Inspired by the July 2018 "Hidden Creatures" souvenirs offered at geocaching.com, this cache is being hidden by the 3 E's (littleEEE, mrGreen317, and SageHippo), as the 'Unicorn' represents the creature with which littleEEE may be most familiar from story books and animated cartoons. After the publishing of another "creature" cache not far from this location, just south on PA-36 outside Altoona*, we hoped to add another "creature" cache to the geocaching map in the area.
You are looking for a decorated plastic ammo can in the wonderful PA woods of State Game Lands 108. It is tucked into the 'V' of a tree just a foot or so off the ground.
Please park outside one of the nearby gates (parking coordinates are provided on the cache page). Please do not block the gates themselves. You should have room to park at either location, pulled off Marina road and onto the gravel areas in front of the gates without blocking them.
The path from the primary parking toward GZ is grassy. You will walk up the path until you reach a junction with another grassy path going to the left (this side path heads over toward the road from the other nearby SGL gate). Just at the corner of these two grassy paths is a patch of woods where our unicorn is waiting. Your best approach through the brush and bushes to get from the grassy path into the open woods is probably directly south of the cache coming in from the grassy side trail just about 70 feet eastward (left) from the junction.
Because this is a hunting area, please note that during the peak hunting seasons, orange is required to be worn in SGL (except on Sunday, when there is no hunting). Be safe and be seen! Also please be alert for wild animals, mosquitoes, ticks, and poisonous plants, which is a common warning issued for any wooded hike. This cache is located closest to the gate at N 40 39.189' W 78 30.420' . The distance between this primary parking area and the cache is only about 800 feet, and that should make for a nice, relatively short hike.
More from mrGreen317:
This cache is hidden just beyond mrGreen317 (Daddy-E)'s 12 GoC Day 11 cache (GC7GE49), and may also be accessible from the 12 GoC Day 2 cache (GC7GA0X). It was at GC7GA0X that OddMushroom suggested, "A true 'gate cache' is a reward when returning from parking after a more significant trek to an inner gamelands prize." Similarly, green nikki wrote, "All these gates and there are no caches behind them?! It seems mrGreen has led us to the metaphorical water...now who is going to drink?" Well, you can lead a unicorn to a wooded patch beyond a gate, but can you get the cachers to come and get her? We shall soon see, but to answer OMGN's musings, there is now one more cache back here beyond the gate, a plastic ammo box to come and find in this gameland. Maybe it will be one of hopefully more to come. So if you happen to stop by either the Day 11 or Day 2 gate, maybe you can grab some hiking boots and come get this ammo can! ~ mrGreen317
* While out looking for "Hidden Creatures", be sure to also visit the well-done "Fairy House" cache, GC7RKMA by Willowbee2011, just northwest of Altoona, PA, off PA-36.
Congratulations to MrBee&WillowTree on First-to-Find. Enjoy your gift: an inflatable unicorn beverage floatie! The perfect accessory for those hot days of summer, enjoying a refreshing beverage pool- or lake-side.
Trackable ready to move: littleEEE has a unicorn TB purchased from geocaching.com, activated and ready to get out and see the world, starting from this cache. Thanks to playsoccer for giving this TB a ride.
The green hippo is pictured with a balloon perched just above GZ.
(He did not stay at the cache site but came home with us.)
~ Cache page prepared for littleEEE by daddy/mrGreen317 ~