Quadricentennial
Challenge
Catskills Live! Trails & Wilderness Association
issues a challenge to all — venture forth and seek all 15
Quadricentennial Challenge geocaches. Go to many great places
throughout Ulster County — visit the shores of the Hudson,
feel the cool air in an historic cement mine, enjoy our small
parks, ride on our rail trails, summit two Catskill peaks, and
savor the breath-taking view from Gertrude's Nose in Minnewaska
State Park Preserve. Bask in our county's treasures with family and
friends, exercise your body, and build lasting memories. Over 100
specially minted commemorative Quadricentennial geocoins were
released from 15 Challenge geocaches set up in 2009 in celebration
of the 400th anniversary of the exploration of New York State by
Henry Hudson. Congratulations to Joe The Mailman, the first person
to complete all 15 caches! Funding for the Challenge was provided
by Ulster County and the Hudson River Valley
Greenway.
Minnewaska Lake
Minnewaska Lake is the third largest of the five crowning jewels of
the northern Shawangunk Ridge. The lake's crystal clear waters,
seventy-eight feet at their deepest point, are bounded on the
northeast and northwest by sheer white, lichen-dappled, cliffs.
Until about 1922, all five of the Shawangunk sky lakes had abundant
fish populations before acid precipitation lowered the pH of water
in four of the five ridge top lakes. Minnewaska Lake was known to
have had perch, pickerel, trout, and catfish. Abundant perch and
pickerel from Minnewaska and Awosting lakes were once sold in
Ellenville fish markets. Today, the public enjoys 34-acre
Minnewaska Lake for swimming and its many carriage roads that boast
numerous scenic vistas and bountiful blueberries.
In
our intense focus on the recreational uses of Minnewaska Lake we
often overlook its real significance. Few people realize that
during drought periods, Minnewaska Lake provides the only
continuous water source to both the Coxing Kill (south of the lake)
and the Peters Kill (north of the lake). It is their life blood.
Whereas lake overflow at the southern end of the lake is obvious
during times of high lake levels, lake water also seeps through
rocky talus debris and soil here and at the northern lake shore at
the beach area. Water that flows from the lake's southern outlet
soon sinks into fractures in the bedrock until it surfaces some
3,000 feet away in springs that form the headwaters of Fountain
Brook. Without this water, the down stream Coxing Kill could not
support its fish population. Water that flows through talus at the
northern beach end of the lake reappears far down the hillside in
Bruin Springs that, in turn, form Bruin Stream that flows to the
Peters Kill. During dry periods, there is no water flow in the
Peters Kill upstream of this confluence — thus, at these
times, the entire Peters Kill flow originates in Minnewaska Lake.
If the level of Minnewaska Lake were to be artificially lowered by
more than a few feet during drought periods, downstream
recreational and water supply use of both the Peters Kill and
Coxing Kill would cease. Over 25 years ago, environmental groups
worked hard to protect and preserve Minnewaska Lake from
overdevelopment, demonstrating that concerned and caring citizens
can successfully protect the environment.
Archaeologic excavations in rock shelters in the Shawangunk
Mountains have documented evidence of Native American occupation
dating back some 10,000 years. Similarly, excavations in the
Wallkill and Hudson valleys establish occupation before and at the
time of Hudson's voyage up the river named for him.
The Cache
Access to the cache is largely via carriage roads near Minnewaska
Lake. The cache is a 2-liter cylindrical poly bottle hidden in an
opening under a small boulder about 25 feet from the Castle Point
Carriageway. Nearby, there is a sweeping view of the Catskill
Mountain escarpment. High Point Mountain is the peak to your right.
Bring a picnic to enjoy on the glacially striated bedrock
“table” next to this cache. The cache is filled with
kid-friendly items and, initially, three NYS Quadricentennial
Challenge geocoins designed to travel throughout the
world. This cache was approved by the Park Service on
6-2-09 (Permit #: MSPP09-02).
Parking
Minnewaska State Park Preserve is west of New Paltz, NY along Rt.
44/55. The 2008 NY-NJ Trail Conference Map 105 (Shawangunk Trails -
North) illustrates access routes well. Parking for this cache is
available at either the Minnewaska Lake parking area next to
Minnewaska Lake or at the Lake Awosting parking area. The upper
lakeside parking area is much closer to the cache and avoids a
lengthy uphill trek. The park opens at 9 am and there is a $6
parking fee.
Please Cache In and Trash Out!