The hike is about 1 - 1.5 miles roundtrip, depending on which of the
crisscrossing trails you use to find the 4 locations. This area of the
reservation was the site of the 1930's St. Moritz Winter Carnival.
There are man-made ponds created for skating and the remains of a ski
jump can be seen at intersection marker 4205. This cache will be difficult to do if there is snow on the ground.
"Located only minutes from the bustle of
downtown Boston, the MDC Blue Hills Reservation stretches over 7,000
acres from Quincy to Dedham, Milton to Randolph, providing a green
oasis in an urban environment. Rising above the horizon, Great Blue
Hill reaches a height of 635 feet, the highest of the 22 hills in the
Blue Hills chain. From the rocky summit visitors can see over the
entire metropolitan area. With its scenic views, varied terrain and
125 miles of trails, the Blue Hills Reservation offers endless hours
of enjoyment for the outdoor enthusiast.
The Blue Hills were so named by early
European explorers who, while sailing along the coastline, noticed
the bluish hue on the slopes when viewed from a distance. More than
ten thousand years before those Europeans arrived, Native Americans
made their home in the hills. The Natives referred to themselves as
Massachusett, or "people of the great hills". Eventually the
Europeans began settling in this region. The colonists built houses
and barns, cleared fields for crops and livestock and logged the
hillsides for lumber.
In 1893, the Metropolitan Parks Commission
purchased the lands of Blue Hills Reservation as one of the first
areas set aside for public recreation. Today, the reservation is rich
in both archaeological and historic resources. Sixteen historic
structures listed on the National Register tell the fascinating tales
of Native Americans, explorers, farmers, quarry workers and
inventors. Additionally the Blue Hills Weather Observatory, a
National Historic Landmark, sits atop Great Blue Hill, as a crowning
feature.
The living treasures of the Blue Hills
include flora, fauna and natural phenomena -from coyotes to
copperheads, dogwoods to lady's slippers, and turkey vultures to
dragonflies. Trails traverse upland and bottomland forests, marsh,
swamp and pond edges, meadows and an Atlantic white cedar bog. A
great variety of plant and animal life thrive in the diverse
habitats, including several rare and endangered species in
Massachusetts, such as the timber rattlesnake."
There are 4 parts to this multi-cache. Each of the first 3 caches
has pictures of geocachers and the final one has the goodies. Your
job is to:
1. Download the following quiz:
http://birchmire.com/geocachers.htm
2. Go to the profile pages of the 20 geocachers listed in column
A.
http://birchmire.com/profiles.htm
There is enough information on these pages to allow you to match
the geocachers in column A with the clues in column B.
3. Complete the quiz.
4. BE SURE TO BRING THE QUIZ WITH YOU ON
YOUR HIKE.
5. Go to the trailhead at the Shea Skating Rink on Willard Street
in Quincy. (N42° 14.019 and W 71° 01.754) A map is posted at the trailhead. A color map of the entire Blue Hills Reservation is available for $1 at the Trailside Museum on Rte 138 in Milton
or at the Blue Hills Reservation Headquarters,
695 Hillside Street, Milton.
6. Follow the given coordinates to the first
stop. You will find a plastic container with pictures of geocachers.
On the back of each picture is the screen name of each geocacher and
a set of coordinates. Only one picture has the correct coordinates
for the next stop. You will know which one to choose by the clue (an
answer from Column B) that is also in the box. There is only one clue
in each box and if you have brought your quiz with you, you will
already have the answer.
7. Match the clue (an answer from column B)
to the correct picture (a geocacher from Column A) and follow the
coordinates on the back to the next stop.
8. Stop 2 and 3 are done in exactly the same
way. There is only one clue to match with one geocacher in each box.
Look at your completed quiz and see who the clue pertains to and get
the new set of coordinates from the back of that picture. It will all
seem quite simple once you see the contents of the first
container.
9. At the final stop you will find an ammo
box that we have filled with a variety of goodies. Doug26 claimed the first finder's prize of the USA GeoCoin that we were awarded for being the first to find Waldenrun's cache, "See Saw."