This is an adventure cache. It may take an hour at a relaxed pace, and the entire cache is a little over one mile of walking, depending on your route, not including driving between parking lots.
You’ll walk along a trail, visit 6 waypoints, read a sign at each spot, and write down a number, til you have the Final coords. It’s easy, and that part of this cache is wheelchair accessible! And if you plan to walk the loop, see the horse info below. Next, you go off-trail and hunt for the container.
The Final is in a wild area, so be prepared to encounter a little of everything, plants or animals, that you could see in the park. The Final is a regular size container, suitable for trackables. Bring something nice to trade. Congratulations to jazzmasters on the FTF!
You should print the chart, and fill it out while following the trail, to get the correct coordinates. Here's a full-page version of the chart.
Stay on the asphalt trail while filling out the chart. Start at “Point A”, where you'll see a tree with a sign on it, which says "Pignut Hickory". Refer to the chart, and you see that a Pignut Hickory is tree #6 on the tree list, and that I filled out the box for "Point A" on the chart for you. Now continue to the next Point and write down that tree’s number, then keep going til you’ve visited all the Points. Be sure you find a tree sign at each Point, and write the tree number carefully. A tree at a Point may be the same tree number as another Point's tree, plus we don't need every sign on the trail, only the listed Points. When your chart's complete, you’ll have the coordinates for the Final!
The entire tree is now missing for Point C. That tree was a water oak. So you can fill in the blank for Point C now.
For reference, in case you didn't print the chart in advance, my tree numbers are as follows:
0: Winged Elm
1: Red Maple
2: Southern Red Oak
3: Loblolly Pine
4: White Pine
5: Persimmon
6: Pignut Hickory
7: Sweet Gum
8: Water Oak
9: Dogwood
The Final is as follows:
N 33°19.CBA
W 084° 25.FED
... where the letters are the Points you visit along the trail. They should be available on your GPS device as named "Waypoints" for this cache. At each Point (A thru F), substitute the Point's letter with its tree number.
It may be tricky to find a route to the Final. If you're seeing a lot of mud or an ocean of thistles taller than you, seek an easier route. The Final coordinates are inside the boundaries of Lake Horton Park.
Sorry if this seems like a complicated method to locate a cache, but it was an elephant’s idea, and he’s happy when I agree to try his ideas.
On your journey, you may see a couple of friendly horses and signs on the fence telling about the horses. Bring fresh sliced apples or carrots (NOTHING else for horses, please), in case the horses are at the fence and if you would like to give them a snack. But bring the apples or carrots in a sealed container in case of no horses.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.
There’s a $5 parking fee for out-of-county vehicles, so you might plan to make your visit more than just a single cache run. Situated on Fayette County's newest and largest reservoir, Lake Horton Park covers 82 acres and offers paved walking trails, boat ramps, picnic areas, and fishing. Look for deer, wading birds, and other wildlife. Open from dawn to dusk.
Cache placement was approved in this Fayette County park by:
Fayette County Parks & Recreation Department
Office: 980 Redwine Road, Fayetteville
Mail: 140 Stonewall Avenue West, Fayetteville, GA 30214
Phone: 770-716-4320
Fax: 770-460-1931