The cache name actually has nothing to do with the cache itself, we
were singing about the old moss-covered, iron-bound bucket when we
found this spot, so there you go. A big part of our motivation for
placing these Yanahli caches was to get back to caching the way it
used to be. Nice walks in the woods, that lead you to areas you
have not seen before and caches that are hidden from casual
passersby, but are easily found by those who are searching. No
tricks, no clever stuff, just old-school geocaching like your
grandma used to make. So I hope you enjoy this lock n'lock
container hidden in a fairly typical way in a right pretty stretch
of woods.
This cache is located along the nine miles of trails in the
beautiful Yanahli Wildlife Management Area. The trails are open for
hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding and we met several
riders while walking the trails. The terrain is typical middle
Tennessee, lots of rolling hills, dense woodlands and open meadows,
so while this is not a strenuous hike, be prepared to climb some
hills. Also be sure to check local listings during hunting season,
like most Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency managed areas, the
Yahnahli is open to hunting, just to be safe I wear orange when
hiking here during hunting season.
Now, how about a little background on this beautiful area...
A former hunting camp for the Chickasaw nation, the Tennessee
Valley Authority acquired the land in the late 1960's and began
constructing the controversial Columbia Dam along the Duck
River--which happens to be one of the continent's most biologically
diverse rivers, containing more fish species than all of Europe.
The project was halted in 1977 by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service, because of two endangered mussel species found there. Two
decades later, after costly legal battles between the TVA,
landowners, and the U.S. Government, the nearly completed dam was
demolished. It was later discovered that the "endangered" mussels
were neither endangered nor only found in this stretch of the Duck
River.
Today, the lands that were originally acquired to be flooded to
create a reservoir are managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources
Agency (TWRA) as the Yanahli Wildlife Management Area. Included
within this area are six natural areas covering over 12,800 acres
of ecologically significant lands collectively known as the Duck
River Complex State Natural Area. Through it all runs the Duck
State Scenic River.
The land is now known as the "Yanahli Wildlife Management
Area"--the Chickasaw word meaning "river flow" and is open to the
public for recreation and other non-harmful uses.
This cache was placed by the original three
Gorilla Freedom Finders.
Trailhead and Parking Information
There are two trailheads for the Yanahli Trails System and
either will work, depending on which caches you are hunting. The
Northern trailhead and parking are at the boat ramp at the end of
Old Railroad Bed Road, North 35 34.062 West 086 57.857. The
Southern trailhead and parking, and my preferred entrance is just
off Highway 50 at North 35.32.222 West 086 58.037 near the old
quarry. The trail is not a loop, although there is a loop section
near the river, check the uploaded pictures for a map of the
trails.