Cup Plate Ridge Traditional Cache
The Seanachai: Archived to clear glitch
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Located in the Blood Town Forest in Lancaster, Mass, a mature forest of large pine and oak with many other tree species present. The forest is traversed by many dirt roads but once off the roads the terrain is rugged.
**** Notes added on December 7, 2006. The Duo appreciates the interest this cache has enjoyed. We further appreciate the many voices suggesting the ratings of difficulty for this cache are too high. Using the rating system contained within the listing procedure we came up with a 3.0/2.0. Taking into account the remoteness of the area and the darkness, as well as the strong recommendation to not attempt this alone or in bad weather, The Duo feels that 3.0/2.5 is liberal. We will always come down on the side of safety and caution. So .. HAVE FUN and GEOGACHE SAFELY!! *****
We start you off easy and then the rest of the find is up to you. Access the forest on Brockelman Road, Lancaster. There is a small dirt parking lot at coordinates 42.28.352N and 71.42.648W. The parking lot features an engraved stone marker signifying you are at the Blood Town Forest. The entrance and parking area often features a collection of litter from uncaring visitors who seem to enjoy beer, but once out of the parking area you quickly are immersed into forest. Walking and hiking here gives you a good sense of what the early settlers in the area found before the land was cleared. Even in the middle of a sunny day it can be quite dark in this forest.
You need to be very safety conscious while in this forest and seeking this cache. All surfaces are typically covered with exposed rocks of all sizes. Most of these rocks have smooth surfaces. Leaves are obviously present in immense quantities on the forest floor. Please wear appropriate footwear and clothing as it is very easy to trip and fall in this location as well as slip on packs of leaves even in dry weather. The cache itself is located on a hillside full of loose rocks, broken ledge, fallen trees, and significant underbrush.
Additionally, the forest is in a somewhat remote area and the cache is several hundred yards deep in the forest. If you are hurt or injured here it is very possible no one will happen to come by you for quite some time. We highly recommend you do not seek this cache alone. We also highly recommend you do not seek this cache in wet weather. When snow or ice is on the ground you may consider the cache to be inaccessible. Access is tricky enough in the best conditions.
We say all this not to discourage anyone - the cache is safely accessible to anyone of normal physical condition. The Dynamic Duo team is of average physical abilities and we safely placed the cache. We take the time to mention all this so that everyone is alert and aware of the conditions going in. The Lancaster Town Forest is a great place to go hiking for the entire family and children can get around fine but need adult supervision.
You can follow the dirt roads to get within about 100 feet of the cache, but the final distance is up a slight ridge that increases in slope as you get closer to the prize.
The cache is a heavy plastic, wide mouth, screw top 2 quart jar. The initial contents consist of: 3 - Pairpoint glass cup plates (lending the name to the cache title). Each of these is a modern collectible made right here in Massachusetts. Each features a picture of the cardinal bird, a common site in this area. We put these in as a bonus "treat" for the first three explorers to find this cahce. Also included is a log book with pen and pencil, a mini "golden field guide" to tree identification, a folding paper fan, and an assortment of dice and dinosaurs.
We offer apologies to early seekers of this cache if the coordinates do not lead you directly to the cache. We will certainly appreciate any feedback in that regard. It was difficult to get an accurate reading in the forest of the exact coordinates but we spent considerable time at the site checking and rechecking with our GSPr. We feel the cache location coordinates are accurately represented. We imagine the dense cover interferes with good satellite reception. We will return after the leaves fall and recheck things.
Good luck to all seekers of this cache! Keep safety first in your mind as you seek this cache.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Trg gb gur ebbg bs gur chmmyr
Treasures
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