Race Ya to the Top!! Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Near the top of Buffalo Mountain, up a steep trail from lower Sand
Mountain Road
Click Here for details
Cache(ammo can) is located under a small pile of rocks, at the base
of a tree. The hard part is the hike to the top. It is a very steep
500 foot vertical hike up a switchback trail.
To get to the cache:
Take Sand Mountain Road from Rt. 192. You will probably want to use
the lower end, not the end originating in RB Winter park. If you do
go from the top, an SUV at least is required along with some
offroad driving experience. It is not an easy trail, from either
end. Cars and such can make it from the lower side, but you might
want to park and walk up the last 1/3 mile (there is a pulloff on
the right before the nast stuff)
You will know you are there when there is a small (3 car or so)
parking area(N 41°00.005 W 77° 05.126 )on one side and a babbling
creek and stone amphitheatre on the other.
Behind the amphitheatre, there is a switchback trail towards the
top of the mountain, you might have to look a bit to find it. That
takes you pretty much the entire way up. It is a little hard to
follow in some places so keep your eyes out. Also step carefully as
many of the rocks shift during the winter.
Near the top, the trail sort of peters out into the mountain
laurel. (you may want to waypoint this spot, there is an
'unoffical' trail marker, how long it will last is anyone's guess)
There is not even a hint of a trail to the cache, so step
carefully.
If you can, find a way to get a view off the ridge. It might be
hard with leaves on the trees, but its like being in an airplane
almost, quite a nice view of the Susquehanna river valley. Also
make sure you have good batteries in your GPS and a backtrack
function to find your way back to the trail, it is a little
misleading finding it again.
Best of luck, its not a far hike, but quite an aerobic climb to the
top. Post your climb times and we can see who is in the best shape!
:)
Also, if you want to help us out, bring a garbage bag and pick up
some junk at the bottom, some people have been partying there and
leaving cans and broken bottles around the place. We try to keep it
as clean as we can, it is such a dreamy little hollow. :) Enjoy and
happy caching!
The Bald Eagle State Forest map is available onliine:
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/forests/baldeagle/baldeaglemap.htm
this cache is in the upper right panel. :)
Additional Hints
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