In which our heroes bushwhack to a clearing; a box is found; a danger is overlooked.
The last few miles to ground zero were uneventful ones. The trail ran across the top of a ridge, but was still hilly in spots. The boys were quite content to enjoy the walk thru some of Mother Natures finest scenery as the woods changed between darker pine forests at the bottom of the hills, and open mountain fields near the tops.
In one field the boys ran across a large herd of elk. Billy was thrilled, and took the opportunity to take several photos. It’s not often they got this close to such magnificent animals. On another hill they stopped to admire the views that extended for miles across the valley - the fall foliage reflecting a veritable rainbow of colours across the distant hills.
Mostly, however, they followed the arrow on the GPS and counted down the distance to ground zero. Not that they really needed it as the trail rain mostly straight, however as they got closer the arrow started pointing off to the right. When it got to a 90 degree angle from the trail, the boys stopped.
“Looks like this is where we start bushwhacking,” Ted said.
Mostly, however, they followed the arrow on the GPS and counted down the distance to ground zero. Not that they really needed it as the trail rain mostly straight, however as they got closer the arrow started pointing off to the right. When it got to a 90 degree angle from the trail, the boys stopped.
“Looks like this is where we start bushwhacking,” Ted said.
“According to the map the trail keeps going straight. The GPS says the cache is just over a half mile that way.” Ted was pointing into the woods.
Billy expressed annoyance at the thick vegetation that lined the trail, and lamented the idea of a half mile bushwhack thru the thick briars that infest much of the North Carolina woodlands. He mentally said goodbye to the well worn trail marked with blue blazes, and pushed his way into the bush, mentally prepared for the worst.
However they were pleasantly surprised that the thick woods and undergrowth only lasted a few yards, and soon they were walking in a sparse pine forest with a soft pine needle blanket on the ground. The walking was actually quite easy.
Since they were no longer on the marked trail. Billy paid more attention to his own GPS. The brothers stayed close, but each picked out his own path thru the trees. They were able to make surprisingly good time, and a half hour later they stepped out of the forest and stood at the edge of a clearing that defined Burkes Peak.
The view was astonishing. The clearing was approximately 500 feet wide, and roughly circular. The ground was mostly clear, with several large boulders strewn about. In the middle of the clearing stood the ruins of a man made structure.
“That must be the remains of Seamus Dawson’s mansion.” Billy observed. “It has not aged well.”
All that was left standing of the original two storey house was part of the stone work for the front and right side of the first storey. There was just enough grey stone left standing to outline where the windows and doors of the first floor had once stood. All of the actual doors and windows were gone, as well as any trace of the second floor. The fireplace hearth on the right side was mostly intact, with the chimney still extending 10 ft into the air. The top had fallen over.
All that was left standing of the original two storey house was part of the stone work for the front and right side of the first storey. There was just enough grey stone left standing to outline where the windows and doors of the first floor had once stood. All of the actual doors and windows were gone, as well as any trace of the second floor. The fireplace hearth on the right side was mostly intact, with the chimney still extending 10 ft into the air. The top had fallen over.
The hearth on the left side was just a pile of rubble, and the chimney was lying in a crumpled heap on the ground.
All around the perimeter of the house were piles of rock and rubble, clearly the remains of what was once a strongly built house. Weather is hard on abandoned structures at the best of times, but the harsh winds and cold that defines the Smoky Mountain winters can be absolutely devastating. It is a wonder anything had survived this long up here.
Billy grabbed his camera and took a few photos, while Ted relaxed by leaning on his hiking stick and took in the scene. Then both boys consulted their GPS’s.
“I got 252 ft”, Ted said.
“I got 243 ft”, Billy replied, pointing with his hands the direction his arrow was pointing. “That way.”
He was pointing straight at the front door of the mansion.
The boys looked at each other, excited to be this close to the final cache, and to be among such amazing scenery and fascinating history.
The boys walked forward. Despite their growing excitement they still walked carefully thru the clearing. Experience had taught both boys that unfamiliar terrain can be treacherous. This can be especially true near the remains of human settlements as one never quite knows where all of the basements and crumbled foundations of long lost buildings may lie. It is very easy to turn an ankle, or break a leg, and such injuries up in the mountains can quickly lead to serious life threatening situations. Help is a long way away.
Plus, truth be told, it is a lot of fun to extend the anticipation of their next find. As a result, neither brother was in a hurry, but both made a beeline to the front door of the house.
When they arrived there they saw remnants of pillars that likely held up the front porch. The door itself was about 2 ft off the floor, likely due to the now missing porch. The GPS’s were pointing 30 ft though the door, so the brothers stepped over the threshold and entered the remains of the house.
“Now we solve the mystery of Dawson’s Gold!” Ted exclaimed excitedly, a big smile on his face. This has been the biggest geocaching adventure either boy had ever been on, let alone heard about, and the excitement was so thick they could almost taste it. They just had to find that elusive container.
The GPS’s led the brothers to where the back wall of the house used to stand. It was now just a line of rock and rubble. Ted followed his GPS down the right side of the old wall. Billy’s GPS led him to the left. Both boys were focused on the rocks.
It only took a few feet before Ted exclaimed “This doesn’t look natural… I think I got it!”
“Now we solve the mystery of Dawson’s Gold!” Ted exclaimed excitedly, a big smile on his face. This has been the biggest geocaching adventure either boy had ever been on, let alone heard about, and the excitement was so thick they could almost taste it. They just had to find that elusive container.
The GPS’s led the brothers to where the back wall of the house used to stand. It was now just a line of rock and rubble. Ted followed his GPS down the right side of the old wall. Billy’s GPS led him to the left. Both boys were focused on the rocks.
It only took a few feet before Ted exclaimed “This doesn’t look natural… I think I got it!”
Billy rushed over.
Ted was using his hiking stick to point at a pile of stones. The stones stuck out a bit farther from the rubble pile more than most, and the top rock was flatter and reddish coloured, which stood out from the otherwise grey stones of the house.
“Yep, that looks like it!” Billy agreed, as he bent down to remove the rock.
Both boys attention was fixed intently on the red stone, which was unfortunate as they never noticed the form of Angus Dawson coming up quickly and silently behind them.
Both boys attention was fixed intently on the red stone, which was unfortunate as they never noticed the form of Angus Dawson coming up quickly and silently behind them.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Copyright 2015 by Dave DeBaeremaeker. All Rights Reserved.
