This will be a fun one! Park at or near the
SD #4 Travel Bug Depot and pick up/drop off a travel bug, then
set in for a 1.5+ mile round trip fun hike through the Black Hills
National Forest. There is a fairly well-worn trail that will aid
you along your way, but it is STRONGLY recommended that you use the
following waypoints. If you don't ... well, read the lamentations
of your fellow cachers in the log below. There is a somewhat steep
incline that may not make this cache suitable for some cachers. If
there is snow, it may be slippery. My 5 year old made it up the
hill, but he did a lot of complaining! :-)
First waypoint: N44 09.508' W103 20.834, a USFS benchmark-type
marker. This part of the trail will be right along the edge of
Forest Service and private property, you will NOT have to enter
private property (or cross any fencelines) to get to the cache.
Please respect all signs.
Second Waypoint: N44 09.778 W103 21.084, a "T" in the trail. Take a
LEFT at the "T" and follow the trail to the coordinates.
The cache is located at a sharp bend in the trail near a cool
overhang and, if you continue up the sidecanyon, you will find a
dry horseshoe falls. If you are really adventureous and continue up
the sidecanyon (scramble/climb carefully!) you will find a second
set of falls. VERY COOL!! There are interesting rock formations all
around, and the terrain on all sides climbs several hundred
feet.
When you're done, please make sure the ammo can remains well
hidden IN ITS ORIGINAL LOCATION.
There are lots of cockleburrs and hitchhikers in this area that
will stick to your clothes. :-( Sorry, I didn't plant them. These
things love to stick to your dog, too. A watchful eye is your best
defense, but the cockleburrs in particular like this area that
keeps more moisture than the surrounding terrain.
Initial items placed in the cache:
Regular Log and Cache Info
WheresGeorge Dollar
LOTS of trinket toys
Cache In Trash Out Bag
On your way back to your car, take some time to pick up trash,
especially near the parking area. I've made several trips and
haven't been able to get it all, not even close! You may also
notice a lot of deer carcasses in the area. This is because DOT and
others put their roadkill in this "easy" access to Black Hills
National Forest. I'm afraid this will attract scavengers and/or
old/injured mountain lions. I've seen lion scat in the area, but it
was very old (1 year +)
Update as of 4/23/04: the cache coordinates have been changed
slightly. The area of the cache has poor coverage, so I let the GPS
"average" the lat-longs for about 15 minutes today. Also, I deleted
the reference to SD Travel Bug Depot #2, which was stolen (with my
5 year old's travel bug in it!) :-( A new cache nearby is SD Travel
Bug Depot #4.
Update as of 3/4/07: after a few cachers were unable to find the
hide, my sons and I checked it today. Someone--for an unknown
reason--had moved the cache about 10 meters away and hid it in a
stone cairn (rock pile). We placed the cache back in its original
location, so the clue and photos should once again hold true. I'm
sorry some cachers were unable to find it--they were in the right
spot, I could tell because their footprints in the snow took them
right to the proper spot! I admire them for trying ... its fairly
snowy in the canyon bottom there. I'm sorry the cache was moved,
its back in business (after almost 3 years since the original
hide). I hope you can check out this cache on a nice spring day
like today -- or any other nice day!!