The Story of Beaver Marsh [from the National Park Service website]:
Starting in the 1800s, land development drained the original wetland. The Ohio & Erie Canal came through. Darwin Carter had a dairy farm on part of the property. Just before the National Park Service purchased the land, an auto repair shop was here, surrounded by old cars and worn-out parts. During the establishment of the park, efforts by humans and beavers transformed this site back into a wetland.
In 1984 the Portage Trail Group of the Sierra Club organized a site clean-up. Together with the National Park Service, they hauled away car parts, bed springs, and accumulated trash. Plans for the property were unresolved; the young park was considering building a parking lot here. Around the same time, beavers started returning to the valley. They had been absent from Ohio for over a century, trapped out for their fur. Beavers built a system of dams that flooded the area. By altering their environment and creating deep water, beavers can enter their lodge underwater and swim to gather building supplies and food, avoiding the dangers of land.
Humans cleaned up and preserved the land. Beavers restored natural water levels, awakening long-dormant seeds in the soil. Wetland plants returned, creating habitat for diverse wildlife.
On March 3rd, 2014 I brought my wife to Beaver Marsh and proposed on the boardwalk, as we'd spent multiple dates there and it held some significance for us. I wanted it to be a surprise, so I only told her we were going out to dinner, and as a result unfortunately she was woefully underdressed for the weather. It was the coldest March 3rd in many decades, and out of familiarity I parked at the Hunt House trailhead which is roughly a mile from the boardwalk (sorry honey!), so it was a frigid walk for her. Lucky for me she said yes and the rest is history! And lucky for you I included some closer parking coordinates, but you are still welcome to replicate the hike we did that day!
We've visited that location several times since that day, with some of the recent trips including our kids. A couple years ago my wife bought me a ring with the coordinates of Beaver Marsh engraved on the inside, and those coordinates are the posted coordinates of this cache. The coordinates are a bit off, but as we all know, geocache coordinates - like marriage and life - are never perfect but we do our best with what we've got. That being said, below are the requirements for you to claim this cache:
- I proposed to my wife at the northernmost overlook on the boardwalk. Go to that location and take a picture of your GPS or a screenshot of your phone app showing A) the coordinates at that location, and B) the approximate distance from the posted coordinates. Please send the picture to me in a message or email, not in your log. But feel free to include other photos of the marsh or your hike in your log!
This location is within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, so please follow all park rules and Leave No Trace - take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints. This virtual was established with permission from Arrye Rosser (arrye_rosser@nps.gov). Note that the National Park does not permit physical geocaches at this time. For more information about Beaver Marsh please visit the National Park Service website.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.