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This is a no trail hike to a 7100 ft mesa from the Jemez valley ending with fantastic views of the area. Start at the northern end of Vista Linda campground and follow the coordinates listed for cache. Bring plenty of water and plan on spending some extra time exploring the top of the mesa.
This cache is located in the Santa Fe National Forest south of Jemez Springs. It is a steep climb (rising nearly 1400 ft in about .66 mi) and will take about 2 1/2 to 3 hours at a good pace. A good starting place is Vista Linda campground which is about 4 mi north of Hwy 485 on Hwy 4. If you don't want to pay the day use fee, there is plenty of parking along Hwy 4 in the general area. Be careful, Hwy 4 is a very busy road with plenty of speeders. You will also have to cross the Jemez river (which has no bridge nearby or rocks to hop your way across) prior to commencing your hike. If you can't find a way to cross the stream, there is a bent tree bridge at N 35 42.664 and W 106 43.434 which is easy to walk across, but this crossing point adds some distance to the hike. The cache is near the summit of the mesa at about 7093 ft and was placed by three children ages 7, 9, and 11 in less than three hours roundtrip. No special gear or climbing equipment is required but you will use your hands on some parts of the hike. Good luck and enjoy the amazing view of the Jemez and Walatowa valleys. There are also some ancient Indian ruins at the far south end of the mesa. Walatowa Mesa View cache is across the valley.
Original Contents: Allman Brother's CD, deck of cards, shoe horn, mini baseball, waterproof match holder,2 AA, fingernail clipper, batteries, bracelet, pseudocompass, horse toy, emergency poncho, and 2 mini handwarmers.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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