Black Pond Traditional Cache
Reviewer Hilts: Archiving.
Cache owner has indicated in the cache description that they no longer live in the area and it's likely that this one will not be checked on or replaced if needed.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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On about 4/4/11, I received two separate reports that the cache couldn't be found. This could be because the people just couldn't find it or because it's missing. Since I don't live in the area any longer, I won't be able to check on it any time soon. So this is a challenge to anyone who goes in the area to help me and see if you can find it. As an additional hint, the ammo box is located in the hallow stump of a still present fallen tree. It would be a shame if it was removed because, the last time I checked, it was just chock full of really good trinkets, much more than the stuff I listed. It would be great if you could help all of us out.
You can easily find this without a GPS receiver. From Bloomington, go east on State Road (SR) 46 until you see SR 446 South. Go 12.3 +/- miles until you see Tower Ridge Road to the East. Go 6.2 +/- miles and park at the fire tower.
Walk the old logging road to the north approximately 1/2 mile at which point you will take an unmarked trail to the east. (Just before this trail to the east, you will see that the main trail is unusually very straight and flat for 60 yards or so. At the end of this section of trail is a very large oak tree and the new unmarked trail to the east starts just past this tree.)
During July and August, it might be better to bushwack your way to the cache from another direction (eg. Sycamore Loop, as others have done) or AROUND the flat top of the ridge for about a hundred yards, at the beginning of the new trail, since this part of the trail can be overgrown with high grass and may have chiggers and ticks, during July and August.
But, if you do follow the (barely a) trail, there's a pond about 30 yards on the left. NOT: Black Pond.
Continue going approximately 1/2 mile in an East-South-East direction. The trail can be easily lost (you will have to meander) but you are moving west to east and don't want to move off the ridge top in the direction of the north or south, there is no steep drop off. The cache is in plain view within 20 yards of the pond. (For those who find it, LEAVE IT IN PLAIN VIEW!)
Cache is in an ammo box marked ""GEOCACHE"" and orginially contained the following: (but I suspect that most will be replaced by other good stuff)
Log and pencils
National Geographic map of the world
PEZ container
A $2 bill
A SpongeBobSquarePants watch that works
An extremely garish beaded double necklace
A patch
I'll drop some more stuff in the next time I'm out there.
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Well it's time for an update! Now it's 1/1/2009 and I'm providing maintenance, dropping off:
a Ninja Turtles head PEZ container
a prism that will stand on its own
a carabineer keychain
a quarter sized ceramic pin which looks jester-like.
a 1978 Eisenhower half dollar
a Bacchus coin from the 1968 New Orleans carnival
a pin from Denver from a conference
a pin that has a nice picture of the moon
a nice wine cork
and a bunch of good trinkets I found there today.
Look at the pics. Every day looks differently colour-wise.
The pond does look differently most every day, please take a picture and post it here.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur Oynpx Cbaq vf fyvtugyl ryringrq sebz guvf nccebnpu fb ybbx sbe n zna-znqr rzonaxzrag.