Cabarrus County Rocky River Thread Trail
Note: Parking for these hides may be found along Rocky River Road near the bridge over Rocky River, or along the street into The Mills development.
Extra Caution: When these caches were hidden, Rocky River level was around 11 feet. The river was flowing fast and "angry." A couple feet higher and the trail is underwater in places. When wet or damp, the trail is very slippery in spots, and you could easily slide down the bank into the water. It was about 8 feet higher only 12 hours earlier. It can go up even faster. Words to the wise: Turn around, don't drown. If in doubt, go uphill away from the river.
Gage, Rocky River above Irish Buffalo Creek:
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nc/nwis/uv/?site_no=0212433550&PARAmeter_cd=00065
To find GZ, count the number, X, of prominent, VERY large sets or collections of connected rocks seen by the water, with tops about the same heights, below the reference overlook location.
N 35 19.[14*X] W 080 35.[193*X]
If the water is too deep or the bank is too slippery to count the prominent rock collections, then you should come back for this hide another time. It is near low spots that are filled with water after rain. Also, approaching this hide from the main thread trail is easier than approaching from the "fishing" trail.
The following map link shows approximate routes of the fishing trail, thread trail and dirt road in the vicinity of these hides.
https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/35.31729/-80.59460