This is a puzzle cache that is NOT located at the listed coordinates. Review the information on this cache page, calculate the cache coordinates, and then take a hike to the hiding location.
Wilderness -- "an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain ... an area protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions." —The Wilderness Act of 1964
Originally established in 1931 as a primitive area in the Wind River Range, this remote 428,169-acre region was re-designated by the US Congress as the Bridger Wilderness Area in 1964 and expanded to its current size in 1984. This wilderness is bordered by the Fitzpatrick Wilderness to the northeast and the Popo Agie Wilderness to the southeast. The Wind River Indian Reservation also flanks the wilderness along a portion of its eastern boundary. The wilderness is part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Jim Bridger, certainly one of the most famous mountain men in American history, is memorialized by this popular wilderness. It’s a remarkably rugged piece of the Rocky Mountains that extends for approximately 80 miles along the western slope of the Continental Divide. The Bridger contains unique combinations of jagged granitic rock, alpine and subalpine forests, and open alpine meadows. Serving as the headwaters for the Green River, this wilderness holds seven of the 10 largest glaciers in the Lower 48, more than 2,300 cold crystalline lakes and ponds, and numerous glacier-carved cirques, valleys, and hanging troughs. Gannett Peak, located on the shared boundary of the Fitzpatrick Wilderness, is the highest point in Wyoming at 13,804 feet. Gannett towers above a vast area of stark granite summits that long ago were thrust into the sky by enormous compressional forces. There are 35 ranked mountains in Wyoming that have an elevation of 13,000 feet or higher. Thirty-one of these are located in this rugged Wind River Mountain range.
More than 600 miles of trails provide access to portions of the wilderness, making the wilderness a popular back packing destination. At elevations ranging from 7,500 to 13,804 feet, it can freeze any night of the year, even after warm, sunny summer days. Snow usually lingers on the high trails and passes until mid or late July, but the lower trails are normally open by late June.
Mule deer, moose, elk, bighorn sheep, gray wolf, and grizzly and black bears are some of the many wildlife species found in this wilderness. Other common wilderness residents include bald eagles, osprey, yellow-bellied marmots, pikas, and beavers. Visitors are required to store food and attractants properly to prevent habituating or encountering black and grizzly bears. The lakes and ponds contain a variety of trout species, including the prized, elusive, golden trout.
The Puzzle and Cache
In my map case I have a nice collection of paper USGS 1:24,000 scale Quadrangles for Wyoming. One of them is the Green River Lakes Quadrangle that was published in 1968. I used this 7.5-minute quad for detailed route planning for a recent backpack trip when I packed up to Granite Lake on the south side of the iconic Squaretop Mountain. On my third day, as I returned to my parked vehicle after a wonderful backpacking and camping experience, I hid a cache fairly close to the boundary of but outside the wilderness area. When I plotted the specific location of the cache on the map I had along, I arrived at the following map coordinates: N 43 18.624 W 109 51.032
Using the above information, go find the cache. Be certain to use available navigational materials to determine a logical spot to park and to plot out an appropriate hiking route to GZ. From parking, make the easy hike to the general vicinity of the cache location and begin your search. The cache is located about 4 feet above ground level. Have a fun drive into the Green Lakes area and an enjoyable hike to the cache vicinity.
Be certain to use the geo-checker. If you determine the coordinates using the correct methodology your result should be spot on. But I have provided some leeway in the checker.
