Once upon a time there was a squirrel family, the Scrufftails, living in the woods on Pine Mountain. Momma Scrufftail loves her family, Acorn, her rambunctious daughter and Chatter, her noisy, talkative son but finds them to be a real challenge. Trying to find roots, acorns, fruit and nuts enough to keep her little family fed is hard work. On top of this, Acorn's antics of running up one tree and jumping into another and sneaking down the other side, only to sneak up on Momma and scare her by jumping out and chattering loudly makes Momma shriek and drop the food she is carrying. Then when she is trying to rest, Chatter the little boy squirrel keeps her from napping by asking, "How high is this mountain? or Why are acorns so hard to open?" and questions about rain, wind, sun, day and night and where do baby squirrels come from? So Momma knows to get Acorn and Chatter to quiet down and settle down she needs to read them a story. So she reads to them about their famous uncle, Rocket J. Squirrel and his sidekick B.W. Moose. Soon they get quiet and before you know it they will get sleepy, and maybe, just maybe they will fall asleep and let her get some rest before tomorrow's sunrise and yet another busy day.
Come visit the Scrufftails on lovely Pine Mountain. No, this is not a brutal, hard climb but a 1/6 mile walk on a shady trail. You will be amazed at the beauty, the tranquility and the wildlife. We have seen squirrels, foxes, deer, quail and butterflies in these woods.
The cache is in an cammo container hanging in a tree. The cache is filled with the usual fabulous trinkets of dubious value. Drive to Atascadero and go East on highway 41 to Cemetery Road. Turn right just before the Salinas River bridge and park at coordinates N 35° 29.721 W120° 39.357.
As usual in most of these woodsy areas of San Luis Obispo County, watch out for poison oak.
And, as a challenge to those who want to make a grand tour route that gets you 6 geocaches and 1 survey benchmark plus the satisfaction that you can do this. (I did it to check this and I'm 59.) Enter these waypoints as a route and be prepared for a strenuous but awesome hike.The hike is about 2.5 miles, the first 3/4 mile is the toughest then it's fairly easy going. You will find a gorgeous hidden park, well tended trails, fabulous mountain top views followed by mostly downhill hiking through dense woods with views of the Salinas River. Let me know in an email that you have done the challenge and I will award you 1000 extra points and bragging rights.
1 N 35° 29.453 W120° 39.740 PARK ENTRANCE
2 N 35° 29.393 W120° 39.573 STADIUM PARK
3 N 35° 29.362 W 120° 39.624 Hundred Acre Wood - Pooh's House Cache
4 N 35° 29.339 W120° 39.526 GCFDC7 BOX CANYON Cache
5 N 35° 29.397 W 120° 39.427 Blue Oak Trailhead Cache
6 N 35° 29.474 W120° 39.505 ERODED BUSHWACK
(Don't climb this way, damages hillside)
7 N 35° 29.499 W 120° 39.493 Wolf Den Cache
6 N 35° 29.442 W120° 39.567 HAIRPIN ON TRAIL
7 N 35° 29.573 W120° 39.347 GCJTFD PINE MOUNTAIN Cache
8 N 35° 29.567 W120° 39.348 FV1495 ASUNCION SURVEY MARKER
9 N 35° 29.619 W120° 39.380 TRAIL DOWN TO SQUIRREL NEST
10 N 35° 29.653 W 120° 39.262 SQUIRREL NEST Cache
11 N 35° 29.721 W120° 39.357 CEMETERY PARKING
13 N 35° 29.919 W120° 39.532 HWY 41
14 N 35° 29.453 W120° 39.740 BACK TO PARK ENTRANCE
Whichever way you come, the easy walk or the challenging trek, you will enjoy this cache and the lovely area it is in. Watch for the various flora and fauna and tell us what you come across. Also look for the Geo_cats "throne" about 50 feet to the North just off the uphill trail from the four way trail intersection. Sit in the throne and relax for a minute, enjoying the moment.