Grandpappy Traditional Geocache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Grandfather Mountain is located within the Marble Creek Trail System. To get the cache, you will need to do a moderate eight-mile round-trip hike. The cache is accessible from July to October. The round-trip hike will take anywhere from 2.5 to 4.5 hours.
Last year I did View of Mark's Butte. I had been wanting to come to this area for years and geocaching finally got me here. I wanted to explore the area further and hide another cache if possible. Looking at the trail maps, I decided on the Grandmother/Grandfather Mountains (I'm not sure why they are called "mountains". Butte's would be a better description.)
To get this cache, park at Freezeout Saddle on FR 301. I would recommend you do View of Mark's Butte first to get you warmed up. Then, start on this one. The trail goes behind Mark's Butte and then up and over Grandmother Mountain. It then goes back up to Grandfather mountain. The trail contains several intersections - some well marked, some not. On the way out, walk the rest of the way to the top of Grandmother - it only takes a couple of minutes.
The coordinates should be right on. I had a lock on 11 satellites when I hid it. I took 5 readings and they all were exactly the same except for one which had one-digit different. The cache is a .30 cal ammo can. It contains new outdoor gear and some new toys in case kids are along. Please try to cover it back up very well when done. There are also a couple benchmarks on top if you are so inclined.
If you are a strong, single-track mountain biker you could probably ride to it. You might also be able to x-country ski or snowshoe to it in the winter. I think they keep the road clear till mile marker 10 or 11 from Clarkia in the winter. The trail from Grandmother to Grandfather has been blazed/marked very well for winter travel.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)