Get to this cache while traveling on U.S. Highway 53. Turn off right at the brown sign that states “National Forest Laurentian Recreation Area”, approximately four miles north of Virginia. Park in the parking lot that is located directly off of the highway.
Right at the parking lot is a little geological marker for the Laurentian Divide. This is a 3-way continental divide that marks the point where flowing water divides and drains into three bodies of water: the St. Laurence River, the Hudson Bay, or the Gulf of Mexico.
Begin going on the dirt trail that leads you into the forest. There is a place with maps of all of the trails. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to take one, but the usefulness of the map is certainly questionable. The trails are not very well marked, if at all. To get to this cache, you will be traveling along trails of all three difficulties. Well, I did to hide the cache, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t get lucky and find an easy way to get to the cache. These trails are maintained by the National Forest Service, and are open for hiking and skiing. Motorized vehicles are not allowed, but it’d be hard to use one to get to the cache anyway. Mountain Bikes are permitted, but you might find it hard to use one the whole way to the cache.
To get to the cache, you’ll be going along trails that provide a beautiful display of birch, aspen, and pine trees, plus some thick areas of fern undergrowth. Before this area was turned into the national forest with these trails (as well as before Giants Ridge), this whole area was used as a ski resort. The cache is located atop one of the skiing hills, which will provide you with a great view of the forest below.
If you’re unfamiliar with these trails, or even if you are, it’s probably a very good idea to mark you car, or learn how to use the traceback feature on your GPS. I learned this the hard way when I spent almost 30 minutes traveling in circles before I could find my way back down to the parking lot. There are many trails leading into the area, and it’s easy to get lost on any one of them.
The original contents of this cache are…
Folgers Coffee Sample
Cassette Tape (brand new)
2 Metal Clips
Sunglasses
Case for Glasses/Sunglasses
Lois & Clark CD
Tiny Clothes Pin
Bottle Opener
4 nailfiles
Dental Floss (brand new)
Sample of moisturizing lotion
Glue stick (brand new)
3 combs (brand new)
Coin purse
Shoelaces
(I may have forgotten a thing or two when I was writing the list down)
The cache is in an ammo box
I hope you have a lot of fun hiking in this forest! I found the vast display of foliage combined with the view from on top of this hill very relaxing.