GC7CRTB Bobcat Burn
Type: Traditional | Size: Other | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: icezebra11 @ | Hide Date: 09/24/2017 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N40° 27.971 W105° 15.347 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
       

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CONGRATULATIONS Denali41 on the FTF!!!

This is cache is on US Forest Service land and is accessed from the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area.  Enjoy your hike to the cache location.  The container is well hidden.  Please replace the cache exactly as found!

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On the morning of June 12, 2000, a small plume of smoke appeared in the forest just northwest of Drake.  A few local residents rushed to the location of what was then about a ˝ acre fire in Bobcat Gulch.  They valiantly tried to extinguish the flames using just shovels and picks but the strong southerly winds worked against them.  When firefighters finally arrived the fire was growing quickly and moving north toward Cedar Park.  The unseasonably hot, dry conditions made the forest a tinder box.  By the end of the first day, the fire had consumed approximately 2000 acres, over three square miles.  The fire was officially named the Bobcat Gulch Fire.

June 13^th was another hot and extremely windy day.  Strong westerly and northwesterly winds fanned the flames eastward toward Masonville.  The fire advanced about six miles that day, crossing Spruce Mountain and Green Ridge, to the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area. Over 3000 acres were burned in just a single day!

The fire continued to consume thousands of acres of timber and grasses over the next two days.  Late in the day June 14^th, a cold front moved through the area bringing much cooler weather.  Shifting winds also prevented the fire from significant advancement.  Finally, firefighters were able to gain control of the situation on June 15^th.  When the fire was officially “out” on June 24^th, it had blackened 10,600 acres and destroyed 22 buildings, leaving a scar that is still quite evident today.

The cache is in a location with a wide view of the burn area's eastern flank.  Notice all the burned, fallen timber across the landscape.  Also notice the lack of new tree growth over the last 17 years.  Imagine what the viewscape might have looked like before the fire.  All this destruction was caused by an abandoned campfire!  This is another stark reminder of why campfires should be properly extinguished.

06/28/2019 By icezebra11
After a couple DNFs by CountryLifers I decided to take a hike up to the cache this morning to do a health check. I found the cache right where I hid it, with only Denali41's signature on the log. The log was a little damp so I dried it out. While it was drying I did another waypoint average and found the north to be exactly as posted and the west to be 0.001 less than posted. My GoTo to the posted coordinates was showing 5 feet today when resting at GZ. I'm not going to change the posted coordinates as they are within the accuracy parameters of a handheld GPSr. However, I did add a hint to the cache page. Cache on!

06/11/2019 By CountryLifers
2nd attempt here, but no luck. I suppose a bit of a hint might be helpful here
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08/24/2018 By CountryLifers
Strike 2 today. Poked around in all the likely spots, but without making the find. My Colorado trip this time is 0 for 3. Not off to a good start for sure.

09/26/2017 By Denali41
With the publication of this cache last evening, icezebra11 completely disrupted my puppy Orizaba's and my plans for today! I had expected to go to Greeley with Zaba to find the challenge caches and some puzzle caches that had been hidden since my last visit there. Zaba hung around me closely as I prepared everything, sensing that she was coming! Then this bomb hit, turning plans upside down. How could I resist a new icezebra11 cache, even while contemplating that Orizaba would not be able to come because dogs are not allowed in Bobcat Ridge Natural Area? Well, Bobcat Burn won hands down. This morning, as I finished packing my gear for the hike, Orizaba began showing some distress: she watched carefully and saw none of her signal items (special collar, leash, collapsible food and water bowl, etc.) and finally realized that her expectations for a fun day of geocaching were shattered.

So off I went without her, getting to the parking area about 8:30 am and beginning my hike. I own a number of caches up the Ginny Trail, so have lots of experience with the effort needed to huff and puff my way to the top of the ridge. I've probably done this a dozen times over the years, but each time I conveniently forget how much effort is actually required. That trail simply goes "up"--and then up and up and up more. And the ridge crest never seems to get nearer...but it does, little-by-little. And of course a lot of the hike is directly through the Bobcat Burn. I thought about that a lot today as I hiked up sans my puppy Orizaba, because of the fine synopsis in the cache description of what happened that June as the Bobcat Fire raged out of control.

When I arrived at GZ it was time to eat a little, and to hydrate. I did that before I began my search, keeping in mind the admonition on the cache page that this is a well-hidden "unknown". It took me some time; I was delighted, eventually, to lift up the container, open it, and sign as the {FTF}. Thanks for a good one, Brad!

I completed the Ginny Trail loop, checking on the status of each of my caches. It was a full, successful outing in cool, autumn conditions.

09/25/2017 By Alpine Reviewer
Published