Maple Mountain High Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This cache is located on Spanish Fork Peak, the summit of Maple Mountain. Well, not exactly at the peak itself; there's no way to hide anything larger than a micro-cache there, but it's pretty close.
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The trip to hide this cache took us a total of 12 hours. There’s 4,670 feet of climbing in 5.15 miles of trail to the cache. Then, of course, you have to get back to your car. Be sure to pack plenty of food and especially water. When we hid the cache, most of us took 100 oz. and were fine; several members of the party took the same amount and ran out. Take a gallon (128 oz.) and a half-dozen Power Bars per person just to be safe.
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We left the parking lot (N 40° 08.124 / W 111° 31.391) at 8:00 in the morning and didn't get back to the car until 8:00 that evening. We weren’t hurrying, but it was as fast as several adult members of the party could go. We did meet several very fit-looking young men on the trail that reported a round-trip time of seven hours; we also met several groups of Scouts that had spent the night. Our party seemed to take an average amount of time, though in retrospect, we should have started several hours earlier.
The trail leaves the parking lot to the north; it curves around to the east. Take the right fork of the trail over the small creek (walk on the many rocks; you won't get wet). The trail then continues almost directly south for 3 miles. It is quite rocky and steep. Right before you reach the small pond, your goal should be in sight--a large orange survey marker on the peak to the southwest. After the pond, the trail turns much steeper as it switchbacks up to the saddle. Continue south along the ridgeline and through the trees. Follow the trail; you can't miss the summit. Be sure to sign the peak log inside the mailbox embedded in the cairn, record the benchmark find on the pipe directly under the orange pyramid, and you're ready to begin your search for the Maple Mountain High cache. Be VERY careful as you near the cache; there are cliffs several hundred feet high quite near the cache location. It'd be best if no one fell off.
The cache is in a large ammo can, 9"x11"x6". It's original contents were: A dozen Swedish flags, a Brooks and Dunn tape, a Swiss Army Knife knock-off, and an Emergency Blanket. There's plenty room for more; don't be afraid to leave more then you take. Just in case any Swedes find the cache, Geocaching instructions can be found in both Swedish and English.
Several in our party had to hurry off the mountain; Eurastus and Rivad remained to actually place the cache.
The cache itself really isn't hard to find (once you get there), it's the hike that may do you in.
Before you head back, be sure to catch the "Maple Mountain Multi Cache" and the "Maple Lake" cache; it'd be a shame to spend all the effort to get up the mountain and not be well rewarded.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur pnpur vf ylvat ba gur abegu fvqr bs na byq, jvaqoybja, fant bs n gerr n srj uhaqerq srrg orybj naq gb gur abegu bs gur crnx.