This is a reset of the original cache that was stolen between 8/1/2004 and 8/15/2004. I was camping in the park the week of 8/14 and used the materials for another cache I had planned to reset this one.
In the early 20th century the Adirondack and Catskill forests lost over 1 million acres of forest to fire. In response NYS established the forest patrol in 1909. Summit Fire Tower was built in 1926 and served continuously until 1970. In 1999 a local committee was formed to preserve and restore the tower. There is a movement in the Northeast U.S. to preserve these Adirondack style fire observation towers. You can obtain a great patch for $5 (or a tee shirt for $10) at the Red House administration building that will help to fund this restoration. (Mine really looks neat on my patch jacket!)
Park at the Roscoe hiking trail parking lot at the top of the Summit Road (Park St coming out of Salamanca.) The cache is a .27 mile walk one way and gently up slope. You can continue to walk the hiking trails for several miles if you wish. They are cross-country ski trails in the winter so the elevation changes are gradual. There is a great overlook on the Leonard Run Loop that would be a direct continuation of your hike from the cache.
The bottle has a calculator, water proof match container, a pocket knife, glow stick, waterproof matches and other neat stuff. There is also a can of bug repellent that is to stay with the cache for those who need it.
You can also pick up 2 Benchmarks and two reference marks along with the cache. Look up the following marks in the benchmark part of the geocaching site: NC1032 - the tower itself, NC1033 – 2nd order horizontal control. Compass and map users need the directions for all the marks as well as the encrypted hint.
PLEASE! NO FOOD OR CANDY OF ANY KIND IN THE CACHE!
FEE NOTICE – From Memorial Day to Labor Day (when the beaches are open) there is a $7.00 vehicle use permit charged to enter the park. The access control points generally operate from 10:00AM to 5:00PM so there should be ample time to get to the box during the summer months. The rest of the year the vehicle use permit is $5.00 and is only charged on Saturday and Sunday.
Have fun and enjoy one of my favorite places in the world.
