Skip to content

Gap Fire Penny Pines TB Rest Area Traditional Cache

Hidden : 8/13/2013
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

Cache is at 5,700ft elevation, just off I-80. There is parking near the site, but do not approach directly from the freeway. Exit and follow a short gravel road. Parking is prohibited on the paved road. You are looking for a medium ammo box. May be inaccessible in winter. Parking may be soggy during thaw.


As you drive between Emigrant Gap and Yuba Gap on I-80 and look to the south and east, you will see a landscape that has burned and is now regrowing.  This cache is located near a pair of public information signs about this fire and the public's involvement in the reforestation effort.  The Gap Fire was in August 2001 and burned very hot, destroying nearly all the vegetation in its path as it covered 1373 acres.  This total devastation made it a good candidate for reforestation.  So with donations from many organizations through the Penny Pines Program, the Forest Service was able to plant over 60,000 seedlings of Ponderosa Pine, Jeffery Pine, Douglas Fir, and in the Onion Valley area, Sequoia Redwoods.  The signs list the many donors that participated.  If you look closely at the hillside to the south of the Yuba Gap exit you will see these seedlings are now 8-12 feet tall as of 2013. 

This cache is primarily a TB stop for travelers heading over the Sierras, but there is room for other items as well. There is cell service at the site, so please take the time to determine if a TB you find is heading east or west before taking it with you.  If its not going your way, "Discover" it and leave it for another cacher.  Also, try to leave a TB if you take one.  Please try to leave the area as undisturbed as possible, and leave the container as you found it.  

The original contents were 2 TBs, an un-activated FTF mini coin, and a number of swag items.  

 

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Er-ernq gur pnpur gvgyr

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)