Located along the Ontario Waterfront trail, Thickson's Woods is the last remnant of old-growth white pines on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Once reserved for masts of sailing ships of the British Royal Navy, the towering pines provide a vital resting place for countless migrating songbirds each spring and fall.
I wanted to place a cache along the trails of Thickson’s Woods a few years ago however the Thickson Woods Board of Directors, while supporting the idea, could not reach a consensus on how to make it work as they do not permit people to step off the trails. The next best option was to create this multi stage cache where every stage can be accessed from the trail using permanent structures or natural items. The final cache is located outside of the Nature preserve close to the Waterfront trail.
The posted coordinates are for the entrance to the two trail heads for both the Thickson Woods trail and the Meadow trail. This is a SHORT 7 stage multi with three stages in the woods, three stages in the meadow and the final cache location. Once you have strolled around the two trails, you will have the information you need to find the final cache. Each stage will be visible from the trail and should not be too challenging to find.
This would be a good cache to complete with children and should take less than 30 minutes to complete as I am sure you will enjoy the scenic views.
You can choose to visit the stages in any order as both trails are short loops and start from the same location along the waterfront trail. I have listed the stages in two groups of three for each trail.
Stage 1: At this location you will find a plank bridge over a section of trail. Count the number of planks that form the width of the bridge. This number X. X minus 5 = A
Stage 2: At this location you will find a large tree stump at the end of the trail where there is a natural lookout over the marsh. DO NOT count this stump but do count the number of similar size tree stumps that are located within 10 feet of this location. All of these stumps will be along the edge of the marsh and not in the woods. They will all be close in size to the stump at GZ, approximately 1 foot in height and 2 feet in diameter. This number is Y. Y minus 3 = B
Stage 3: At this location you will find a sign. What year was Thickson Woods threatened by logging. Count the sum of the numbers in this year and subtract 13 = C
example: if the year was 1998 (1+9+9+1 = 20) - 13 = 7
Stage 4: Look for a memorial for Susan Eleanor Morgan. Add the numbers in the year on the memorial = Z. Z plus 2 = D
Stage 5: You are looking for a sign at this location. How many years was the property on the market. Subtract 8 from that number = E
Stage 6: You are looking for a metal tag attached to the former hydro pole that is now recycled into a bench. On this tag will be a 4 digit number painted black. What is the second last digit in this number = F
The final cache location is N 43 51.ABC W 78 53.DEF
****Please note: DOGS are not allowed in Thickson Woods as this is a wild bird sanctuary****
Please do not remove the stamp or stamp pad inside the cache. These are not trade items but may be used to stamp your letterbox stamp book if you have one.
