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Cache Scratch Fever! Traditional Cache

Hidden : 3/12/2006
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:

We may have to have a contest at the next event to see who can say the name of this cache three times fast! Go ahead…try it, then read on…. and read it all because this is not an ordinary cache.

This is a nice easy little cache in a lovely spot that we’ve always enjoyed and which is easily overlooked if you don’t know it is here. And it is here that many a brave and hearty pioneer came with visions of scratching a fortune out of the mineral rich grounds flanking what is now known as Mine Brook. It began in 1762 when a trio of German immigrants with pick-axes and a lot of time on their hands began digging for the cache of cobalt that lay below. Others continued that effort up through the start of the Civil War. You will pass by two vertical mineshafts (made safe by chain link fence), from which the “drifts”, or horizontal shafts, sprout off deep below the surface. One in fact ventures off beneath the road you drove in on toward the base of Great Hill. The labyrinth has been flooded and thereby void of exploration for 150+ years.

Others came seeking their fortune in gold. They panned for it with disappointing results, then bored into the ledge walls exposed by the rushing stream. Evidence of this remains just downstream and across the brook from the cache. You will see a small cave entrance that once inside, opens to a fairly spacious little room which I once explored as a young teen. (If you choose to do same, try to avoid the temptation of shining a bright light at any of the brown mossy looking things clinging to the ceiling. When one wakes up, they all do, and oh yea… if my lantern and backpack is still in there, grab it for me.

Now it’s your turn to come to this treasure laden gorge in hopes of scratching a fortune out of its hidden confines. But there’s a catch to this cache. It is a small container bearing the following contents: Logbook, pencil and FIVE Ct State Lottery scratch off tickets. Here’s the deal. Bring along a replacement $1.00 ticket for however many you and your party of prospectors plan to scratch. Sign the logbook and record your winnings. Let’s see who finds the winning vein! There is no room for additional trade items. The FTF can swap a dollar ticket for the fiver waiting for him or her.

Please avoid muggles and be sure to rehide well due to nature of the contents. And be sure to check out the area. This is also a perfect starting point for two other area caches, “Depot Hill Depot” and “Cayla’s Cool Cache”. Both are highly recommended. GOOD LUCK!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

guveq ebpx sebz gur fha

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)