wyalusing State Park Manager.