The Sentinel Tree Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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The Sentinel Tree is an old-soul keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings. His domain stretches quite a ways in all directions as he and his distant cousin to the south, the Methuselah Tree (near Skeggs Point), are said to be viewable from Hwy 280. But people say a lot of things.
The Sentinel is an old-growth redwood that survived the intense logging of the area at the turn of the 19th century, likely because it would have been too gnarly for building and too much trouble for burning. Most of the trees in the Santa Cruz mountains are 2nd or 3rd generation growth, but The Sentinel remains as one of the few surviving old-growth trees - likely more than 1000 years old.
Now, there are THREE IMPORTANT THINGS you need to know about this cache:
1) The GZ coordinates locate this cache on the watershed-side of Skyline Blvd, and The Sentinel can be seen by walking less than 100 feet in a southerly direction along the fence-line (reverse that to the cache if you find The Sentinel first).
2) You do not need to enter the watershed to retrieve the cache, or view The Sentinel. The barbed wire fence should be your first indication that your footsteps are not welcomed in the watershed. No trespassing, please.
3) You will need a special tool to retrieve this cache - you are in the mountains, so be prepared. DO NOT use force, sticks, rocks, insert objects into or otherwise assault or disassemble this cache container or its surroundings, as none of this is necessary if you use your head and come prepared.
Tip of the hat to klipsch49er for the cache idea.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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Treasures
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