This geocache is not located at the posted coordinates at the top of this page. This is a mystery or puzzle cache. To find the actual physical cache location, you must solve the puzzle for the missing digit in the coordinates provided below. All the information you need is contained within the following paragraph related to the geography and history of the Conewango Creek and its watershed. The same puzzle and answers to the questions A through J applies to all 136 mystery caches that make up the 2015 Hatch Fun Geo-artwork. Some caches will be easy park and grab caches, while others will involve significant hikes over uneven terrain. It is not intended to be completed in one day or maybe not even in one weekend without some serious hiking dedication. It is designed to provide plenty of opportunity to enjoy geocaching in the Warren Area and to highlight the Conewango Creek designation as the 2015 PA River of the Year.
The hikes involved will take you through lands owned by the Warren County Conservation District and Collins Pine Company which is open to all forms of pedestrian public recreation including, hiking, geocaching, and hunting. We suggest wearing blaze orange safety clothing during hunting season, take along extra batteries, food and drink, a flashlight, and a first aid kit as some of the caches will take you to remote locations.
The Conewango Creek Watershed encompasses 900 square miles covering most of Chautauqua County, NY, and parts of Cattaraugus County, NY and also Warren County, PA. This watershed is a wealth of wildlife habitat and includes critters such as beaver, otters, bald eagles, black bears, and herons. Also included in the Conewango Creek watershed is Akeley Swamp which is an important bird migration area where you can find up to 147 species of birds. On a historical note, Storehouse Run is the site of early Native American villages and the location where George Washington’s troops stored supplies while they traveled overland to negotiate with Chief Cornplanter of the Seneca Nation. Moreover, Native Americans, French explorers, and Revolutionary War soldiers all used an 8-mile cross-country portage called Seneca Crossing to access the upper reaches of the Allegheny River from Conewango Creek. This historic trail provided travelers with a preferable alternative to the arduous 26 mile upriver trip to the heart of the Seneca Nation. Additionally, the steel bridge now present in Russell, PA was once the site of a covered bridge that was completed in 1853.
A = first digit of the number of square miles the Conewango Creek Watershed encompasses
B = second digit of the number of bird species that can found be found in Akeley swamp
C= length in miles of the cross country portage called Seneca Crossing
D= the number of states the Conewango Creek Watershed is located within
E=second digit of the number of square miles the Conewango Creek Watershed encompasses
F=the number of counties which include a portion of the Conewango Creek Watershed
G=third digit of the number of bird species that can found be found in Akeley swamp
H= second digit of the number of miles of the arduous upriver trip to the heart of the Seneca Nation
I=third digit of the year the Covered Bridge at Russell was completed
J=first digit of the number of bird species that can found be found in Akeley swamp
To find the actual cache location simply read the paragraph above and solve for the values of A through J and substitute the missing value in these coordinates: N 41* 54.58C W 079* 07.911