Historical Caches of Baltimore City Challenge Mystery Cache

This is a challenge cache, the purpose of which is to encourage geocachers to go out and find those early Baltimore City geocaches that are still active. The geocache is hidden at the listed coordinates. To log this cache as found you must complete the challenge described below. PLEASE NOTE: this cache is not accessible on Mondays.

The requirements for completing this challenge:

1) Find 15 of the 20 earliest active geocaches in Baltimore City

2) Use the Project-GC Challenge Checker to verify that you qualify for this challenge. Many thanks to Vogelbird for providing the checker.

3) Provide proof of completing this challenge by either submitting a bookmark list or providing a list in your found-it log. Please include the date you found each geocache. The challenge checker will provide a formatted list you can copy/paste into your log.

A few notes:

1) If any of the geocaches are owned by you, you may claim them on your list.

2) If any cache on the list is archived, then the next oldest active cache will be included.

3) Once a cache is archived, it is removed from the Baltimore City’s Twenty Oldest list, however it can still be included on your list. The challenge checker will include archived caches in your list.

4) In accordance with the new Groundspeak guidelines, you are no longer required to include the #1 oldest active Baltimore City Geocache (A Different Type of Key) in your list of 15 caches. But you should find it anyway. It would be silly not to.

5) If you have not yet completed this challenge, you may still find the geocache and sign the log, but you cannot log it as a find until you have successfully completed the challenge. Any found-it logs submitted without proof of completion will be deleted.

6) I have posted a write-note demonstrating that I have met the criteria for this challenge.

Baltimore City’s Twenty Oldest:

1. (GC5125)  A Different Type of Key  (hidden on 2002-04-24)
2. (GCD1A0)  Play It Safe!  (2003-02-08)
3. (GCGCRG)  Time Will Not Dim…  (2003-07-09)
4. (GCGEF9)  Lost Pride  (2003-07-13)
5. (GCH7EP)  Be Prepared  (2003-11-13)
6. (GCK20M)  Intersection  (2004-07-21)
7. (GCK20X)  A Great Big Liar  (2004-07-21)
8. (GCME47)  Soldiers Remembered  (2005-03-01)
9. (GCME4A)  Dots for bamonapink  (2005-03-01)
10. (GCMQDC)  Dots in progress  (2005-02-07)
11. (GCN677)  Dots are forever  (2005-03-21)
12. (GCP46M)  Red Herring  (2005-05-30)
13. (GCRVCX)  Heart of the Arts  (2006-01-01)
14. (GCT9NC)  Psycho Urban Cache #10 - Derelict Grunge Acropolis  (2006-02-02)
15. (GCTP53)  CAM 2006 - Leakin Park  (2006-04-01)
16. (GCY22B)  "The 'Grendels' Are Out There"  (2006-08-31)
17. (GC12560)  Leave Me Alone  (2007-04-13)
18. (GC189ZG)  "Hair"-ing Run Watershed  (2008-01-01)
19. (GC1AQG0)  Ode to Poe #1  (2008-03-30)
20. (GC1ART9)  70 Below  (2008-04-01)

     A bookmark list is available here.

This geocache is located in the Cylburn Arboretum, a 207-acre urban park administered by the Horticultural Division of the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks. It is located within the city limits, but it ensues the feeling of a grand estate set in a rolling lush countryside. Spacious, manicured green lawns and gardens surround a stunning Victorian Mansion in the background while trails wind through the woodlands, where rare trees, native plants and wildflowers may be studied. The park is open Tuesday–Sunday from 8am–8pm. The park is closed on Mondays.

Though the hike to this challenge cache is not the distance many of the earlier geocaches were, the hide is typical of some of those early caches. (Using the Circle and Vista trails, this hike is approximately .5 miles one-way.) The Vista Trail will bring you within 50 feet of the cache. The container is a camoed 0.7L square lock'n'lock. Parking coordinates have been provided for the geocache, and the geocache must only be sought during park hours. The difficulty is for the completion of the challenge, the terrain is for this hide. The hide itself is a 2 difficulty. Please re-hide well; the container should not be visible. There is no need to disturb the rock structure; the cache is not in the ruins.

Thanks to deepdish23 for permission to expand his Historical Caches Challenge series. Thanks also to Visit Baltimore for one of the swag keychains.

Other caches in the Historical Caches Challenge series:

• Historical Caches of Anne Arundel County
• Historical Caches of Baltimore County
• Historical Caches of Carroll County
• Historical Caches of Harford County
• Historical Caches of Howard County
• Historical Caches of Montgomery County
• Historical Caches of Prince George’s County
• Historical Caches of St Mary’s County