My mom turned 67 today! We went hiking at Bay's Mountain. We got to a point in the Crest of the Cross Ridges trail where we had the choice to go over the ridge or down into the drainage. My mom chose the ridge. Only afterwards did we learn that this is easily the most difficult trail in Bay's Mountain. So, to honor my mom making it over the trail and because it's a pretty beautiful spot AND to force all my fellow geocachers to make this grueling hike, here's a new cache. It's not big. It's not fancy. It's the challenge that counts here. But if my 67 year old mom can do it, so can you! Happy Caching!

The cache is small. That's all I had. There's a good hint below.

Explore Bays Mountain

Come explore the trails at Bays Mountain Park in Kingsport, Tennessee by foot or by mountain bike. Click on the link for Bays Mountain Park above to locate, download and print a trail map or pick one up inside the park Nature Center before heading out on your exploration. The park has many caches already in place. The bookmark list of Bays Mountain caches lists everything from traditionals, puzzles, multicaches, letterboxes, and earthcaches. The possibility of getting five different cache icons in one day is POSSIBLE! If you are interested in learning more about the history of this 3,300 acre city owned park then explore this website: Discover Bays Mountain

THINGS TO KNOW:

• There is a $4.00 entrance fee per car/truck per day.
• The park offers a Nature Center and Herpetarium with public restrooms, various animal habitats, fee-based programs which include both a ropes course and a zip line, a planetarium, and a lake barge trip--all located near the parking lots.
• While the park is open daily, (with exceptions for Christmas and New Year's Day) the park operating hours change seasonally and park gates are locked upon closing times.
• Consider that at the time of the year when this geocache was placed, there was significant overhead foliage.
• There are various hazards which include black bears, venomous snakes, poison ivy and other critters which may or may not be a problem for you while on your adventure. Prepare accordingly.
• At different times of the year, your trail may be wet or muddy.
• Geodogs (on leashes) are welcome to explore with you on this road, but are not permitted in the animal enclosure areas. Look for the signs to indicate those areas.
• No motorized vehicles are allowed anywhere in the park except on the paved roads leading to the parking lots.
• Bring your own pen!