DeSoto Falls Earthcache EarthCache
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To assist the paperless cachers I am posting the requirements for this Earthcache at the begining on my Earthcache Description. I hope you find it helpful.
Please take note of the information in the information stand located between the parking lot and the listed coordinates as it contains an answer to the first question.
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Logging Requirements:
Please answer these questions to the best of your ability and send your responses with the Name of the Cache and the GC-Code to The Bushwhackers.
1.What is the height of the main falls? (in feet)
2. Considering you know the height of the falls what would you ESTIMATE the height of the cliff on the opposite side of the falls to be? (in feet)
3. The cliff was carved out of the rock by the water that eventually became Desoto Falls. How many layers rock do you count in the cliff mentioned in question #2
4. While standing at the listed coordinates you should be able to see signs that are attached to the metal railing. What does the words in red on the sign say?
5. We request you post a picture of yourself and/or your GPSr with the falls (upper or lower) in the background. Please upload this picture with your "found" log.
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What's Here?
DeSoto Falls - named for Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto - is part of DeSoto State Park and is one of the tallest and most visited waterfalls in Alabama. It is also one of the easiest to visit.
Located just off the Lookout Mountain Parkway, DeSoto Falls is accessed via a paved pathway that leads a few hundred yards from the parking lot down to the railed overlook. The upper falls can be seen by visitors of all abilities, but the lower or main waterfall requires a walk down concrete stairs to the overlook.
More than 100-feet high, DeSoto Falls has been a landmark for centuries. Native Americans frequented the falls long before the arrival of the first European explorers who, if old legends are to be believed, may have arrived here long before Columbus first set foot in America.
Local folklore holds that several small caves in the steep bluff below the waterfall were part of a fort built by Welsh explorers led by Prince Madoc. Believers in the story claim that Madoc landed on Mobile Bay in 1170 A.D. and then made his way inland to reach the mountains of Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. Most archaeologists and historians discount the story, but it has never been proved or disproved.
Legend also holds that Spanish artifacts dating from the 1540 expedition of Hernando de Soto were found near the falls. Most authorities believe the expedition actually passed well to the south, but it is possible that men from either DeSoto's party or the later expedition of Tristan de Luna explored the area.
Union cavalry troops camped on the West Fork of the Little River just above DeSoto Falls in 1863 and the U.S. 20th Corps crossed Lookout Mountain at Mentone on its way to the Battle of Chickamauga. The area is rich in stories of Civil War activity, many of them detailing raids by irregular forces.
DeSoto Falls are now one of the primary features of DeSoto State Park, a beautiful recreation era established through the hard work of the Civilian Conservation Corps or CCC during the Great Depression. The main area of the park is located a few miles south of the waterfall and offers cabins and chalets, a motel, restaurant, store, picnic areas, hiking trails, campgrounds and more.
The water flowing over the falls is one of the primary tributaries of the Little River, one of the few rivers in the nation that flows almost entirely on the top of a mountain.
Over thousands of years the river has carved magnificent canyons into the surface of Lookout Mountain. One of these begins at DeSoto Falls and winds its way through the state park. The most noteworthy, however, is now preserved as Little River Canyon National Preserve, a national park area located a few miles to the south.
Often called the "Grand Canyon of the East," Little River Canyon is more than 11 miles long and reaches depths of nearly 700 feet.
The park at DeSoto Falls is open daily during daylight hours. In addition to the spectacular waterfalls, the area features a beautiful lake, picnic area and other facilities. The falls are located just off Lookout Mountain Parkway on the western edge of the town of Mentone. The route to the waterfall is well marked by signs in both Mentone and along Alabama Highway 35 as it leads south from Interstate 59 at Fort Payne.
Source:
Explore Southern History
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Additional Hints
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[For your safety please observe all posted signs and do not leave children unattended at any time.]