MASON DIXON Part 2 MOVING WEST Multi-cache
MASON DIXON Part 2 MOVING WEST
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Visit four locations to get co-ordinate numbers for final actual cache on this 3 mile hike
In the first Mason Dixon cache (GCF18F) you found the starting point for drawing the westward line. This quest takes you west to the actual Maryland/Pennsylvania boundary.
Private property where trespassing is prohibited is close to the cache route. Going towards the MPD Corner (Tri-state marker), you must stay on trails that are part of State Park (Delaware) or White Clay Creek Preserve Pennsylvania). .
You have two choices for parking (see waypoints), one in Delaware at Nature Center (fee area) and one in Pennsylvania (free). Distance of hike is similar. This is your starting point.
Take the Tristate Marker Trail from the Nature Center, or take Tristate Connector trail to Tristate Marker Trail from Arc Corner parking. Your first stop is at published coords where new bridge crosses a stream.
About 100 yards down Creek road, take the Mason Dixon trail that goes off to the right. Stay on this trail (bear right at later trail junction) and you get an idea of the terrain Mason Dixon had to cross as they went due west.
The first stop ( 39 N 43.373 75 W 46.261) is a wooden bridge over a gulley. It is WP1 reference point so you should already have this in your GPS.
“A” = number of vertical support posts for the hand rail on one side of the bridge.
Continue to the Arc Corner monument which is WP2, also should be in your GPS(N 39 43.332 W 75 46.427). Pay very close attention to this stone that was set in 1892.
“B” is the number of Commissioners who were doctors.
“C” is the total number of Commissioners (Pa & De) named on the stone.
From here you should follow Mason Dixon and head due west, but you would have to do just like they did—cut your way through the underbrush and forest. There is an easier way. Cross Hopkins Road into Pa. and go north on the abandoned Arc Corner Road. After a short while you come to a new pedestrian bridge at the title co-ordinates (39 N 43.444 75 W 46.474)built in 2023 to replace a older zig-zag bridge. So 2023 update: You need to look for the bridge Number.
“D” is sum of digits of bridge number.
Continue on the old road and soon take a dirt road that turns off left directly into a large field. Go almost due west through the field. Aim for the far edge of the field (39 N 43.496 and 75 W 46.701), looking for orange tape marker about 8 feet high on tree and red tape around a tree. There is a reasonable trail at this point which goes down a steep bank and shortly crosses a small stream, then pretty much goes straight west toward your next goal of the MPD Corner marker ( 39 N 43.332 75 W 47.316). After awhile there is a stream off to your left, and the trail follows the high bank for awhile. Next the trail crosses the stream and then follows a stream branch (which stays off to your right). AS OF 10/18/03 THIS PART IS TRICKY SINCE FALLEN TREE SEVERLY BLOCKS THE TRAIL, SO YOU WILL HAVE TO LOOP LEFT AROUND THE TREE. After about 0.6 miles after leaving the field, the trail reaches the Monument.
First find the large stone monument, which is a later replacement for the original Mason Dixon monument that marked the north east corner of Maryland. At the time of Mason Dixon, there was no Delaware, so sides of the stone are marked with M or P. On the north side, there is also a date this replacement stone was set. This is also an official bemchmark.
“E” = .The last digit of the date on the side of stone marker
Now go over the little bridge and up hill (trail goes right) finding the MPD Corner benchmark set in concrete (8" high). This was where the Survey tower was put for the more recent re-survey. This is at N 39° 43.347' W 75° 47.317' (Waypoint BENCH)
F= the third digit of the date for this brass marker.
You are now ready to go for the actual cache:
N 39 deg 43.FDA and W 75 deg 47.BCE.
BECAUSE ITS A DEEP VALLEY WITH LOTS OF TREES, THERE COULD BE SHIFTING GPS READINGS. RELY ON THE HINT
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Oruvaq gur ovttrfg byqrfg gerr gung unf frra orggre qnlf Bayl 5 fgrcf bss genvy ba jnl onpx nobhg 0.1 zvyrf