Back in the 1920s, a man built a small shack on a sandy ridge in the woods along the Huron River, and the legend of the Flat Rock Hermit was born.
Now George Sutliff wasn't an ordinary-sized man. No, he was huge! Standing nearly 7 feet tall and weighing nearly 400 pounds, he was a giant! Yet despite being nearly the size of a mountain, George was a humble man and kept mostly to himself. But George wasn't alone. Oh no! You see, George bided his time by raising pigs, and his favorite one was a three-legged pig named Porkers that he kept as a pet. George and Porkers went everywhere together and were constant companions.
Well... teenagers are curious critters, and the idea of a huge hermit living in the woods with a three-legged pig just proved to be too tempting to local kids. Often in the middle of the night, they would sneak off in their daddy's pickup truck and drive into the woods to steal poor Porkers! They would take him back to town and tie him up in front of someone's house.
The next day, old George would lumber into town to retrieve his pet pig, and together they would wander back into the woods. It's impossible to even guess at the number of trips George made into town to bring Porkers back home. Well, eventually the novelty of a huge hermit with a three-legged pig just sort of died off, and the pranking slowly ended. With no need to rescue Porkers, George's journeys into town slowly ended as well.
Some folks say that when the Metroparks bought up those woods for Oakwoods Nature Center, George and Porkers moved away to some other sand ridge. Others say that George died back in the 1950s and was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave. But if you listen to local legend, there are those that believe that if you wander into those same woods, and find that same sandy ridge in the light of the full moon, you just might catch a glimpse of a 400-pound giant and his pet three-legged pig.
The Clue: The posted coordinates will take you to a bench on the Long Bark trail at Oakwoods Metropark. Have a seat, read the story of the Flat Rock Hermit, and proceed as below.
- At the bench, get out your GPS, or use the compass on your smartphone and set off on a heading of 130 degrees
- After about 50 paces, you will come to a signpost marked with #5 - stay to the left
- Cross a springtime stream
- The trail will curve to the right, and then again to the left.
- At the left curve, you will see a large stump about 6 feet tall.
- Old George and Porkers are seeking solitude within the stump.
The Cache: The cache is a medium-sized lock & lock hidden along the Long Bark trail at Oakwoods Metropark. Please note that dogs are not allowed in this section of the park.
This Geocache is one of twelve that were launched in association with the 20 Years of Geocaching in Oakwoods GC8JZM1 Celebration event. The theme of this series is The History and Features of Oakwoods.
| This cache is located within Oakwoods Metropark, a part of the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority park system. A Metropark Vehicle Entry Permit is required: Annual Permit $40. Senior(62+) Permit $29. Daily Permit $10.
For general information please call 810-227-2752 or 800-47-PARKS. Or visit our website at www.metroparks.com.
All park rules and regulations apply. Park in parking lots only. Check the Metroparks website for park hours.
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The hours for Oakwoods Metropark are dawn to dusk daily. Dogs and bicycles are NOT allowed in this section of the park.
A Metropark geocaching permit has been filed and approved by Kevin Arnold (Southern District Interpretive Supervisor).