This Cache is placed as part of the 2016 New York State Park Saratoga/Capital District Regional Geocache Challenge. There are 76 geocaches hidden within 18 state parks and historic sites in this parks region, and geocachers finding 40 or more will be eligible to receive a commemorative, unique, and trackable geocoin. The first 100 people to find 40 or more caches will receive a special geocache challenge coin. If you are interested in taking up the challenge, you can pick up a geocache passport at any of the participating parks and sites or download it at www.nysparks.com New for 2016 – NYS Parks Central Region will be hosting a similar challenge!! 10 caches found in the Central Region Challenge can be used toward the Sara-Cap Challenge!
This cache contains a unique stamp which must stay with the cache. Use this stamp to mark your passport. This stamp is NOT a trade item. Some of the items in the cache are park souvenirs and do not need to be replaced with a trade item.
For many in the Capital District, Grafton Lakes State Park is known for its quarter mile beach, a place to take a dip during the dogs days of summer. With this year’s geocaching exploration, we’ll show you that Grafton is so much more than just the beach. We offer over 25 miles of trails for hiking and biking, 6 bodies of water full of fish and other wildlife, all nestled within the park’s 2500 acres. Along your journey, you’ll tour the park to encounter some of our vast forests, special picnic spots, and hidden lakes, and we are confident you’ll learn why we all say that “Grafton Rocks!”
You are on the edge of a hemlock-hardwood swamp! Please don’t get your feet wet—we want you to see this interesting ecological community but leave no trace behind! Notice the large hemlock that’s fallen over, its root system covered in moss. Hemlocks are shallow rooted, but when a tree falls over in the swamp it continues to live on as other forms of life colonize its decaying structure. And even living can be very low key for a hemlock tree- some of the smaller trees you see in the understory could be as old as 100 years! They grow slowly in the shade, millimeters in a decade at times, and then shoot up when an opening in the canopy becomes available. This soggy area is also a seasonal home for some amphibians, a place safe from fish where young tadpoles or salamander larva can develop. Although we didn’t spot any, we think faeries may live here as well. Extra points for this geocache if you find some!