You can make this an easy trip, moderate trip or make things
very challenging but rewarding and scenic. I went for all of the
above. Start at Democrat Rd off of Hwy 178 for the easy to moderate
ways (hike in from the gate if it's locked) which will be about 13
miles round trip or drive in as far as you want (if it's unlocked)
You'll shorten your "dirt road hike" by two miles for every one you
drive) (Keep in mind that the gate will be locked during times of
very wet weather as it is NOW). For the tough hike (about 3.5 miles
round trip) stop at Lucas Creek (you can pass it going east up Hwy
178 then make a u-turn and park in the pull-out across the hwy).
Hike up the creek trail to the right of the creek. You can hike all
the way up to the Flume but at that time the trail goes to
non-existent and you need to crawl UNDER the flume to keep going.
That's where the fun begins. Continue on up the creek following
your GPS. The terrain is steep and tough to negotiate at times but
VERY VERY beautiful views to be had there. Take a different route
down.... you'll be glad you did as the scenery is terrific. Plan
4.5 hrs with a 20-30 minute stop at the top to check the cache and
snack. Check out the photos from some beautiful scenery. The
container is a .30 cal ammo box. ORIGINAL CONTENTS OF THIS
CONTAINER AS OF 1-12-05: Rand McNally New Millennium World Atlas
Deluxe on CD, One new but unsealed DVD, Double Feature “Little Shop
of Horrors” and “Tormented”, one BLANK CDR disk, one electronic
keychain “finder” (it may beep and flash when disturbed – don’t be
alarmed), two new sealed inkjet cartridges for Epson Stylus Color
Printer Models 440/460/640/740/760/860/1160, 2 AA batteries, 2 AAA
batteries, 2 9-volt batteries, two books of paper matches, 1 bottle
of water, two pencils and a “goose” pencil sharpener (please leave
this one here for the pencils) and ONE TRAVEL BUG attached to
Pierre Cache' - Hey I forgot to get his photo for the trip. If you
have a digital camera I'd appreciate a shot of Pierre for my
scrapbook and the website!