A cache to celebrate summer and commemorate its ending, placed in a beautiful vantage point for autumn color. The location is down a back trail that most people don't know is there, and the hike itself is a summer classic in the Evergreen/Conifer area. Dog friendly, not wheelchair-accessable, not winter-friendly.
To commemorate the end of summer and all the warm places we keep in our hearts and minds in order to make it through the winter, we've placed this cache on a trail we hike all summer, a little-used loopback trail in the Maxwell Falls area. The cache location is near a gorgeous open meadow studded with aspens and overlooking the hillsides, making the area stunning in the autumn.
Park at the lower Maxwell Falls trailhead. There's a short but difficult path (0.25 miles, very steep and rocky: terrain 3.5) via a more hidden trail beyond the western fence, but I recommend the long way if you have the time (1.5 miles, gentle climb, steep area is all downhill: terrain 2.5) because it's a lot more scenic and that will help the hidden path stay hidden. Just follow the main trail until you come to a signposted intersection at the top of the first major climb, in an exposed area surrounded by evergreens. Take either of the right-turning trails (they converge).
Cache is a large camo'ed pill bottle. Dog-friendly (on-leash only). Not winter-frendly, but neither is the trail. Terrain is rated for the roughness and lack of maintenance on the trail, especially if you take the short path, and for some scrabbling required at the cache site. Watch out for the plants growing at the cache site! Midday on the weekends the main trail is very heavily trafficked, but the loopback is probably less populated; be cautious regardless.
In the cache: Some dice from Vegas and a keychain from the Bahamas, a dragon toy (some creatures never go cold), some guitar picks for the warmth of music, and a tiny origami robin to remind you that eventually, spring does come again. Also, a handmade cache pendant, which FTF should feel free to take (though obviously you don't have to).
Warmer Places
| Difficulty: 
| Terrain: 
5 
3