Dardago Vista Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Cache is located on the mountain overlooking Dardago. Bring water and good footwear for this challenging half-day hike. A river, waterfall, old church, and mountain views make this hike memorable.
I was hiking the "red & white 990 trail" from Dardago up the mountain where all of the antennas are and found a beautiful lunch spot. If you are a true adventurer, drive uphill through Dardago and park at the trailhead at N 46 03.502 E 012 31.851 Elevation 778 ft. A gravel road turns off at this spot. You'll recognize the road sign with the distinctive red and white stripes with black "990" painted on the pole (see photo). The trail is well marked with the red/white stripes all the way up the mountain. About halfway up, you can follow the San Tome signs left and take a 10-minute detour to visit a very old church in the forest. Total elevation gain is 1,830 ft. If you are in good shape, the uphill hike should take 2-3 hours. After you find the cache, the trail continues all the way up the mountain following the road to Piancavallo. It's another hour or so to the paragliding ridge with the antennas. If you don't care for strenuous hikes or have small kids with you, the junior varsity approach is to drive up the Aviano-Piancavallo road and park at N 46 04.808 E 012 31.315 Elevation 3382 ft. Climb over the guard rail and walk west less than 50 yards until you hit the red/white 990 trail. Follow it down to the cache. You'll still sweat a little on the way back to the car. Total elevation drop is 775 ft. You're looking for a blue and white Thermos with a green Geocaching sticker. Take some vino, olives, cheese, and bread. Try not to scare away the deer! Cache contents: bug spray, watch compass, glow sticks, lip balm, Air Force pins and tattoos, logbook and pen.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Zvqqyr bs n pyrnevat, fznyy pyhfgre bs ebpxf naq ohfurf.