Not Bonneville Virtual Cache
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(virtual)
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Experience Portsmouth Island, a barier island, the way Wilbur and Orville might have sen it.
Unlike it’s inhabited neighbors to the north and south, Cape Lookout National Seashore is a series of uninhabited barrier islands coving about 70 miles of the North Carolina Coast. The northernmost of these islands is Portsmouth Island, site of the abandoned port of Portsmouth Village. However the Island has merits of its own beyond its colonial heritage. Access to Portsmouth Island is by boat. If you have your own boat the Park Service dock is located at N 35° 04.432’, W 76° 03.916’. You can tie up for several hours, but not overnight.
The waters of Pamlico Sound are heavily shoaled and can be very challenging. The bulk of the visitors to the island arrive by the Portsmouth Island Tour boat, which is a people ferry from Ocracoke, NC. The cost is $30 round trip. There is no fixed schedule for the Portsmouth Island Tour ferry, but the operator can be reached at 252 928 4361 or 252 928 5431.
The terrain of the roads on Portsmouth Island is not difficult, tides and rain can make for some standing water and wet conditions, sometimes long after the tide or rain has subsided. While it is not what you would call muddy, it can often be wet and you might have to walk several hundred yards through shallow water. Reaching this virtual will require a hike of about 1 ¾ miles one way on a dirt road that has almost no vehicle traffic. What you will find is the largest one of its type on the east coast. Continuing another ½ mile will bring you to the beach, which is often deserted and has been unofficially described as the scotch bonnet (North Carolina’s state sea shell) capital of the world. There are no facilities on Portsmouth Island other than 2 toilets along the road you will be hiking. Bring water, long sleeves and pants for the bugs, bug spray and shoes that can get wet. Don’t let this intimidate you, this is a special place or it wouldn’t be part of the National Park system. While on the Island, be sure to find the other cache located in the village. To receive credit you now have a choice, either email or photo Before the age of digital cameras and cell phones you had email me with the answers to the following questions when you reach the cache: 1. What is the unique feature of the terrain you see around you? 2. What is the condition of the soil at your feet? The photo option is a selfie attached to your log as close as you can get to GZ with the terrain in the background. The terrain has changed and the scrub forest ends about .1 mile from the old GZ. That's close enough for now.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Lbh qba'g unir gb trg rknpgyl gb TM gb nafjre gur dhrfgvbaf. Gurer vf fynpx va gur nafjref.