NOTE: The city has blocked the middle of Estabrook Parkway. Enter the parkway from the north at Hamptom Avenue.
Your Mission
This geocache is not at the posted coordinates. It is a letterbox hybrid, which means you will start from the posted coordinates and then follow step-by-step instructions to find the container.
Instructions
- Go to the posted coordinates. They will bring you to the top of a flight of stone stairs
- Follow the stairs to the bottom. This will bring you to some flat stones that cross a small stream. With the stairs directly behind you, you will be facing southwest toward the river. (The Milwaukee River zigzags through Estabrook Park. It does not run north-to-south at this point)
- Cross the stream, then turn right and follow the stream's course to the west about forty-five feet. You will come to a small pool where the stream drops down a foot or two
- Turn left and walk uphill about fifteen feet to the southwest. There is a tree that leans almost sideways. Look for logs lying parallel to each other on the ground under the trunk of the tree. If you visit during the summer when the brush is tall, the logs will be hard to see. The container is a red thermos hidden among the logs
About the Location
This area is a wild part of Estabrook Park. It changes with the seasons. This cache will be easy to find in spring. The brush gets thick in summer. Insect repelent is a good idea during this time. Once the leaves have fallen in autumn, the cache will be easy again. The container is on the ground, so this cache is not recommended when there is snow.
This area is quiet, but you may see people hiking or walking their dogs. You may be entirely hidden from view or out in the open depending on the season, so some stealth may be required. As always, should you be captured, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.
About Letterboxing
Letterboxing is another hobby similar to geocaching. Instead of using GPS coordinates, it relies on landmarks and instructions. Both hobbies started around the same time.
Letterboxing has an added element of rubber stamps. When a person visits, he brings his personal stamp and a personal log book with him. He uses his stamp to mark the log book for the letterbox. Each letterbox has a unique stamp, so the visitor will use that stamp to mark his personal log book. If you find a thousand letterboxes, your personal log book will have a thousand different stamps in it, sort of like a passport.
I decided to make this geocache a letterbox hybrid because the radio towers across the river make it hard to get good GPS coordinates in this area. It is also a tricky area to find your way in and out. The step-by-step instructions seemed easier.
About the Stamp
The geocache contains a stamp, which looks like this.
I used an experimental method to make it and I think I was a little too ambitious with the design. As a result, the stamp is hard to use. It is a little too stiff and tends not to mark evenly. I have not included an ink pad in the cache, so you will have to bring one with you if you want to use the stamp. To get the best results, put a lot of ink on the stamp. If you can, use thin paper with more paper behind it. You want the paper to stay flat but also yield a little bit. A spiral notebook is ideal.
Permission
Permission to place this geocache has been granted by Brian Russart at the Milwaukee County Parks Department. The permit is #684.