An easy cache along the May Creek Trail in Newcastle. (Formerly known as Dyno-mite!)
The bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) is native to the Pacific Northwest, and, as its name suggests, has the largest leaves of any maple species. Thanks to its multiple trunks, the bigleaf maple is usually the largest tree that you see in the woods. It's a hermaphrodite, bearing both male and female flowers in each raceme, so it can self-pollinate. In the fall, the leaves turn yellow and gold, contrasting nicely with douglas-firs and cedars.
The cache is a large lock&lock placed by a nice specimen. Recover the container well; this is a busy section of the May Creek Trail.