The 2016 Cache Your Way program is over but the cache remains for the fun of it!
About the Site
Once part of the Chicago and Northwestern railroad line, this paved section of the trail takes you through woodlands, prairies and some residential areas. Travel north a few miles and you can see Larsen Prairie. Travel south beyond the county line and follow along the Fox River.
Cache Your Way Question
Bat droppings, called guano, are one of the richest fertilizers. Bat guano was once a big business. What state once claimed guano as it’s the largest mineral export?
Additional Information About Bats
As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to its exceptionally high content of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium: nutrients essential for plant growth. The 19th-century guano trade played a pivotal role in the development of modern input-intensive farming practices.
Bat guano is also a natural fungicide and controls nematodes in the soil. It also acts as a compost activator, speeding up the decomposition process.
Finding the Cache
GPS can be a little sketchy down here so I provided detailed instructions and different way points to guide you.
Meyer Lot - start here if you are going to start in the Meyer Lot. It even looks like a starting line! Follow that all the way to the bottom where it ends at the trail.
Reference Point 2 is like another starting line. I gave the coordinates for this incase anyone was choosing to bike to this from another location other then the Meyer parking lot. If you are walking you probably want to start at the Meyer Lot and Stage one!
From Reference Point 2, head south about 100 ft. For my sister and I it was exactly 50 steps (we are short but walk at an average pace). It is then on the east side of the trail - there is a downed trail branch. You do not really need to leave the trail to reach it but due to the busy trail with bikers, I would step off the trail! Stealth will probably be key as this is a high muggle spot.
Geocachers
Please join us in playing! All are welcome who observe and obey the rules. Please do not move or vandalize the container. Please do not remove the informational card from the container, this is an essential game piece for cachers completing the Cache Your Way program. For more information on the program, visit our website www.mccdistrict.org/web/re-geocache.htm or follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MCCDGeocaching
District Geocaching Rules
For a complete list of rules, visit our website www.mccdistrict.org/web/re-geocache.htm
McHenry County Conservation District Information
Visit our website at www.mccdistrict.org or call 815-338-6223 for camping/shelters, 815-479-5779 for educational programs or 815-678-4532 for the Lost Valley Visitor Center