Ok, well maybe not. But it is definitely a nice place with a
great view of the Table Rock Wilderness.
Just south of the Table Rock Wilderness, at about 4200 ft.
elevation, Pechuck Lookout was built in 1918 to watch for fires. It
was restored between 1991 - 1995 and is now in very nice
condition.
The Cache: The cache is nearby to the lookout, at a
discrete distance so other non-geocache visitors won't likely ever
find it. The coordinates listed above are accurate but misleading,
depending on where you stand. You'll understand when you get there.
Check the hint if you must, but I think you could find it without
the hint.
Snow: This place gets lots of snow. However, the cache
location should be sheltered enough (we hope) that you may not have
to dig at all, even if there's 4 feet of snow elsewhere. For those
that make this venture, please note the snow depths here.
Getting There: Getting to this general area will be be a
bit of a challenge. If you know the roads, and certain gates are
open (not likely), it's possible to drive to within 100 meters of
the lookout. But, for a more adventurous trip, get a good map of
the Table Rock Wilderness area.
We approached from the SW along the Rooster Rock Road. At
approximately N44° 56.51244 W122° 19.42572 we ran into some tank
traps, less than a mile from the lookout (as the crow flies). We
hiked the next 3.75 miles on the zig-zagging road, and 1000-ft
elevation gain, to the lookout. It took us approximately 3.5-4.0
hours to hike up this distance with our backpacks fully loaded
(sleeping bags, tent, food, etc).
On our way back down, we followed the Rooster Rock ridge trail.
On that trail, 1/2 mile SE of Rooster Rock, there is a T
intersection (marked
here). We took the trail straight down the hill back to the
road to within about a quarter-mile or so of the tank traps where
parked our vehicle. The trail is quite steep, (1000-ft elevation
change in 1/2 mile), but not treacherous and it's very nice
woods.
There are other approaches that may be more difficult and
possibly more scenic: The trail from Table Rock is about a 4 mile
hike from the north, and there's a ridge trail that runs from the
western most tip of the Table Rock Wilderness roughly 6 miles over
to the Pechuck lookout.
Accommodations: We stayed the night at the lookout -
there are wooden bunks, tables, candles, etc - but brought along
the tent in case someone else was already there. It's a first come,
first serve kinda place so if you plan on sleeping there you'd be
wise to bring a tent and sleepin' bag, too.
There is no running water at the lookout but there is a spring
nearby. Normal water-purification rules and cautions apply here, as
do normal wilderness-use rules. To sum it up: cache in, trash
out.
For more information about the lookout that's mostly accurate
(little outdated), visit
BLM's Pechuck Fire Lookout site.
There is a log book (that Chad left) in the lookout. The last
one was all filled up. That log book belongs to the lookout, not
our cache. Please sign it and, if you are going to stay the night,
think about bringing some supplies to leave behind. Candles,
Coleman lantern fuel containers, extra BLM maps, etc. would be
appreciated by the next temporary residents.
While you're in the area, take the time to enjoy it. We hiked to
Rooster Rock, which has an even better view of the area. It's not a
tough hike, really -- the majority of it is flat or a little uphill
-- and well worth the time.