Rec Center Chainsaw Challenge LbNA #18512 (ARCHIVED)

This is a Letterboxing / Geocaching hybrid. -------------------------------------

History

On October 10th, 2005, TRIGO members VaxDave (me!), pghlooking, and tmocm helped teach a class about geocaching at the Carnegie Library in Brookline. The class was attended by some local youth that took quite an interest in our hobby! We had an overview of the process of caching, the science behind GPS technology, the benefits of CITO, and we even had time to search out a cache.

About Brookline Memorial Park

Brookline Memorial Park was formerly and still often refered to by locals as the Community Center. Once wooded farmland, this area has undergone quite a change since purchased by the citizens of Brookline in the late '40s. Sold to the city of Pittsburgh for $1 in 1966, this land has been developed into a showcase recreation facility. In return for that $1, the park has undergone millions of dollars in development. Built in several stages, and completed in 1982, the old Community Center is a beehive of activity year-round, and a lasting testament to the hard work and dedication of our city and community leaders. These individuals, many of whom are no longer with us to witness the fruits of their efforts, will always be endeared in the hearts of the generations of children who pass through these gates.

Interesting Fact!

On the hillside above the bathhouse is what the architects and their solar consultants Burt Hill Kosar Rittelman Associates refer to as the "vent wall." Panels of glass block on the wall face south and allow sunlight to strike a black surface on the wall behind. This technique stores heat and eliminates the damp, dank conditions usually found in most municipal park bathhouses. The heated air actually acts as a sponge for moisture-laden air.

Parking

Recommended parking is at the parking lot near the baseball fields below the recreation center. Letterbox directions start from there. Parking coordinates are 40° 23.51118, -80° 00.51342.

Cache Container

Cache container is a .30 caliber ammo can located about 30 feet off the nearest major trail. Please walk softly amongst the vegetation and remember to CITO!

Safety Notice

The city allows hunting in this park. I saw a tree stand while looking for a place to hide this cache. Be VERY careful while attempting to hunt this cache. It would probably be a good idea to wear some blaze orange clothing during hunting seasons when looking for this cache.

Letterbox:

1. Start in the lower parking lot next to the sign that reads "Dan McGibbeny Memorial Field"
2. Follow the path that is to the right of that sign. Follow it to where it ends next to the dugout of the baseball field/football field.
3. When the path ends, continue along the ball field and go to the where the chain link fence ends in deep right field
4. You will now proceed into the field past that fence. You want to walk in a southeast direction. If you do not have a compass, stand at the pole at the end of the right field fence. Look at the LEFT field foul pole. Now turn around 180 degrees and walk across the field.
5. In the southeast corner of the field there are two trails that go down the hill. Take the downward path on the right.
6. Follow that trail and bear left at the top of the first hill.
7. Take a left at the first major intersection you encounter.
8. 75 feet from the major intersection, there will part of a car body off the left side of the trail. This is an important landmark.
9. Contine down the trail about 100 feet and stop.
10. Look to the left and see an area that has several piles of macadam and concrete. The cache is located in that area about 25 to 35 feet off the trail.
11. If you don't want to fight through the brush and trees, you can continue down the trail about 30 feet and take the trail that bears to the left. This will allow you to come back around on the macadam/concrete piles.
12. To retrieve the cache, you only need to move the top most rocks. Be sure to log your name and the date that you found the cache.
13. Be sure to put the lid back on the ink pad securely. Place the stamp and the inkpad back in the bag and make sure that it is sealed. Please replace the cache EXACTLY as you found it. Don't forget to sign the log! :)

Thanks

A huge thanks goes out to Arielle at the Carnegie Library at Brookline for organizing this class. Thanks also go out to her husband Jake for talking about his neighborhood litter cleanup group and for taking photos of the event. Pghlooking and tmocm are also to be thanked for helping me out in the presentation and teaching of this seminar.

TRIGO: Serving the Greater Pittsburgh Community since 2003