GC3AQCV Near the Boundary--Neota Wilderness
Type: Traditional | Size: Small | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: Denali41 @ | Hide Date: 12/22/2011 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N40° 34.052 W105° 50.899 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
                       

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Wilderness -- "an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain ... an area protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions." —The Wilderness Act of 1964

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The U.S. Congress designated the Neota Wilderness in 1980, to protect a relatively small pristine area that is surrounded by or near to remote country within Rocky Mountain National Park or other adjacent wildernesses. Its 9,924 acres are part of this larger 40,000-acre roadless wilderness complex. It’s unusual for a wilderness area to have no actively maintained trails, but this is the case with Neota Wilderness. Despite it’s relatively small size, it’s easy in Neota to get far from others by making some reasonable bushwhacking efforts. An official ski trail crosses an edge of the wilderness, providing access to skiers and snowshoers during periods of snow cover. The wilderness is in Roosevelt and Routt National Forests and is also referred to as “Neota Flattops” because of its glacially-smoothed granite ridges. The wilderness is one of the few areas in Colorado that was covered by a true ice sheet during periods of continental glaciation. Its large, flattened ridges contrast markedly with the more typical steep, ice-cut cirques conspicuous on neighboring peaks outside of the wilderness borders. The elevation within Neota Wilderness ranges from about 10,000 feet to 11,896 feet.

The cache is placed along the Meadows Ski Trail, outside of but near the boundary of Neota Wilderness. Look for it at the top of a gnarled root mass, beneath a chunk of wood that is foreign to the root mass. After you’ve found the cache and signed its log, continue your journey into the wilderness area, and consider hiking to the summit of one of its peaks. If weather cooperates, you are assured of spectacular views from any of these summits! Enjoy your time in Neota Wilderness.

09/30/2018 By ArkF
Thanks for the cache and the maintenance. Tried this one again a day shy of 2 years after not finding it on my last trip. Turns out I was looking in the right place, which is nice to know. Found quickly, in good condition. Nice day out, warmer and drier up here than in Fort Collins. Kept going after finding this on my way up Bald Mountain.

07/17/2017 By Denali41
I was in the area doing maintenance on some of my North Park caches. I made the hike in to this cache and found the baggie that icezebra11 had placed in the gnarled root mass (again, thanks for having done that). The log sheet he had used for his signature was wet but readable. I replaced the cache container with a solid one and enclosed a fresh log sheet.

11/19/2016 By icezebra11
Last weekend I went up Bald Mountain and logged "Getting Bald on the Solstice." On both the way up and the way down I stopped and looked for this cache but, like ArkF, I couldn't locate the container. So after my search on the way down I placed a temporary container at the "gnarly root mass" that my GPSr would take me to most often. The signal in the trees was really bouncy but this particular mass was the one my GPS seemed to prefer. After I got home I emailed Denali41 pictures of the root mass that I was focused on and on which I placed the temporary container. After he checked my photos against his records he confirmed that the mass I was searching was the correct spot to find the cache so he gave me the OK to log this "found it." Denali41 said he'd be replacing the temporary container in the future but no need for anyone to wait as the cache is available. Thanks Denali41 for another fine location in the Near the Boundary series!!!

10/01/2016 By ArkF
Went up to Long Draw road today for some hiking and caching. Made it to GZ easily, but was unable to find the cache. I looked at a few root masses, but maybe not the right one. On my way down I looked some more, and the GPS sent me about 50 ft away from where I had been at first, then got closer over time. So it may have been GPS issues. Nice area anyway. Planned on heading up Bald Mountain for the cache there, but poor route selection and rain made me turn back. Another time!

08/09/2015 By Treeline5632
One of our longest distance locates. Good spot...lots of Mosquitos. Nice hike.

08/06/2015 By McPavels
Found the cache after a nice hike from our camp site. Lots of moose tracks along the way.