GC9H63Y Pikeview Quarry
Type: Mystery | Size: Small | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: MikeyMoore @ | Hide Date: 10/08/2021 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N38° 56.187 W104° 53.284 | Last updated: 06/19/2022 | Fav points: 0
           

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The cache is not at the listed coordinates.  You must find clues to help you determine the location of this cache.

Pikeview Quarry is cut into the mountainside in northwest Colorado Springs.  It has been operating since the early 1900s and has been mined for limestone since 1958.  It is visible to everyone who drives through the city on I-25 and to many of the city's residents.

Pikeview Quarry from Allegheny Dr.

This cache is not in Pikeview Quarry, but it is nearby.  It is at a Spot above the Quarry in Pike National Forest.  Access to the cache is from Blodgett Peak Open Space (see the waypoint for parking -- do not trespass in the quarry or any other private property).  To reach the cache, you will have to hike some steep, scree-filled terrain, much of it off-trail and in the Waldo Canyon Fire burn area.  Due to the terrain, a trekking pole would be useful.  In the warmer months, you should beware of rattlesnakes. Expect to be hiking for several hours.

There are clues inside Bruce's ammo can at the Pikeview cache.  To make use of these clues, knowledge of different geocoding systems will be needed.  An Internet connection will also be handy, but there is good cell service at Pikeview.

In this photo, taken from a Spot above the Quarry in Pike National Forest, you can see the base of Pikeview Quarry.

Congrats to ernie66 for FTF honors!

You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.

Additional Waypoints

019H63Y - Parking
N 38° 56.933 W 104° 53.158

10/11/2021 By ernie66
FTF!

A new cache with a significant hike and a puzzle involved is a rare occurrence these days. I saw this post this morning. I wanted to leave right then, but I couldn't get out of a 10am meeting. I started the hike around 11am.

I hiked up from Blodgett Open Space to a point a little higher than STRETCH, then bushwhacked all the way to Pikeview to get the clue. I deciphered what I found there and put the coordinates in the GPSr... then saw what was involved to get there .

It took close to an hour, but I did take a bit of a break on the way when I got Slacked from work. Can't they see I'm on an important mission?! But it was a quick answer and I was on my way again.

I found the cache and grabbed another FTF coin (thanks!) which I will activate and send out. I also traded out the other TBs. In my fatigued state and with all the TB accounting to get straight, I think I might have forgotten to sign the log ! That's not as bad as the time I realized halfway down that I had left my GPSr at the cache and had to hike back up to get it.

Thanks for another spectacular cache!

Update, Tuesday, Oct. 12:

The log question was gnawing at me. I really thought I totally forgot to sign it! I couldn't sleep. I have to get the trash out before 7am on Tuesdays, so I was up well before sunrise and I thought "why not"? I need the exercise, right? I had another 10am Zoom meeting today, but there is plenty of time, right? And even if I'm still out on the trail, I can do the Zoom from there, right?

Right! I parked the car a little after 8:00, grabbed my gloves and GPSr, and was on the way. I wore a thick shirt and long pants (instead of the shorts and T-shirt I wore last time) and dispensed with a backpack to hopefully make better time during the elevation gain phase of the hike and on the trek through the prickles. I got to the cache, saw that indeed I had not signed the log and did so. Now to get back. I made better time downhill, running a lot of the way, and arrived back at the car in plenty of time. This route is getting much too familiar now, even the off-trail part. The nice, soft couch placed partway up was awfully inviting!

10/10/2021 By IgnotusPeverell
Published