GC2970J Red Lime Kiln
Type: Traditional | Size: Regular | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: Flutiste @ | Hide Date: 05/25/2010 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N38° 28.080 W106° 49.205 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
                 

---

Are you ready for an adventure? This cache is in a remote area about 4.5 miles south of HWY 50. The adventure will be in just getting there. There is a road that goes right to the cache, you just have to find it. (The My Topo and the satellite maps would be very useful.) A high clearance vehicle is required, but 4-wheel drive is not necessary. AVOID THESE ROADS WHEN WET. The roads are built on shale, and get very slippery. Elevation at the cache: 8424'

---

The cache is located at a spectacular old lime kiln. The kiln is constructed with rocks of red volcanic rhyolite, and was used to bake calcite (calcium carbonate) rocks into lime. Lime was used as a bonding agent in cement and as a flux for smelting. It was also used in plastering interior walls and in the mortar used to chink the gaps in log cabins. A vein of banded calcite known as "travertine" was located in the hill above the kiln. There is a trench where the vein was -- it appears that the vein was completely dug out, however there are lots of dirty-white calcite rocks remaining around the kiln.


There are a number of lime kilns scattered about the Gunnison Country. There is a rough dirt road which connects the Red Lime Kiln with the Dutch Gulch Lime Kiln, about 1 mile away. Both of these kilns probably supplied lime to the mines of the nearby towns of Iris and Chance which flourished during the late 1800's. The Lucky Strike mine at Chance reportedly had a smelter.

Cache is in a clear plastic box with a blue rim.


A NOTE OF CAUTION: If you bring kids with you to this geocache, keep them under control. The kiln is deep, and the temptation to peer over the edge is huge. The entrance to Long Gulch from HWY 50 is closed in early spring until May 15th. As always -- if you venture out during hunting season, (September and October), wear a little blaze orange and be noisy.

05/21/2017 By eyincbco
Thanks for getting me up to this area to explore. Wonderful views. Didn't see a single person on the adventure today. Great views.
Photosphere from kiln:
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.4679165,-106.8200213,0a,75y,253.5h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s-lhw6woIPzxU%2FWSI90smVnuI%2FAAAAAAAAE7A%2Fo4k0bj561ekvyMb_uLZJJh7J6bPL5bq4ACLIB!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh6.googleusercontent.com%2F-lhw6woIPzxU%2FWSI90smVnuI%2FAAAAAAAAE7A%2Fo4k0bj561ekvyMb_uLZJJh7J6bPL5bq4ACLIB%2Fno%2Fphoto.jpg

07/26/2015 By two much fun
Third time a charm. tftc sl

08/29/2013 By elko dealers
We had a fun ride out to the cache area.
SLTNLN T4TH

09/10/2011 By 3cacheteers
Yup, this was an adventure! Got to one point and could see the darn kiln through my binoculars but the road I was on had a gate across it and the cows were all gathered right at the gate and I just knew if I opened it they'd beat me through it. So back tracked and came at it from a another angle. I was bound and determined I was going to find the road that went right to it (just because I'd spent so much time with the topo maps I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it). The road I came in on was so obscure I couldn't even find it at times and at other times my poor Jeep about got lost in the sage brush. But I did drive right to it. While sitting on my Jeep hood having lunch a coyote ambled by, not the least disturbed to have me sitting near-by. Too bad my camera was in the Jeep! This cache was awesome fun!! TNLNSL

07/25/2011 By two much fun
looked for awhile, had the new cords, other kilns were easy.