MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Allardale Mystery Cache

Welcome to the Medina Count Parks "Paths to Pollinators" series. The Allardale portion of your adventure starts in the parking lot located at 401 Remsen Rd., Medina, OH 44256. An approximate 1.25-mile round trip hike will be required to complete this leg of the journey. The posted coordinates are for the parking lot. Follow the written directions to retrieve important information which will allow you to locate and open the container to collect your Passport code word for a prize, a clue to a Bonus Cache and sign the log book.

Begin your walk by heading towards the posted coordinates. Once at the posted coordinates look for a sign about Evergreen Ancestry. It is before you get to the bridge along the Red Inner Loop Trail. Look at the information on the sign. The second last word at the very bottom of the sign has four letters. You will need the first two letters of this word as part of the code to open the final box. Do not post pictures of the sign.

Continue on the Red trail until it meets the Blue Outer Loop trail. Turn right to go up the grass path towards the overlook. Pause at the overlook to take in the scenery before continuing along the Blue trail. You will cross a dirt utility road just before entering the Beech Maple Forest. Continue on the Blue trail. The dirt trail will turn into a paved trail as you continue. Near the end of the paved trail you will see three paths. Note that the grass path to your right will eventually be your way back to your vehicle. For now, you need to take the path across the foot bridge on your left. This is the yellow trail, or Wildflower Trail.

There is a sign about flowers on the right side of the path near the bridge. Look at center of the sign. Find the sixth word in the eighth line below "Ephemeral Bouquet." This line ends with "wonderful" and the sixth word has four letters. Use the last two letters of this word along with the two letters that you found on the Evergreen Ancestry sign earlier. These four letters make the word that will be the unlock code to open the final box that you seek.

Now it's time to find that box. Continue along the yellow trail, passing a bench on your right. Before you reach a second bench, you will see a path to the left that leads to large stepping stones that take you across the creek. Once on the other side, the trail will curve to the left and then turn right up a hill. Take the steps up the hill. Once at the top, the trail widens and then turns sharply to the left. You're almost there! On the right side of the path there are a couple us tree stumps and some logs. One log is right next to the trail. It has another log laying across the top of it. Behind that log is the box that you are looking for. 

To open the lock, you will need the four-letter word that you discovered on the way here. Open the box and collect your Passport code word and Bonus Cache clue.  Please lock the box before putting it back. Hide it well, as you found it.

From here you can continue on the Yellow Loop trail to get back to the Blue Outer Loop trail near where you crossed the bridge. The grass path will be slightly shorter getting back to the parking lot. 

The boxes are located mere feet from the trail. Use stealth while searching and re-hide the containers so that they cannot be seen to avoid potential vandalism. Park closes at dark.

Here are the caches in this series:

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Princess Ledges NP

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Medina Marsh

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Letha House East

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Killbuck Lakes

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Hubbard Valley

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Buckeye Woods

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Allardale

MCPD Paths to Pollinators – Susan Hambley BONUS

If you have questions or concerns about any of the boxes in this series, please contact Shelley Tender at 330.239.4814 or stender@medinaco.org.

 

Download your Passport here.