The posted coordinates will bring you to some very old history!
The Background: In a quiet valley where rivers once wandered and volcanoes slept, a forest stood rooted in time. Around 30 million years ago, Central Oregon wasn't a high desert; it was a lush, temperate wetland. But when the mountains woke, ash drifted down like gray snowflakes, burying the giants where they stood.
Rain seeped through the ash, carrying dissolved minerals into the hollow channels where sap once climbed. Grain by grain, silica replaced cellulose. Iron stained the rings red and gold; quartz traced the bark. The trees didn't rot—they waited.
Inside each trunk was a map of the past: every growth ring preserved, every knot immortalized, every scar from lightning or drought captured forever. The trees could no longer grow, but they remembered everything.
And when the evening light slid across their polished surfaces, the valley glowed as if the old forest were whispering its story back to the world—not in leaves or shadows, but in mineral and time.
A forest that had once breathed had become geology. A living place turned eternal. A quiet miracle of petrification. 🌲
These specific portions (Ground Zero) of Dawn Redwood (Oregon’s State Fossil) were discovered by the legendary "Klondike Kate" Rockwell on her homestead in Brothers, OR. In 1934, the Bend Fire Department helped move these "living memories" to this spot. They are no longer wood; they are a map of the past rewritten in stone.
🔍 Logging Requirements
To claim a find on this virtual complete the following two tasks. Do not post the answer to Task 1 in your log!
Task 1: The Touch of Time (Message/Email the CO) Go to the petrified stumps and examine the "stone bark" closely.
- Run your hand along the fossilized exterior. Is the texture smooth and glassy, or rough and ridged like modern bark?
- Look for the "rings" of the tree. Find the largest stump; approximately how many inches wide is the center-most "core" of the petrification before the rings begin to spread?
Task 2: The Proof (Post with your Log) Provide a photo of yourself, your GPS, or a personal item (like a name-tag or a piece of paper with your caching name) with the petrified wood in the background. Creative bonus: Try to take a "close-up / macro" photo showing the colorful mineral detail inside the stone!
Congratulations to CreamPuffWar for the late night FTF!
What Oregon may have looked like 30 million years ago!
Virtual Rewards 5.0 - 2026-2027
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between February 3, 2026 and February 3, 2027. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 5.0 on the Geocaching Blog.