The Pinnacle of Cape Breton (#5 of Series)
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This is the most beautiful cache I have ever hidden: all of my
words for this description just could not describe this heavenly
home of Cape Breton. New container, log and swag
"Nar laga Dia do lahm" Series
Cache #5
As I walked from hiding this cache, the smile never left my face,
alone there up on the hill jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean. I
laughed at myself, not because the experience was one filled with
hilarity, yet because I had literally never seen such a place so
fascinating in all my short years of life on this earth: I had no
other idea how to react. I had found the pinnacle of Cape
Breton.
This is without neither debate nor discussion the most riveting,
breathtaking, and awe-inspiring geocache to be hidden with in the
“Nar laga Dia do lahm” series; this is the pinnacle of
Cape Breton Island. Not to take away from the electrifying beauty
that our Island presents on a sunbathed stage to the rest of the
world, although I believe I may have found an area of the Island
that every one of its inhabitants and visitors should mark their
treads and hearts on before their lives on this planet pass
through! I will mark my words on telling you that you will have
felt no richer in the mind, body, and soul throughout this series
than after finding this cache: this is what it’s all about,
and miraculously, it is all in our back yard.
Let me first share a story with you on the hiding of this geocache.
My Grade 12 graduating class from the newly algamated Inverness
Education Centre/Academy traveled to MacLeod’s Campground one
Thursday morning and up a very small distance to a vision of
scenery that my eyes had somehow never laid themselvs upon:
Margaree Island was there, the landscape of our shoreline was
before my eyes, and a group of us guys traveled down the very steep
hillside to the extraordinary beach below to explore before being
called back up to take the picture. There was another hill across
the rocks that I wanted to get to, yet could not on this day. As we
took our picture and marked away as one of the closest knit classes
this village has ever produced, I feel, I knew I would be
back.
Back I went today, and as I turned into MacLeod’s Campground
on a numbingly cold October day, my heart sank: the campground was
blocked off for the season. The land I strove to get to is not
private property, although this way through is. After parking the
car and having the groundskeeper come over and share introductorys,
I made up a story of having to pull off the highway to check a
light that had come on my dashboard and caused the steering to
jerk. I left, thinking I’d have to try again some other day
somehow, and went on my way on the most beauty-laden dirt road in
Cape Breton, I believe, in Dunvegan, on my way to hide my last
cache that I had decided to hide for the world to find on this
day.
On the drive to my final cache, by some luck of sheer chance, I saw
what looked like a trail out of the corner of my eye. I kept
driving, although my curiousity got the better of me. I took a
three point turn, turned around, and parked by what was indeed a
trail. I walked it a little bit, ran it a little bit, and without
knowing where it led although knowing it led somewhere, I ran back
to the rig, got the GPS and the geocache, and was off to hide my
treasure on this mysterious treasure, which was close enough to
MacLeod's campground for me. Well I walked/ran for a very short
time along this mystic woodlands trail, and I came out somewhere
that just blew me away: I was at a rocky beach between the massive
jagged rockside of land that we had taken our grad picture on to
the right of me, and the steep grassy piece of land that jutted out
into the ocean that I wanted to hide this cache on to the left of
me: this trail had led me exactly where I was hoping to go!
So, overcome with euphoria that I had found my spectacular
location, I crossed all of the rocks and walked up this hill where
I was to hide my cache. You know how the human eye doesn't see all
that much? Well, my human eye missed out on a lot of land and a lot
of beauty when I looked up at this hill from the rocks. When I got
to what I thought to be the top of the hill, I had to smile and
laugh at myself: this mountainous plateau stretched out in every
direction, further jutting out over into the Atlantic Ocean with a
rocky cliffside, birds everywhere, and at the end, a view
overlooking the entire indescribable scene of nativity tha this
dirt road in Dunvegan possesses.
I was... I was dumbfounded. I walked and walked and walked on this
open mountainside, ocean and coastline as far as my eye could now
see, Margaree Island right there, able to see from Inverness to
Cheticamp, the beach below, the surf pounding against this
plateau... I cannot even begin to describe what I saw, and
therefore, since my words do no justice, I will stop there. I
believe I found a place where every Cape Bretoner and every person
on this world should find in their lives. Moments like these make
this world, which can be messed up at times, worth holding onto. As
I walked back with the cold October wind on my face, I had a new
dimension of mind, body, and soul to take home with me.
I invite the world to find this cache, and take your time. To get
here, cross the Canso Causeway and travel on Trunk 19 to Inverness.
Travel through Inverness into Dunvegan, and after a very sharp
turn, there is a somewhat hidden dirt road to your left that leads
to MacLeod Campground: there should be a sign here. Travel on this
road and past the Campground. Now, here's where I goofed up: I
would reccommend adventuring to this cache via the path at the
following co-ordinates: N 46 18 241, W 061 15 010. Keep a
keen eye to find this trail! Or do it the hard thorny way by the
wharf. :)
Follow this trail, follow your GPS, and follow your heart to the
most spectacular offering of the "Nar laga Dia do lahm" series. To
MacLeod's Campground, to the Class of '06, and to Cape Breton: I
hope you walk away from here with a deeper mind, body, and
soul.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Bapr lbh trg gb gur ebpxf, ybbx sbe n funpx. Tb hc guvf uvyy, naq xrrc jnyxvat. Gur trbpnpur vf ol n guerr-cebatrq gerr bs fbegf.