Southington Rail Trail: Remembering Paulie Multi-Cache
Southington Rail Trail: Remembering Paulie
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
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Your search for this cache takes you to Southington, CT, and the Southington Rail Trail, which is part of the Farmington Canal Greenway.
Note: The location of the final stage of this cache was changed on 31 December 2018. See below!
As you walk, pedal, or rollerblade along the Southington Rail Trail, you will see many interesting and eye-catching places and things. There are murals, historic buildings, trees, flowers, bridges, and relics of the days when the area was an important center for railroads and manufacturing. You may have also seen an impressive, ten-foot tall wrought-iron cross. It stands on the west side of the trail just a few feet from the walkway, and is the subject of this cache:
This is a monument honoring Paul T. Fortin Jr., also known as "Paulie".
Paulie was born in Southington, CT on November 17, 1985, and was a Southington resident all his life. He loved to cook, was working as a chef, and had hoped to one day open his own restaurant. He had purchased the property next to the Rail Trail on which the monument now stands, and enjoyed working on it. In the process, he had numerous opportunities to meet and spend time talking with the many people who passed by on the Rail Trail during the course of the day.
On September 5, 2008, at the age of 22, Paulie passed away unexpectedly, of myocarditis, which is a disease that causes damage to the heart. His family erected this monument in his memory. It is located on the property he was fixing up, and faces the trail where he made so many friends. It has a small paved path leading up to it from the trail and 2 benches facing the memorial. As you pass by, why not stop and spend a few minutes visiting the monument? Paulie would have liked that!
This cache is a two-stage multi. There is parking right next to the trail at N41° 35.324 W72° 53.484, and at nearby municipal lots. The trail is paved and beautifully maintained year-round. The memorial is wheelchair accessible, although some help may be needed at the last few feet if there is snow on the ground.
And Now, A-Hunting We Will Go!
The posted coords will take you to the monument, which is located only a few steps from the trail. Note: While the monument is intended for everyone to visit, it's nonetheless located on private property, so please be considerate of your surroundings. Also, you do not have to touch, move, or disturb anything on or around the memorial to find the information you'll need to get you to the final; it's all in plain view and easy to see.
The final is located at:
N41° 35.A-B-C
W72° 53.D-E-F
To determine A-B-C, look at the foot of the cross. There is a square card on which is a picture of Paulie and a dedication. At the bottom is the name of the family member that had the monument erected. Take the number of letters in that name and add 212. Your answer is A-B-C.
To find D-E-F, you'll have to step back onto the trail. Right on the walkway itself, almost directly across from the monument, there's a large yellow dot. The dot contains a three-digit number (disregard the decimal point). Subtract this number from 812 and you'll have D-E-F. (Once again: disregard the decimal point!)
Got it? OK... hit the trail and head for the final!
As you follow the trail up to the memorial, you'll pass this mural, a portion of which is shown here. It's located on the west side of the trail, south of Stage 1, and was painted to honor the memory of the 26 victims of the school tragedy in Newtown, CT on Dec. 14, 2012. It includes 2 quotes from Anne Frank's diary and 26 hand-painted wooden butterflies, honoring the memory of each of the victims.
The final is located just off the paved trail. While this cache is technically a 1/1 by Geocaching.com guidelines, a wheelchair cacher may need some help covering the last 10 feet to GZ. There's a lot of people using the trail most of the day, so have those stealth moves ready. You're looking for a 4" x 5" lock & lock container with a log book and the usual swag. There's room for small TB's, geocoins and other trackables, too. Remember to BYOP, and be sure to re-hide the cache carefully, away from prying muggle eyes!
While the final is generally winter-friendly, reaching it could become tricky after more than a few inches of snow. Also, you will have to cross a busy street on your way to the final... be careful and watch for approaching traffic!
Props to KDubs and Mr Echo -- FTF!
21 June 2013
We hope you liked this cache, and learned a bit about Paul Fortin and his memorial. Have fun, enjoy the Rail Trail, and...
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[Stage 1: None Needed]
Svany: CHECYR cbvagf gur jnl... lrnu, guvf pnpur EBPXF!