I was going to call this cache "Off the Beaten Path", but that has
been used many times as names for other caches, so I came up with
"Off the Trodden Trail", which means pretty much the same thing.
To find this cache, park near N 37 10.423 W 093 14.474, which is
the Pershing Middle School parking lot. (Note: There is the
starting point for another cache very near here.)
The Galloway Creek Greenway is over 5 miles long, and is a
"National Recreation Trail". However, it is only about .2 of a mile
from the parking area to the cache.
There is more than one entrance into the woods, but that may not
be as obvious in the middle of summer when undergrowth is at a
maximum. One of these entrances requires some physical agility to
reach the cache, since you will need to cross the Galloway Creek
using two logs that have been laid across the creek, as well as
duck under several trees that have low branches; some of these
trees may require you to get on your knees and crawl underneath
them. Whichever entrance you take, get ready for a good
challenge.
The area where the cache is hidden is on a small section of
public land, but is not part of the park system, so it is not
maintained and therefore there is a lot of undergrowth and
overgrowth (low tree branches). The undergrowth will probably only
be ankle-high and not require bushwhacking, but watch your step as
you may not be able to see the ground in some parts. I researched
the cache on my first visit to the area, and when I came back four
days later to place the cache, the area seemed unrecognizable to me
due to the undergrowth that had grown in just four days. Ticks are
definitely in this area so bug repellent is recommended.
This wouldn't be a good lunchtime cache, since even though the
container isn't located very far from the trail, you may get very
dirty and sweaty looking for it (unless you don't mind explaining
to your co-workers how you got that way).
One issue that I would be willing to bet almost all who visit
these woods will encounter is the dense tree cover, especially in
summer. You may need to rely on your "geocacher's eye" and not the
GPSr for much of the time, even 100 feet from the cache. My GPSr
frequently gets accuracy readings of 10 feet or less, but when I
hid the cache, it was getting readings of 40 feet, and probably
only got as good as 20 feet. Fortunately, when I marked the
waypoint for the cache a few days earlier, the tree cover was not
as dense and I got good 10-foot accuracy readings. The waypoint was
averaged 550 times, so it should be very accurate. The best advice
I can give you is to see where the arrow on your GPSr is pointing
while you are still on the trail out from underneath the tree
canopy; especially in the summer, your GPSr won't be of much help
once you are in the woods.
The cache is a 2-quart camouflaged Rubbermaid container with a
screw-top lid. ALL of the original trading items are BRAND NEW!
Original contents are:
- Logbook with pen and stash note
- Hot Wheels car
- 4 AA batteries
- Yo Yo
- Potable Aqua Emergency Drinking Water Germicidal Tablets
- Elvis playing cards
- Hi-Bounce Ball
Please replace the cache container EXACTLY as you found it.
Good luck, and Happy Hunting!
