BOISEquoia II Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Ice and Wind: No response from the cache owner. Archiving.

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Hidden : 4/26/2019
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


Welcome to Fort Boise Park! Fort Boise Park was acquired in 1950 from the federal government after the Defense Department declared the site as surplus property. The park was originally 40.37 acres but in 1956 several acres were traded to the Idaho Elks organization in exchange for a site of approximately the same size off of State Street. The park is currently about 33 acres in size. (visit link)

NOTES ON THE ATTRIBUTES: This geocache has lots of parking nearby, but at busy times the availability of the parking might be "spotty." We have no idea how busy the nearby theater is or when it's busy. Best to be stealthy. Although Boise parks are normally open dawn-to-dusk, the proximity of the hide to public sidewalk effectively allows access 24/7. Add 1/2 point to the Difficulty Rating if you've never seen a nano-sized container before.

There is a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) close to the Saint Luke's Hospital in Boise (Ada County). Saint Luke's Medical Center is one of the largest hospitals in the state and is a landmark in the city of Boise.

This tree grew from a cutting of a giant sequoia presented as a gift to Dr. Fred Pittenger by the forester and conservationist Emil Grandjean. In approximately 1912, the cutting was planted next to Dr. Pittenger’s home by his British gardener, John E. Barry.

In the 1980s the tree almost died. The danger posed to the tree came from an unlikely source – neither axe nor pine borer nor Idaho’s dry climate was the culprit. Rather, it was the spirit of Christmas. In 1984, St. Luke's began decorating the tree for the holidays, complete with hundreds of strings of lights placed by a fellow unafraid of heights. Beneath the tree – on asphalt, concrete, and grass placed there specifically for the purpose – rested colorful, enormous soldiers and carolers that delighted the throngs of people who flocked to see what quickly became known as “Boise's Christmas tree.”

From 1984 through 1987, for two festive weeks during the holidays, St. Luke's invited the community to join together under the sequoia and enjoy refreshments and Christmas carols sung by local choirs. And lest you think that St. Luke’s was not a good steward of the tree, a local horticultural company had been consulted before the first year of decorating, and again in the fall of 1985 to ensure that the previous year’s decorations had not harmed the tree. With assurances that the tree was in good shape, and that the weakened and dead wood that had been removed in the spring was likely a result of early and intense cold coupled with drought stress, the holiday show went on.

The sequoia continued to decline, and steps were taken to protect its health, namely, removal of adjacent asphalt and several junipers in the vicinity. However, the tree’s needles continued to turn browner with each passing month, and after the 1987 holiday season, St. Luke’s administration made the very difficult decision to disappoint the public by canceling future celebrations, yet, by doing so, ultimately save the tree. In a letter dated January 26, 1988, St. Luke's President E. E. “Gil” Gilbertson wrote in a memo to the Building Services director, “As you know, St. Luke’s has an absolute obligation to keep this tree as healthy and vigorous as possible.”

As the tree’s deterioration continued, in the spring of 1989 St. Luke’s consulted with Mayne Tree Expert Company in California, which is the giant sequoia’s native state. In their report, Mayne Tree noted that the tree “has continued to die back from the top.” In addition to recommending cutting off the dead top and removing turf from around the tree, the experts also advised a special regimen for watering and irrigation, and checking weekly for mites.

St. Luke's followed the recommendations, and a “leader” branch was bent skyward in hopes that it would grow to replace the 11 feet of treetop that had been removed. The leader branch did its job, and the other recommendations are still being followed to this day. Although the sequoia does not maintain the nearly perfect symmetry of its youth, it is a hearty, vigorous tree that continues to awe anyone who takes a moment to stand below and gaze up through its magnificent branches.

“The sequoia is the showpiece of the Boise campus,” says Gary Fletcher, St. Luke’s Boise/Meridian CEO. “By providing it with appropriate and high-level care, we’re assuring it will be here to grace our grounds for generations to come.”"

The girth of the tree, measured at a height of 1.40 m, is 5.69 m (2008, T. Kennedy). Its height is around 27.13 m (2008, measurement method unknown, T. Kennedy). This tree was planted around the year 1912 ± 10, which makes it around 103 ± 10 years old (Tim B, Oct 1, 2011). We credit the research for this geocache to "Monumental Trees" (visit link) .

Article and video about how the tree's been doing, one year after the move. Idaho Statesman June 25, 2018: (visit link)

"Video: Giant Sequoia Moves From St. Luke's to Fort Boise Park," Boise Weekly June 26, 2017: (visit link)

Article about the move, KTVB.com October 17, 2016: (visit link)

The First-To-Find prize is rarer than our usual leave, a Lincoln Wheat cent that is about as old as this tree, from 1910! In January 1909, the US Mint engaged Victor D. Brenner to design a cent depicting the late president, Abraham Lincoln, 1909 being the centennial year of his birth. Brenner's design was eventually approved, and the new coins were issued to great public interest on August 2, 1909. Brenner's initials (VDB), on the reverse at its base, were deemed too prominent once the coins were issued, and were removed within days of the release. The initials were restored, this time smaller, on Lincoln's shoulder, in 1918. Brenner's reverse was replaced in 1959 by a depiction of the Lincoln Memorial designed by Frank Gasparro, for the sesquicentennial of his birth year. These pennies are sometimes affectionately referred to as "wheaties" or "wheat backs," our FTF prize is more beat up than the image in the gallery. lisaclown came up strong with the FTF, I gather it's her 2nd FTF! Congrats and well done.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Fho-fvk vs lbh'er ba gur rnfgrea fvqr bs gur fvta. Cyrnfr ercynpr nf sbhaq.

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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