GC1HYJT Ring The Peak
Type: Multi | Size: Regular | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: titocache @ | Hide Date: 11/16/2008 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N38° 50.417 W105° 02.772 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
   

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Ring The Peak Final Cache

Do not search at the coordinates listed above. The coordinates are for a location near the top of Pikes Peak where you'll find nothing but inspiration. In fact, Katharine Lee Bates was so inspired by the countryside surrounding Pikes Peak that she wrote the following "America the Beautiful" poem in 1893 (look for the commemorative plaque at the summit):

O beautiful, for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.

O beautiful, for pilgrim feet
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw;
Confirm thy soul in self control, thy liberty in law!

O beautiful, for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine,
'Til all success be nobleness, and ev'ry gain divine!

O beautiful, for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years,
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!

To find this cache: You'll need to find 15 locations mentioned in this poem. The 15 locations are marked with traditional caches along the RTP trail. Inside each cache you'll find a clue to this final location. While the final location is more of a 4/4 rating, the cache is set at a 5/5 due to the 65 mile trek and 13,000 ft. in elevation change you'll have traveled via the the Ring The Peak Trail Network. So grab your GPS, lace up the hiking shoes, and come experience "America the Beautiful".

Additional Waypoints

PK1HYJT - Final Access
N 38° 54.045 W 104° 59.919
Recommended Approach for Final: Trailhead for Rd 331.

09/11/2018 By titocache
As we approach the 10 year anniversary for the RTP series, I look back with fondness on the fall season and those days up on Pikes Peak. Hiking among the golden aspens. Scouting the RTP trail. It’s my favorite time of year in the Pikes Peak region. A good time to ring in the upcoming 10 year RTP anniversary. To the next RTP final cache finder, I have a limited edition prize to honor the achievement. Cache on! — Tito

11/19/2017 By Bokmeow
WOW! Now that was a hike. :) We have had so much fun doing this series. A favorite for every single one. Thanks Titocache for giving us something to look forward to every weekend. I completely agree with previous finders about how awesome this series is, and how many additional caches we found in the process. We completely trailblazed the last bit of the approach (through quite a bit of snow) up to the final, WHAT A VIEW! The peak had some snow on it and that panorama was gorgeous. A perfect spot to end on. Would love to know where the actual "trail" was if there is one! We lost site of the cairns and just went for it. haha. Man, were we whooped when we go to the container. brought our dog with us who injured herself with about a mile and a half left on the hike back to the car, so trading off carrying a 40lb puppy on our shoulders definitely made this final of all finals a very memorable one besides! :) thanks so much.

07/31/2017 By OR85OR450
One last one for July!
CO just did an amazing job with the series, so far as I'm concerned. I can't imagine how much less of the Pike's Peak region my wife and I would still not know about (out-of-townies!!) if not for caching, & the years of periodically chasing down the RTP caches and trail segments. Heat; snow; rain; georgeousness; views, views and more views
Thanks for it all Titocache


PS -- gpsr point at the can today: 9 feet. Your standards are slipping, my man.


Pps.. I saw something in the log book here today which gave me a real shock, & having looked up a bit of info I'm jumping on the opportunity to blow someone else's horn: On 06 SEP 2010 someone who had been here a year & a half before came back with someone while that person made the find. AND they came from -- among other things -- Bring Your Own SHERPA. Just turn that over in your head a few times if you get to thinking you can hike. Ouch. I'm still a bunny in a level meadow around here.

07/22/2016 By COpackrat
Stopped by one of your others this morning to get the last clue, then headed on over to the final. I don't know how long it took to get all the clues together, but I don't live that close so tried to include them when I was nearby. Thanks for all the fun hikes, and nice final location!

06/18/2015 By GeocachingBraden
going to claim on my dads birthday tons of fun thunder lightning bears caves running rivers>even though it took 2 years it was the most fun i have had geocaching.big thanks to my dad for redoing the second half again

06/21/2014 By colorado gypsies
Wow. Our first 5/5! What a finale. And we did it in true Cachechist style. The Lady Gypsy had a foot wear malfunction on the way in and decided to hike the rest of the way in her socks (see photo). When the trail ran out, I headed up to get the final. A worthy spot for a terrific series. The series was about much more than the individual caches, I estimate we found over 60 caches on days we were grabbing RTP caches, the final being no exception- we found 9 today. I wish I could give it 5 favorite points. :-) SL Took GeoCoin LN TFTC