Quarry Hill Park is located east of downtown Rochester and is situated around an old limestone quarry. It is 302-329 acres in size (figures vary). An extensive system of more than 8 miles of trails runs throughout the park, providing visitors with an opportunity to explore a variety of terrain (paved, mulch, dirt/grass, and uneven rock).
The Quarry Hill Nature Center is located near the main entrance in the south-central area of the park. It has a wide variety of displays, including live animals and hands-on exhibits. The east side of the park features cross-country running and skiing trails, while the west side features a playground, tennis courts, horseshoe pits, and ball fields. The quarry and an oak savanna are in the center of the park (up on the hill). Quarry Hill is Rochester City Park #52.
This multi-cache will take you on a tour of the park that highlights some of its most interesting and unique features (in my opinion). It may take 1-2 hours to visit each of the required waypoints, depending on pace and sequence.
Visitors are encouraged to explore all the nooks and crannies that this park has to offer. Photos and stories of your adventure are encouraged, but please do not include any spoilers in your log or gallery about the information collected at each waypoint or GZ.
The D rating reflects the number of waypoints rather than the difficulty in finding the information or the cache (each of which is closer to D2 individually). The T rating varies significantly across waypoints. Most are accessible from a relatively flat path (T1-1.5), but the cave, oak savanna, and quarry overlook require navigating uneven terrain (T2.5-3).
Please note: Quary Hill Nature Center uses several areas of the park as program space for summer camps and field trips for local schools. If an area around a waypoint is being used, please move on to a different location and return at a later time. Please also follow all park rules when visiting, including open hours (dawn to dusk), fossil hunting (see FAQ), and not walking on groomed ski trails.
Required Waypoints
Visit each of the 10 waypoints listed below and gather the information needed to calculate the location of the cache. The waypoints can be visited in any order. Please take a moment at each waypoint to read the signs and learn about the history and natural features of this park.
Nature Center: Quarry Hill is a federally licensed bird banding station. Its license number is xAxxx (second of 5 digits).
Butterfly Garden: A butterfly garden should receive at least B hours of full sun each day.
Island: During summer months there are more than C species of dragonflies living around the pond.
Rock Crusher: This retaining wall has been used as a training site for rock climbing since 19D (last 2 digits).
Cave Entrance: Look through the gate at the entrance to the cave and read the sign hanging inside (it might be easier to take a photo and adjust image brightness if it is too dark to see by eye). The Rochester Park Board limited access to the cave in the year 19E (last 2 digits).
Rochester State Hospital Cemetery: This site was used as a cemetery from xxxx-xxxF (last digit of the year).
Oak Savanna: Saplings of this species that are older than G years are fire tolerant.
Quarry Overlook: At this location there are H benches overlooking the quarry.
Meadow: In the year 20J (last 2 digits) the meadow was restored when the creek was reconstructed.
Prairie House: There are K rocks arranged in an arc across from the main tiered seating area.
Optional Waypoints
Several additional points of interest are included as reference points. Reference points do not need to be visited to solve the location of the cache but they do offer a deeper glimpse into the history of this area.
Fireplace: This area was once a landfill containing glass and cans from the State Hospital, but it was cleaned up and converted into a picnic area for patients and staff. The fireplace was built about 1936, and was used for cooking and warmth.
Cave Entrances #2 and #3: The cave was carved out of the hillside in 1882 and was used to store fruit and vegetables that were grown on the State Hospital farm. The entrances to the cave allowed horses and wagons to deliver food efficiently, entering one end and exiting through another. The cave contains two large storage rooms and many side chambers. Records for one year show the cave held 9300 bushels of potatoes, 400 bushels of carrots, 417 bushels of rutabagas, and 18 tons of cabbage. These two entrances have been closed off to protect the cave and the habitat within. Slots in the stone wall allow animals to enter and leave the cave.
Rock Crusher (top): A rock crusher was first added to the quarry in 1900 to provide gravel for roads. Rail cars were used to carry rock from the quarry to the top of the crusher. The crusher operated until 1950, and in 1955 its buildings and towers were destroyed to reduce the hazard to children playing in the area.
Cap Shack: This structure stored the dynamite blasting caps safely away from the dynamite. The shack was constructed from cement and had a small iron door.
Dynamite Shack: This structure stored the dynamite used to break up rock in the quarry. It could store 4-5 tons of dynamite. The stone safety wall in front of the shack was 6 feet tall.
Fossil Casts (2): At these two waypoints you can find casts in the stone from cephalopod fossils (depressions that look like slightly conical tubes). A large cephalopod fossil from the quarry is displayed in the Nature Center.
Final Location
Use the information collected at the required waypoints to calculate the location of the cache. Pay attention to the mathematical operators and order of operations!
N 44 02.nnn W 92 25.www
nnn = (AxB) + (B+C) + (E-D)
www = [(FxK) x (G+H+J)] + (F+G+J)
Tales of your explorations are encouraged, but please do not post any spoilers about GZ (including photos or text). To preserve the intended experience of this multi, I will request any spoilers to be edited and I will delete logs if needed.
Enjoy exploring Quarry Hill Park!
This geocache and the method of attachment is done with the permission of Quarry Hill Nature Center.
More information about Quarry Hill can be found here:
You can validate your puzzle solution with
certitude.