The Bricks and Blocks of Bidwell Station Traditional Geocache
The Bricks and Blocks of Bidwell Station
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Bidwell
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This cache
hunt will take you to a somewhat remote section of Ohiopyle State
Park, yet it is located just a short distance off of the Great
Allegheny Passage. This area is often referred to as Bidwell. The
actual town of Bidwell was once located across the river. The area
on this side of the river was the site of the Bidwell Lumber
Company’s loading area for their logging operation. In 1904, prior
to the building of the Western Maryland railroad through here, the
Bidwell Lumber Co. had a sawmill on the other side of the river
(the B&O side) and they used to haul logs across the river from
here to their sawmill via an aerial cable system. After the Western
Maryland came through on this side of the river, they began using
the Western Maryland to ship their logs, eliminating the need for
the cable system. There was a railroad station, of sorts, located
here, but it was said to be nothing more that a small shelter. So,
this area became known as...
Bidwell
Station |
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The cache is
hidden near what is believed to be the remains of the lumber
loading area. It is with kind permission from the DCNR that I was
able to place a cache here. I encourage you to explore the area,
but I also ask that care be taken as you
explore. |
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Getting
there: This cache is located along the Yough River Trail/Great
Allegheny Passage. You may want to bring along a lock for your
bike(s) if you are not comfortable leaving them unattended, as they
will be out of site during your cache hunt. It is approximately 4
miles from Confluence and 7 miles from Ohiopyle. I suggest
accessing the trail at the Ramcat Launch Area. You can park at the
coordinates listed below. There is also a restroom available at
this parking area. From here you will have about a 2 mile hike/bike
ride to the cache. This is a great section of the bike trail! You
are likely to see the brave boaters taking on the rapids of the
“Middle Yough”. Along the way, there will be a few benches to take
a break on and you will also see several sets of stairs leading
down to the river. These were built by the Chestnut Ridge Chapter
of Trout Unlimited to help stop the erosion of the riverbank being
caused, in part, by the many fishermen making their way to the
river in hopes of landing a
Trophy Trout! About a half a mile
into your travels you will come to a very scenic section of the
trail, commonly referred to as “the cut”. This is at mile marker 64
on the Great Allegheny Passage. Approximately another quarter mile
down the trail, near the coordinates listed below, you will see an
old, rusty
steam boiler resting on the
hillside. The boiler is from an engine owned by the E. W. Van
Sickel Lumber Company, who operated a saw mill and logging railroad
in this area around 1923. The railroad utilized a series of six
dangerous switchbacks to traverse the hillside. After this
locomotive tipped over and rolled down the hill to it’s final
resting place, Van Sickel moved his operation to somewhere in West
Virginia. Next stop on the trail will be Bidwell Station! Once you
reach the trailhead coordinates, if you face up the creek, you will
see an
unmarked trail on the right. Take
this trail toward the cache site. There is no direct path to the
cache site, but the longer you remain on this trail, the better off
you’ll be! Just be respectful of the natural surroundings, please!
The cache is a 30 cal. ammo can hidden well enough, but should be
easy to find using the hint. No need to tear the place up! Have fun
exploring the area, just be
careful! |
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Please stay
on the unmarked trail as you ascend the hill to the base of the
structure. Make every effort to avoid impacting the plants as well
as the structure itself! |
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Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ngbc gur fgehpgher fgnaqf n gerr, jvguva vg'f ubyybj gur pnpur jvyy or!