A
compass is a navigational instrument for finding
directions on the Earth. It consists of a magnetized pointer free
to align itself accurately with Earth’s magnetic field, which is of
great assistance in navigation. The face of the compass generally
highlights the cardinal points of north, south,
EAST and
west. The compass greatly improved maritime trade by making travel
safer and more efficient. A compass can be used to calculate
heading, used with a sextant to calculate latitude, and with a
mariine chronometer to calculate longitude. It thus provides a much
improved navigational capability, that has only been recently
supplanted by modern devices such as the gyrocompass and the Global
Positioning System (GPS).
Have you ever just climbed a mountain and turned back around to
view the town of Colorado Springs down below? Well, I just might
have found another wonderful view of the town that I believe not
many cachers get a chance to see. Most of the time, most people
living along the Front Range head up the eastern edge of a
mountain, in order to hike up a mountain trail heading west of
Colorado Springs. Well this trail heads
EAST off of Old
Stage Road, via Trail 371, thus the name of the cache.
At the time of placing this cache, there are two other caches in
the area, so please take the time to seek them out too. Round trip
for all three caches, plan on a hike of two hours or so that
includes 4.4 miles (approximately round trip) with some 1,300 feet
of elevation gain. In the end, I hope that you will also agree that
this Eastern view is special, too.
* (OK, I'll admit it, this is a silly name for my new geocache, but
it is
EAST of Pikes Peak, and it does showcase a very nice
view of Colorado Springs. Who knows, one day I just might complete
the rest of the compass, going around Pikes Peak with additional
geocaches.)
*Congrats to ColoradoPaul for being the FTF*
Additional Waypoints
PK1E6CX - Parking for EAST
N 38° 43.889 W 104° 54.393
Parking for EAST