Stone steps, about 3/4 up from bottom of upper flight
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This cache will take you on a tour of a very
interesting part of Mt. Airy Forest. It is named for an area of the
park with an impressive set of stone steps, which you will have to
navigate in pursuit of the cache. The first five stages are small
plastic containers, containing only the coordinates and an
encrypted clue for the following stage. Follow these coordinates
and clues, which will lead you to the final cache container
containing a log book, camera and trade items.
At several points along the way, you will be
presented with a choice of trails to take. Choose judiciously; some
trails will get you to where you need to go, while others will take
you nowhere near your goal. You will backtrack quite a bit in
search of stages; take this into consideration as you make your
trail choices. I didn't track mileage while placing this cache, but
expect to walk at least 3 miles (if you choose your trails
correctly) and spend at least 1-1/2 to 2 hours or more solving this
cache. Probably not the best cache to take young children on, due
to difficult terrain and several steep elevation changes.
Bushwackers will find their own daunting challenges if they choose
to go that route (and might miss some of the best views of the
hike), so staying on the trail system is highly recommended. Mt.
Airy trails are very busy, and most stages are hidden relatively
close to the trail, so stealth will be required when looking for
and replacing the containers. A Mt. Airy Trail map is included
below, as well as a picture of the stage containers.
Start at the trailhead marked 'Ponderosa/Quarry
Trails', at N 39 10.164 W084 34.091. Initial coordinates are for
Stage 1, and the encrypted hint below is also a clue for this
stage. All following coordinates will be inside the container at
each stage. Please do not take the laminated clue from the
container; leave it in place for the next cachers (feel free to
take one of the paper clues, if you wish). Also, please replace
each plastic cap tightly to keep out moisture, and be sure to
re-hide them well so they are not found by non-cachers. Final cache
is a 50 cal. Ammo box with an assortment of trinkets and goodies.
There is a disposable camera in the cache, so please take a picture
of your group and note the picture number in the log book. We'll
post the pictures when the camera is used up. Have fun!
Note - It is possible to break this
multicache up into three or four separate visits, for those who
have difficulties with walking long distances, trouble with steep
inclines, or time constraints. Keep in mind, however, that total
accumulated walking distances will still be nearly as far as if the
cache were done during one trip, and you will possibly miss some of
the most beautiful portions of this forest. You will have to figure
out how to break this cache up for yourself, however, because we're
not telling... 