WARNING: check the current
status of this cache page before hunting for the cache.
Controlled burns are done in this forest preserve, and the
cache may be temporarily removed to avoid having it
incinerated.
Through your visits, as of December 2007,
$885 has been donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and
the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. Thank
you!
This forest preserve was the site of one of the earliest caches
I found, and has been in sore need of a new cache since In the Shadow of a Giant was
archived.
Entering from Town Hall Rd., park at N 41° 55.820' W 088°
25.580'. (By the way, that little white building at the
corner of Town Hall Rd. & Route 64 is one of the stops on the
ZooKeeper's History Tour #1
multi-cache.) Take a moment to walk a short distance north
of the shelter, where there is a corral commemorating Gale and
her leadership in promoting support for equestrian activities in
Campton Township.
Then head ESE down the hill. (Make a note to come back here
when there's snow on the ground for some good sledding with your
family.) Once you get to the trail at the bottom of the hill,
you're on your own.
There are many trails through the preserve and you can probably
find several other ways to get to the cache. As this is a popular
riding area, please be alert for equestrians and be respectful of
them and their mounts. And, of course, watch where you step!
You can -- and should -- stay on cleared trails as far as
possible. There is no reason to leave any trail until you are
within about 250' of the cache. The cache is easily accessible, so
if you find yourself doing any serious bushwhacking, be assured
you're in the wrong place. There are many prairie restoration
projects under way in the forest preserve, so please do not disturb
those fragile areas.
Distance from parking to the cache is 0.6 miles "as the crow
flies". According to my Garmin Forerunner, my walk back from the
cache (not necessarily the most direct route) to my truck
was 0.88 miles. Cache coordinates were recorded on my Garmin II+
after allowing it to sit at the cache location for about 10
minutes. (It's a dinosaur, but I've always found its readings to be
dead on.)
The cache is a 38-caliber ammo box.
Although this is not a commercial cache, in memory of
Gale McAloon (* see note following), I will make a $5 donation to
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for each
unique "found" log, and an additional $10 for each new Travel Bug
(other than the original four) that visits here. Donations will
be sent each time the accumulated total reaches $100 (give or
take). (* Note 8/14/05: At the current time, the donations
cited above will instead be contributed to The
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation in memory of my
father-in-law, Thomas Walsh, who was diagnosed with this
disease, a different form of blood cancer. Tom entered into
eternal rest on August 19, 2005.)
Note 11/21/2004: A few clarifications are in order.
First, several people caching together are welcome to make separate
log entries and I will count them separately. However, if a tour
bus full of cachers pulls up, I'm only counting those eighty logs
as one, OK? What's the magic number?
There isn't one -- reason (and my finances at the moment) will
prevail. Second, I'm only counting a bug the first time it
visits the cache -- no additional bonus for repeat visitors, just
like I only count cachers once. And third, the charitable bonus is
subject to modification or elimination without notice -- although I
fully intend to leave it in place, in its original terms, as long
as I reasonably can.
Swimmers RULE! 
Violas ROCK! 