At the cache site you are standing on/at a rocky layer emerging
from the ground that was formed under water between the Late
Jurassic and Cretaceous periods; this rocky layer is the “Great
Valley Sequence”. The layer is extremely thick (over 12000 meters)
having been formed from material deposited on the floor of what was
then the ocean at the western edge of the continent. The enormous
thickness is probably due to sedimentation of material from the
rapidly eroding ancestral Sierra Nevada and Klamath Mountains.
The Great Valley sequence of rocks consists of layers of marine
mudstone and sandstone. Of course, originally these layers were
horizontal; today these layers give the landscape a striped, wavey
look as they form upper layers across the Coast Range mountains. If
you look north-east you can see this in the pattern of rocks on the
hillside. If you are paying attention to rock on this hike, then
note also that the layers that have sand in them (sandstone) have
different levels of coarseness depending on when they were laid
down (the finer grain is more recent). Today the Great Valley
Sequence consists of fairly uniform thick layers of rock over the
Coast Range, stretching uninterrupted north to south and can be
seen especially well along the west side of the northern Great
Valley where it emerges from the valley floor (i.e. right where you
are standing).
This cache consists of
a clear plastic storage container. Please note that in
addition to beautiful wildflowers (when in season), the area
here also contains quite a bit of Poison Oak (PO), especially
further north; so be careful what you touch. There is a bit of
PO just north of the cache but the cache can be reached
without contacting it. In case you don't know what PO looks
like, a picture of the PO plant closest to the cache is
included here.
The elevation change between the valley floor and here is about
900 ft. This spot is a shaded stop just off the main trail where
you might rest a bit. If you are on the way up, then you are nearly
to the top and you should continue to the top where the view is
awesome.
NOTE: (Jan 2007) a lot of new trail routing is happening
in the reserve and it is designed to protect both the hiker and the
environment. To this end the steepest parts of the trail are being
rerouted. Please stay on the trail all the way to the cache;
Total hiking distance from the trail head to here is about 1.4
miles.
Additional notes:
The loop trail: You don’t need to do the whole trail to
find this cache, but if you have come this far, you really should
at least go up to the ridge to take in the amazing vista. To entice
you there, I have place a cache there for your enjoyment:
GC13642: Blue Ridge Parkway. If you want to try the whole loop
trail, then note that it is 4.8 miles long. I recommend that you do
the loop counter-clockwise so that you do the most strenuous stuff
first and “cruise” the rest of the way. If you do go this route,
make sure you bear left (down) at N38° 29.439 W122° 06.300 to
follow the loop. Also note that at N 38° 29.783 W122° 06.421 and at
various other spots, you will see excellent examples of the top
layer of the Great Valley Sequence.
If you are going to do the loop clock-wise, then be sure to bear
right (up the steps) at N38° 29.733 W122° 06.039 which is a few
feet west of the original homestead.
Regarding dogs: This cache is on part of the loop trail
that was “dog friendly”. But due to dog owners basically ignoring
the leash rules, dogs are no longer allowed at all.
(November 2007: downgrading terrain rating since the trail workers
have installed switch-backs which make this one pretty easy to get
to.)