The Park Trails

By StressMaster (cache page)

This was #499 for us! I really wanted to do this cache because no one had claimed it yet... It is a mystery cache, somewhat of a puzzle cache where you have to find answers to questions at the first stage to lead you to the next stage, and so on.  StressMaster did this cache this way in order to show off an awesome National Park area here in Jacksonville, and you can't place physical caches on National Park property.  This was a perfect way to show off the parks.  The first stage started at Fort Caroline National Park.  Tony and I had already found five other caches, had eaten lunch, and were ready to hike this puzzle cache.  We first went into the Visitors' Center and looked around. There is such a neat display of information and artifacts about the Timucuan Indians, and the French colonization of the area.  My favorite displays were the handmade Indian canoe and the totem pole.  After reading and looking at everything, we got the National Park Passport travel bug stamped with the park's cancellation stamps.  Then we headed off outside to start our hike.

On the way to the first set of coords, we passed by a neat Timucuan Indian hut, and took our picture there with the timer on the camera. There was also an old oven like they used to use. The coords finally led to the actual Fort which is 1/3 the size of what the real one was. It was so neat to look at and to see the view from it.

The next coords led to a monument, and the answers to those questions led to Spanish Pond area in the Timucuan Preserve. This part of the park has trails to hike or bike. The hike to the coords on this leg was about a mile one way. This stage was our personal favorite because of everything we got to see, and we just enjoyed the hike together. We saw so much Florida wildlife out there including a snake (that didn't bother us), a bunch of cute little lizards, pretty butterflies, and even a Bald Eagle soaring in the sky. At the end of the trail we stopped to rest at and enjoy the view of the observation tower, then finally hiked back after answering the last set of questions about a Confederate Soldier's grave that's located in the park.



The final stage of this cache gave us a fit... not due to the cache owner, but due to me... We had answered the last question right, even circling the right answer on the print out, but then I wrote down the wrong number, therefore putting the wrong coords into the gps... lol... we searched for over an hour for the final cache, an ammo can. We finally broke down and called Stress. When we finally realized out mistake, Tony found the cache right where it was supposed to be. This cache was so much fun, and really made our day enjoyable. And we learned stuff too! (gasp!) And what made it even better was that we were First to Find on this great cache!!!