Kudzu is an invasive plant found in many places in the South. It was first introduced to the United States at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. From 1935 until the early 1950’s farmers were encouraged to plant kudzu to prevent soil erosion from the over-cultivation of crops. The government paid farmers $8.00 an acre to plant it. Little did they know.
Kudzu is a nasty tangle of vines that kills or damages other plants by smothering them under a solid cover of leaves, breaking branches and sometimes uprooting trees. In prime conditions kudzu can grow up to one foot a day which is just astonishing. Its roots can grow up to 12 feet deep and is extremely difficult to get rid of. While driving through the park you can see large amounts of kudzu covering trees and bushes along the roadside. Terrain for this cache is due to distance and some briars in the area
This geocache is one in a series of 15 that I have placed along the Cub Lake Trail in Natchez Trace State Park located in Wildersville, Tennessee. Natchez Trace State Park is a 10,154 acre state park located within a 48,000 acre state forest and wildlife management area. Cub Lake is approximately 52 acres in size and the trail around it is approximately 5.8 miles long and considered moderate difficulty. There are approximately 13.5 miles of hiking trails in the park and an overnight trail that is 40 miles long. Other activities at the park include swimming at Cub Lake, boating on various lakes, mountain biking, fishing, and horseback riding. There are also campgrounds and pavilions available for rental.
I would like to thank Walter Pope, park manager, for granting permission for these geocache hides. Please be respectful of the area and stay on the trails for as long as possible. Be sure to bring your boots if you do the whole trail, it can get muddy in sections.