The Story of the Footprints:
Two hunters from Beaver Bank wandered the woods near Rawdon Road. They did not find a deer, but what they did discover brought them directly to a chilly presence. While scanning the earth beneath their feet for signs of wildlife, one of the men noticed a deep carving in the hard stone beneath him. He brushed away decaying leaves and unearthed footprints that stretched across the smooth rock. They are of an unnatural length, too large for a human. They are spaced evenly throughout the woods, capturing the stride of the creature that left them. What the hunters uncovered was evidence of a supernatural presence in Rawdon - possibly the Devil’s footprints.
It is believed the Devil once walked through Rawdon to Enfield in the nineteenth century. It was during this passage through the area that the Devil permanently marked the woods with evidence of his presence, as he left behind a trail of footprints in the solid rock, as well as long grooves, which are said to be made by the bag of gold that he carried with him, as it was dragged along the ground from time to time. Today, these imprints stretch from alongside Rawdon Road to Grand Lake, and they stop on one side of the lake only to reappear on the opposite shore, continuing towards Enfield. These footprints have withstood the test of time, and should you venture into the area to seek out these remnants of the Devil’s journey be wary, for the Devil might decide to retrace his steps!
The link below is a video that tells the story.
https://youtu.be/t2QUBnUFAXc
The Earthcache info:
Geological studies have shown the mystery of the Devil’s Footprints has natural origins. They are cavities left where carbonate nodules, called concretions, have eroded out of the bedrock to form the cavities you see in the rocks. Concretions form early in the process that turns buried sediment into rock, as mineral cement (carbonate) is deposited in layers growing outward from a central point. Concretions form when minerals in fluids pass through a rock segregate or precipitate within cracks and cavities, or as a sediment builds up in successive layers around a nucleus such as a shell or pebble. Concretions are commonly misunderstood geologic structures. There are many different ways to explain this geologic phenomenon. One suggestion is the decaying remains of an ancient organism. Once exposed to the elements, the concretions weathered out leaving the empty nodules we see today. Often mistaken for fossil eggs, turtle shells, or bones, they are actually not fossils at all but a very common geologic phenomenon in all types of sedimentary rock.
To Claim this EC as Found:
Send me a message through my profile with the correct answers to the following questions. Please do not post any answers in your log.
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How many footprints are visible at GZ?
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Take a measurement of the length, width and depth of one. What are the dimensions of the footprint you chose?
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What direction do the footprints run?
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What is said to have caused the long grooves in the rock, according to folklore?
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What is the altitude at GZ?
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Take a picture of the footprint you chose to measure and place your GPS or foot next to it when taking the picture. Post the pic with your log.
[REQUIRED] In accordance with the updated guidelines from Geocaching Headquarters published in June 2019, photos are now an acceptable logging requirement and WILL BE REQUIRED TO LOG THIS CACHE.
Please be respectful of the environment and take anything out with you that you brought in with you. If possible, bring a bag to CITO out anything you can find while visitng. Thank you for visiting my EC.
