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This particular Earthcache will take you to a spot within Boyd Pond known as the "Good Golly Gulch". Please exercise caution and yield to mountain bikers as they frequent this area. Please stay on the trail through the gulch. Please note that the park hours from dawn until dusk.
What are the differences between gulches, ravines, and gullies?
Here are the terms as defined by the American Geosciences Institute's Glossary of Geology:
Gully
(a) A very small valley, such as a small ravine in a cliff face, or a long, narrow hollow or channel worn in earth or unconsolidated material (as on a hillside) by running water and through which water runs only after a rain or the melting of ice or snow; it is smaller than a gulch. Syn: gullet [streams]. (b) Any erosion channel so deep that it cannot be crossed by a wheeled vehicle or eliminated by plowing, esp. one excavated in soil on a bare slope. (c) A small, steep-sided wooded hollow.
Gulch
A term used esp. in the western U.S. for a narrow, deep ravine with steep sides, larger than a gully; esp. a short, precipitous cleft in a hillside, formed and occupied by a torrent, and containing gold (as in California).
Ravine
(a) A small narrow deep depression, smaller than a gorge or a canyon but larger than a gully, usually carved by running water; esp. the narrow excavated channel of a mountain stream. (b) A stream with a slight fall between rapids. Etymol: French, "mountain torrent".
Gullies are formed by a process known as gullying or gully erosion. Hillsides are more prone to gullying when they are cleared of vegetation, through deforestation, over-grazing or other means. The eroded soil is easily carried by the flowing water after being dislodged from the ground, normally when rainfall falls during short, intense storms such as during thunderstorms. Gulches are generally V-shaped and formed by erosion. Sometimes they contain a small stream or even a dry creek bed. Gulches are also larger than gullies. Ravines are defined by steep sides, usually with grades ranging from 20 to 70 percent. Ravines may also have active streams flowing through them. They are formed by fluvial erosion of loose and bare soils.
The listed coordinates will take you to the starting point. From there, you will journey through the gulch to seek the answers. To receive credit for this Earthcache, please email me the answers to the following questions:
- What is the approximate length (in feet) of the gulch from the starting point to the ending spot? Your answer should be within 50 feet of the actual length. The end spot will be where the trail crosses the gulch, and within about 25 feet of the tree sign with the area's nickname.
- What is the approximate height of the walls at the tallest point?
- Describe the structure and composition of the walls.
- Based on the information provided, would you classify this area as a gulch, gully or ravine? Why?
- Describe any wildlife you encounter (if any).
- Post a picture of yourself along with your GPS at a spot within the gulch (optional)
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