Some years ago, my neighbor Dave told me of a hidden spring that was tucked away deep in the forest near Goat Mountain. It sparked my curiosity, so I asked him to lead me to the site, which he did. A few years after, I wanted to revisit the site, so I set off on my own, and after hours of scrambling through thick brush, I was able to relocate the spring and mark it on my iPhone's GPS. The spring is small, but it consistently puts out a small stream of water, feeding the nearby trees and lush ferns.
GZ is the site of a hand-built, wooden tree stand that Dave used for hunting many years ago. He has since abandoned it, so the structural integrity of it is unknown. Please use extreme caution. The wood used for the platform could possibly be well over 5 years old, and while it seemed to be stable, I don’t want anyone getting hurt, so consider yourself warned. It is about 20 feet up in an oak tree. For your own safety, I secured a line of 550 paracord to aid in climbing up the tree. The tree stand was able to hold me, but it might not hold cachers of larger stature, so please use extreme caution.
The spring is about 75 yards up from the cache site, so be sure to visit it. I have created an additional waypoint for the spring.
There are two ways to reach this cache. I have waypoints marked for both options (Route 1 & Route 2). Route 1 starts off of Road 223 and heads up the mountain. It is the most direct route. Route 2 starts at the parking area for the Goat Mountain fire road and requires a roughly 1.5 mile hike to the crest of the mountain before heading downhill to the cache site.
Along the “trail”, there are wooden fence posts and wires from times past. Near some of the small streams that flow down the mountain, there are remnants of old garden hoses used for marijuana grows. To the best of my knowledge, the grow was eradicated many years ago and the area is safe. Expect to be in tick and wild animal country. Do not try for this cache during hunting season. This cache should not be attempted alone. If you fall and get injured, you'll be a long way from help, and cell phone coverage isn’t all that great. It’s a 5/5 for a reason. Please use sound judgment. If the cache is not within your comfort zone, don’t go after it. One smiley face on your profile isn’t worth your life.
Now that you’ve been warned, what are you waiting for? Go find it!
The FTF gets a $1 bill. There is also a Madera Sheriff Junior Deputy sticker and utility clip among other SWAG. This cache marks my 20th hide, so I decided to go big and make it a 5/5! Have fun and keep on caching! -MtnBiker97 Congrats Ham3 (and FJ JAY) for claiming a 5/5 FTF!