This is a VIRTUAL CACHE. There is NO PHYSICAL CONTAINER to find.
First off, I just want to thank all the wonderful Geocachers that have visited, found, and favorited my cache hides in the past. Your support has granted me the unique opportunity to place this Virtual Reward Cache. In fact, it is a bit of a dream come true. Many years ago, when I first moved to Gilsum and became a Geocacher, I desired to place a Geocache at this site. However, proximity to a nearby cache, along with the sheer amount of natural and muggle hazards present, would seemingly render this dream an impossibility. This Virtual Reward cache changes everything. And I hope it will not disappoint.
***DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS CACHE AFTER FLOODING RAINS. YOU WILL DROWN.***
This Virtual Reward cache brings you deep into the very gorgeous Gilsum gorge, where a fraction of the sixty-four-miles-long Ashuelot River runs under the vault of New Hampshire's largest dry-laid stone arch bridge. Just downstream from the bridge, a behemouth boulder breaks the rapids, giving way to a placid swimming hole beyond, while offering a diving platform for more daring souls. On a hot summer day, it is not uncommon for a crowd mostly comprised of college students and young families to gather, cooling-off in the pools shaded by the gorge's rocky outcrops. But beware the ledge known as the "Devil's Chair"...while it is easy to climb down onto it, it is nearly impossible to climb back off! Many have been rescued from this precarious position.
Resplendent in natural beauty and history, the Gorge and Stone Arch Bridge weave together a tapestry uniquely Gilsum. With over 60 local mines dotting the landscape, Gilsum was once the center for a mass mica mining operation. Other high-quality crystals and minerals such as feldspar, beryl, tourmaline, and quartz were also once part of the booming (literally rock-blasting!) industry in the 1940's and 1950's. You can still see much evidence of the wealth of minerals today, as the water is hardly all that sparkles in the recesses of the gorge, with nearly every hunk of granite bedazzled, streaked, or otherwise adorned in some fashion. So abundant are the gemstones in the area, that the formerly dirt roads of Gilsum once glittered in the sunlight, as remarked by town historians of yesteryears. Since the 1960's, Gilsum has annually hosted the Rock Swap each summer; a testimony to its preoccupation as the mecca for rock-hounds the world-over.
The Gilsum Stone Arch Bridge, standing as the premiere landmark in town, was constructed from granite hewn out of nearby Bingham Hill, according to the careful design of local architect, William Leonard Kingsbury, from 1862-63, after several other wooden bridges built at the same site rotted and collapsed. An earlier stone bridge crumbled after only a few month's use in 1860 due to an inferior design. The current bridge has withstood the test of time, however, with an arch of 36ft 6" above the average water level and a span of 47ft 8", connecting Route 10 to Surry Road, though once it offered thoroughfare to Main Street of Gilsum, coming north from Keene. At least two vehicles have poorly navigated the corner before the bridge and have gone careening into the gorge, but miraculously, no one was killed in either incident.
Oh, and that brings us to the Virtual Cache! It's time to do some stonework of your own. It's become something of a rite-of-passage when visiting this tranquil locale. Take some time to yourself. Marvel and be inspired by the man-made and natural masonry before building your own monument en memorium using materials found right at your feet.
Logging Requirements: Once at GZ, simply photograph a cairn in the river from a perspective that includes the Stone Arch Bridge visible in the background, while giving a thumbs-up in the foreground. You can use a pre-existing cairn or build your own. Make sure you add your photograph to your "Found It" Log for your log to be accepted. Failure to do so may result in a public stoning.
The cairn must be:
a) Located between the banks of the river, in full or in part.
b) Visually centered under the arch of the bridge in log photograph.
c) Stand at least five stones high above the water's surface. The base stone is expected to be partially submerged.
It is possible to accomplish this without getting wet, but by all means, have fun and get soaked in the process, if you wish! See example photo below:
See example of a beautiful, but otherwise UNACCEPTABLE logging photo below:
A NOTE about attempting this cache in the winter: It can be done, but will certainly be more hazardous. I would elevate the terrain level to a 5 once ice is present, as you may require special climbing gear, or at least sturdy hiking boots, to travel in and out of the gorge. For the sake of the logging requirements and your safety, consider river ice as the equivalent of river flow, and stay on land, viewing/building/photographing your chosen cairn from the edge of the ice, without traveling onto to the ice yourself. Be smart. Stay alive to cache another day.
Lastly...once you have completed the logging requirements for this Virtual Reward cache, it is suggested that you return any stones employed in the building of a cairn back to the river to preserve the natural enviroment. That said, Mother Nature has fun toppling the cairns herself, on her own time.
Thanks for viewing. Happy Virtual Caching!
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.
