Myotis 100 (Irish Wilderness) Cache Multi-cache

This is the 100^th cache I have placed. I thought a long time about where I should place this cache. Placing it here was a no-brainier. This area has always been special to me. I have visited this area since I was a youngster. I’ve hiked and backpacked in it, but mostly have accessed it from canoe on the Eleven Point National Scenic Riverway. This area is also home to the Indiana bat which is an Endangered Species that has the scientific name Myotis sodalis. The Indiana bat hibernates in caves, including Whites Creek Cave, which is along the trail. The rest of the year, the bats live in trees, preferably big trees. Several years ago, the Forest Service decided to do timber sales across the Eleven Point River near Whites Creek Cave. I sued the Forest Service, without an attorney, over that timber sale arguing it would violate the Endangered Species Act. I had to argue in court against 5 attorneys. Judge Clark, who recently passed away, ruled in my favor and stopped the timber sales. The case is Bensman v. United States Forest Service, 984 F.Supp. 1242 (W.D.Mo. (1997)).That is why I use the name Myotis. And that is why I am picking this spot. I also love to hike and love wild places. So where else could I place my 100^th cache?

WARNING: This cache is a 5/5 and requires a 20-mile backpack with at least a one night stay in the Wilderness. This is the largest Wilderness Area in Missouri (and probably the Midwest.) One could hike this in one day. In my younger days, I was known to backpack further than this in one day in the mountains. However, if you want to log this cache, you must carry your gear on your back and camp at least one night in the heart of the Wilderness. Not complying is cheating and will subject you to having your log deleted. Be fair to the others. If you want to log a 5/5 cache, you are going to have to do a 5/5 cache. Besides, I was sneaky and I have it set up where you need to decode a hint at night in the Wilderness Area. If you don’t decode it at night in the Wilderness Area, you will not get the right answer. Horses are allowed, but the trails are not designed for them. And you cannot do it on horseback if you want to log the cache. Additionally, this is a Wilderness, bikes and motorized equipment are illegal. Have a true Wilderness experience doing a 5/5 cache.

This trail is flat in parts and has some climbs in others. There are some really nice places along the way and you get nice views of the Eleven Point. See link for the picture at the end of the page.  The trail is well marked except in a few places. I only had a little trouble in one spot. The trail is also fairly well maintained.

You will need a tape measure and a compass. Don’t forget this! You will also need a writing instrument. You will also need a backpack and camping gear. You will be in a Wilderness a long way from anyone. Be prepared. You never know what could happen. Read my adventures placing the cache. I would also recommend a pair of sandals in case you have to wade across Whites Creek. Make sure you have a good topographic map of the area and know how to read it.

The Forest Service has a info about the Wilderness at: See http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/marktwain/ranger_districts/doniphan/IRISH_WILDERNESS_Brochure.pdf for more information on the Irish Wilderness. 

I have a Garmin Mapsource/gpx file with the way points and my tracks but they are low quality. Email me if you want them. Garmin's 24K National Park Central has a good topo map for the area. My free Garmin Trail maps have survey grade GPS trail location from the Forest Service. You can download the installer at http://webpages.charter.net/jbensman/Maps.htm

In some places you will have to take a bearing. The declination is 1 degree, but I will use magnetic in all the readings (i.e., don’t correct the reading of the compass). If you don’t know how to take a bearing and can’t figure it out, email me. To make sure you can obtain bearings: At the trail head, stand by the Men’s outhouse and take a bearing of the sign. It should be 320 degrees.

The way this works is you have find some numbers and information along the trail to get the actual coordinates of the final cache. The actual cache is at N36 45.NNN W91 08.WWW. One of the first things you will see is a sign that says "White’s Creek Cave is closed to public use from */** to */** This sign is before you get to the Irish Wilderness signs. The first 3 numbers is the North Coordinate (NNN), the second 3 numbers is the West Coordinate (WWW). Along the trial you will have to make adjustments to NNN and WWW to get the correct number.

NOTE: If NNN or WWW comes out to be less than 100, add a 0 or 00 to the beginning. For example, if NNN came out to 1, use 001 (N36 45.001).

To be nice, I am also going to give you the checksum (CS=) for each number you have to calculate. The basic rule is just the sum of the digits for a single number, i.e., 456 would be 4+5+6 or 15 for the checksum.

Enter the starting coordinates: NNN=_____ (CS=15) WWW=_____ (CS=7)

At the trail junction (about N36 45.821 W91 08.502), you will see a sign that has North Loop and South Loop. Copy everything down on this sign. Keep the lines separate as you need to know the line and position of the letters and numbers to figure this out.

Stop 1 is at N36 45.841 W91 10.119. Look for this tree which is by the trail.

Measure the distance from A to B in this picture.

The distance is____. If this distance is between 25 and 60 inches, subtract 66 from NNN. If it is more than 60 inches, subtract 166 from NNN. (NOTE: to check yourself add up all the numbers on the North and South Loop signs and use that number for the distance-it is a couple of inches off, but it will give you the same answer.)

NNN is now ___________ (CS=21)

I am not going to give you coordinates for Stop 2. You will have to find it with just a picture and a map. As soon as the trail crosses White’s Creek, you will go up a hill. In a very short distance you will see a large downed tree next to some rocks. Next to the trail is a big rock and there is a small rock near the tree. Measure the distance from furthest edge of the small rock (A) to the closest edge of the big rock (B).

The distance is____. If the distance is more than 10 feet add 50 to NNN. If it is less, than 10 feet subtract 50.

NNN is now ___________ (CS=25)

At N36 45.792 W91 11.715, be careful. This was the only spot I found confusing along the trail. Look closely for the trail maker in the poison ivy. That way you will know which way to go.

Stop 3 is at N36 45.871 W91 12.449. You will see this downed tree.

Take a bearing of the way the tree is pointing standing at the root wad. (A root wad is the end of the tree with the roots.) The bearing is _____ If the bearing is between 0 and 90, add 5 to NNN. If the bearing is between 91 and 180, add 10 to NNN. If the bearing is between 181 and 270, add 15 to NNN, if it is between 271 and 360, add 20 to NNN.

NNN is now ___________ (CS=17)

The junction for Bliss Springs is at N36 44.540 W91 13.230. Stop 4 is at Bliss Springs. There are two places where the water comes out (this could not be the case if the water is low, i.e., it could be dry.) In this picture you can see a beech tree with a fork in it.

You can see one of the spring outlets though the V. Take a bearing of the spring (stand at the tree and take a bearing of the spring). The bearing is ______. If the bearing is between 0 and 90, add 100 to NNN. If the bearing is between 91 and 180, add 200 to NNN. If the bearing is between 181 and 270, add 115 to NNN, if it is between 271 and 360, add 120 to NNN.

NNN is now ___________ (CS=18)

Now you just have to make two more adjustments to NNN. Remember, it is absolutely vital that you make this adjustment at night in your tent. If you don’t you will get the wrong answer! Take out where you wrote down what is on the sign that has North Loop and South Loop. I will give you the letter or number on the sign. If I said, 4^th line first number it would be 1. If I said 7^th line, 2^nd word, first letter, it would be C. If I said, 4^th line, second letter, it would be H. So decode this and do what it says. This will be the final adjustment to NNN.

__ 2^nd line 3^rd letter
__ 6^th line, 1^st letter

__ 2^nd line 3^rd letter
__ 8^th line, 4^th letter

__ 2^nd line 3^rd letter
__ 2^nd line 4^th letter

__ 6^th line, 3^rd letter
__ 8^th line, 3^rd word, 4^th letter
__ 3^rd line, 2^nd letter
__ 4^th line, 2^nd word, last letter

__ 7^th line, 3^rd word, second letter
__ 6^th line, 1^st word, 3^rd letter
__ 6^th line, 1^st word, 3^rd letter

__ 2^nd line, 1^st number

__ 4^th line, 4^th letter
__ 8^th line, 3^rd word, 3^rd letter

__ 1^st line, 1^st letter
__ 1^st line, 1^st letter
__ 1^st line, 1^st letter

The result is _____ The checksum is 17. So the North Coordinate is N36 45._____

To adjust for the new location of the final, add .045 to the North Coordinate. So the North Coordinate is N36 45._____This is the final number for NNN.

Now lets do the West Coordinate. You got this coordinate from the first sign. WWW = _____.

Stop 5 is at the junction with White’s Creek Float Camp. You will see a sign that says .3 miles White’s Creek Cave and below it Bliss Springs 4.1 miles. Measure the distance between these two signs. The distance is ____. If the distance is more than 6 inches, add 100 to WWW. If it is less than 6 inches, subtract 100 from WWW.

WWW is now __________ (CS=6)

Stop 6 is Whites Creek Cave. There is a door on the gate on the entrance. How many horizontal bars are there? (There is a sign that says NOTICE above the entrance. The longest word on the sign has the same number of letters as the door has bars.) There are ____ bars. If there are 5, subtract 100 from WWW. If there are 6, subtract 150. If there are 7, add 110. If there are 8, add 200. If there are 9, add 200. If there are 10, subtract 250. If there are more than 10, make an appointment with an eye doctor. I have a report the sign is down. The location for the cave is N36 43.638 W91 12.248.

WWW is now __________ (CS=8)

Stop 7 is Fiddler Springs. On the other side of the creek you will see two big trees. See picture.

Take a bearing from Tree A toward Tree B. The bearing is _____. If the bearing is between 0 and 90, add 5 to WWW. If the bearing is between 91 and 180, add 100 to WWW. If the bearing is between 181 and 270, add 115 to WWW, if it is between 271 and 360, add 120 to WWW.

WWW is now __________ (CS=13)

The last stop (stop 8) is at N36 44.879 W91 10.831. You will see this tree next to the trail.

Take a bearing from the root wad (trail end) to the other end of the tree. The bearing is ____. If the bearing is between 0 and 90, add 3 to WWW. If the bearing is between 91 and 180, add 4 to WWW. If the bearing is between 181 and 270, add 5 to WWW, if it is between 271 and 360, add 6 to WWW.

WWW is _______ (CS=16) W91 08._______

To adjust for the new final location add .225 to the WWW. So the So the West Coordinate is W91 08._____ Now you can find the final cache.

I had quite a 5/5 adventure setting up this cache. See my description in the pictures section.