C&I Stritty's Way Traditional Cache
Hidden : 1/27/2018
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:


The newest segment of the Ghost Town Trail extends NE of the prior terminus of its Rexis Branch and loops SE to its new temporary endpoint on North Street in Cardiff (north of Nanty Glo). This segment has been named “Stritty’s Way” in honor of Tom Strittmatter, who was a trail proponent and former Chairman of the CCCRA, which operates the trail.

This trail segment begins at the former wye switch at Vic Miller Road and is connected to the prior Rexis Branch of the trail via a short share-the-road link. The wye connected the Rexis Branch of the Cambria and Indiana Railroad (C&I) to the C&I’s mainline track, which ran from Colver to Manver in Indiana County. While the rail corridor north of this wye has been parceled up into multiple private ownership, the C&I donated the eastbound corridor, along with the Cambria Branch, extending to Revloc to the former NORCAM economic development agency in 1995, when they donated the Rexis corridor. Remnants of the N-S leg of the wye are still visible Vic Miller Road.

The CCCRA has developed portions of the Main Line and the Cambria Branch as a major component of what will hopefully become one of the first looping rail-trails in the country, when subsequent extensions connect to the main corridor of the Ghost Town Trail (20+/- mi loop) in Nanty Glo and then in Revloc (32+/- mi loop).

This cache is placed at the crossing of Elk Creek in the midst of the wye, one of the most scenic spots along this section of trail. The switch area to the Rexis Branch is visible just east of the cache. This leg of the rail corridor couldn’t readily be developed as trail due to potential environmental impacts and PennDOT’s removal of the tunnel under US 422 that necessitated the kink under the Blacklick Creek Bridge.

Nearly all of the newly opened trail segment was used in its undeveloped condition for the Rails to Trails Conservancy's 2011 Sojourn to raise awareness of this resource and encourage its development. As part of that effort the RTC redecked the bridge that you crossed. After a number of years of further ongoing efforts, funding and bureaucratic hurdles were overcome to ultimately develope the corridor into the trail before you.

Yes, the GJCCCVB is preparing to launch their second Geotrail promoting the amenities of Cambria County, which will include this cache. Circumstances have necessitated that we publish this cache prematurely to the formal Geotrail launch. Although preparations are still underway and the Geotrail Passport is not yet available, the Code Word for the cache is in place. Please record it and keep it for entry when the Passport is available. Also keep watch on our website ( (visit link) ) and facebook ( (visit link) ) pages for announcements of the upcoming launch.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Qbjafgernz fvqr bs genvy, haqre n cvyr bs ebpxf ba n uhzzbpx orgjrra gjb gerrf.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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