Kittycache - Hutchinson Creek
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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This is our first cache, so we made it pretty easy. There is absolutely no need to even step off the trail. For a nice walk along the Inlet Trail, park at Old Orchard Park/Hall or Rocky Point Park, and start from there.
Please be gentle when retrieving the cache, there is no need for force. Please re-hide carefully, and watch out for herds of muggles and their puppies! NOTE - JUNE 29, 2013 CACHE IS TEMPORARILY PLACED IN A NEW SPOT, SAME COORDS. CACHERS KEEP LEAVING CACHE OUT IN THE OPEN TO BE MUGGLED, SO LETS TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT. YOU HAVE TO REACH UP FOR THIS ONE.
For a nice walk along the Inlet Trail, park at Old Orchard Park/Hall or Rocky Point Park, and start from there.
While you are here, sit awhile and enjoy the babble of Hutchinson Creek. It is the smallest watershed in Port Moody. Coastal cutthroat trout inhabit the lowest 100 metres of this stream, and Coho and Chum salmon were re-introduced in 1990 by a small backyard hatchery after being extirpated in the 1970's by major stream alterations. Hutchinson Creek is 1.5 km long, and originates as sidehill runoff just above Panorama Drive.
I believe it was in 1979, during very heavy rainfall (it was raining so much they closed Pleasantside Elementary and made us all walk home), that Hutchinson Creek became a raging river, and washed out Ioco Rd. and Sentinel Rd. A bailey bridge was installed on Ioco Rd. to cross over the creek, and was left in place for several years.
The Hutchinson Creek watershed is presently a secondary growth forest ranging in age from 60-80 years. It was logged between 1920-1940, following completion of the "Climax" high-grade locomotive and railway. The Western Hemlock - Flat Moss, the Douglas Fir/Western Hemlock - Salal, and the Western Red Cedar - Sword Fern communities are present in this watershed, and are provincially blue-listed, while the Douglas Fir - Sword Fern, and the Western Red Cedar - Salmonberry communities are also present and are provincially red-listed.
Watch (and listen) for the Bald Eagles who have a nest nearby, the various species of woodpeckers, the abundant chickadees, starlings, sparrows, robins, steller's jays, crows, and towhees, and in the creek the American Dipper. Also listen for the Red-winged blackbird - he has the prettiest song in the forest!
Note: The rusty stuff is an old boiler from a steam donkey.
Cache is temporarily a film canister. Bring your own pen. No trades. Original contents in original container: 3 kitty keychains, 2 plastic kitties, magnetic paws kitty, compass keychain, compass/thermometer caribiner, Port Moody pin, logbook with kitty pen, pencil, eraser, and sharpener and FTF prize!
If you don't have time to walk the Inlet Trail, try parking at N49 17.243 W122 50.316. Cross the tracks at the crossing, and walk down to the cache. This should take you less than 5 minutes. You could also park at N49 17.042 W122 49.861. Go through the hatchery and out the other side on the trail. This will take you down to the Inlet Trail too, and it will be a very short Inlet Trail walk to the cache.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Abg va gur ehfgl znpuvarel. Bgure fvqr. H unir gb or nobhg 5 sg gnyy gb frr gur pnpur, naq gb ernpu vg.