Geocaching with NaviCache - Cache Details: The Indian Caves of Yosemite

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The Indian Caves of Yosemite

by 47Dad47 (Finds: 1 Score: 3) (Hidden: 62 Score: 248.5)

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Coordinates (WGS-84 datum)
N 37° 44.683' W 119° 33.291'

Fish Camp, California 93623
United States Near By Caches

Hidden On: 23 Oct 2006
Waypoint (Landmark): N0230F
Open Cache:  Unrestricted
Cache type:  Virtual
Cache size:   Large

Difficulty: (moderate)
Terrain: (easy)

Misc: Drinking water available. There are restrooms (water closets) available No pets are allowed. Parking is available There may be fees.

Comments:

Additional maps for this cache available at:

The Indian Caves of Yosemite, once a major attraction at Yosemite Park, now seem to have been forgotten.

Thirty some years ago, Kolly Wobbels and I pushed 47Tyrone47 in a stroller in front of the main cave opening when a baby bear started approaching us from the right side, behind us. Kolly Wobbels immediately disappeared down the left side, abandoning us. She was nowhere in sight! It looked as if 47Tyrone47 and I were going to be trapped between the bear and the cave and who knows where the Mama bear was! In those days, I believed the common myth that Mama bears go blindly mad when you get between them and their offspring. I turned the stroller around to head back when Kolly Wobbels reappeared. She ran up to us with a camera, took a picture of the bear and disappeared again. I had never seen her move so fast before! ....... The bear didn't eat us.

Photo of what appears to be a cave entrance.

This was a popular stop for tourists in the Past. (Click Photo to Enlarge.)

Long before that, many, many years ago, this area was part of the home of the Yosemite Miwok Indians known to other Miwok Indians as Awanichi, named after their main village Awani, which was located near the base of Yosemite Falls.

The last of the Awanichi Indians were chased to these Indian Caves by Captain John Bowling and his calvary. When the calvary arrived at the main entrance to the caves, they found only an elderly native woman who told them that the Awanichi entered the caves and escaped up what we call the Washington Column to safety. As always in those days, the non-native invaders underestimated the intelligence of the Native Americans and believed the story.

In colossal acts of stupidity and unChristian behavior, the European invaders wiped out entire populations of Native Americans and put most of the rest on reservations. In the process, they eliminated much of the Native American's valuable and precious culture as well as their superior biological, social and environmental knowledge. It's obvious to real historians and scientists that much of that lost knowledge has not been rediscovered.

(Click Photo to Enlarge.)

Most Americans today do not understand that our form of government does not trace all roots to Europe, but rather to Native American tribal organizations. Both Benjamin Franklin and George Washington were extremely knowledgeable about Native American social and political structures. Franklin urged our Founding Fathers to model our government on the League of Iroquois, while the United States Constitution was derived from the Iroquois Kaianerekowa or Great Law of Peace.

When Europeans first met Indians on the East Coast, Indian populations were large and very capable of defending themselves, and forest and Bison populations were thinner and under their control. After European diseases did their damage, and Europeans later returned, Indian populations were thin, forests no longer under cultivation were thick, and no longer controlled Bison populations grew into massive free running herds numbering in the millions.

American Indians of North, Meso-, and South America were the first to cultivate seventy-five percent of the many varieties of food grown in the world today. Many pharmaceuticals in current use were first discovered by Indian healers centuries before the Europeans came to the Americas. There is a strong suspicion by scientists that the rain forests of South America are artificial inventions of South American Indians.

Close up photo of cave entrance. After a few yards, it appears that further entrance is blocked by rocks.

View of path with enormous rock on left.

(Click on Photos to Enlarge.)

Coordinates: Reception approaching this virtual cache is very poor. That's the reason this cache is rated with a difficulty of 3 instead of 1. The main problem is the huge granite wall that includes Half Dome! Your satellites line up in a straight line, making triangulation difficult. Clear readings can be made however, immediately in front of the cache site. This is a good chance to learn how to cope with this type of situation. Try it and if you don't find a solution, the hint will put you on the right path. Keep an alert eye and keep one eye on your GPS machine. It will tell you when you have gone too far.

Warning: Use common sense when exploring any caves anywhere. Always know where your children and anyone with you are, at all times.

Transportation: Use the free Yosemite bus shuttle to the Mirror Lake stop.

(Click Photo to Enlarge.)

To Get Credit for This Cache: (The first question is optional).

Tell me what type of animal actually made the gorilla poop that you have to walk through.
There is a formation of boulders that have to be walked around to get to the front of the main cave. You can go to the left or right of that formation. Tell me what the steepest ground is like up the left side.
At the cache site, how many trees are growing above the cave entrance?
Facing in the direction of Mirror Lake, are the cache coordinates left or right of the trail?

Once you send me your answers, go ahead and log your find.

(Click Photo to Enlarge.)

GeoKnowledge: Your GPS machine does not know the difference between a signal directly from a satellite or one that has bounced off a wall, tree, or other solid object. It will get confused by signals not directly from satellites. If you get too much interference from solid objects, move away from them into an open area, make sure you have 4 satellites, preferably not in a straight line and get your compass bearings from there. By moving in any direction, your compass will usually show you which direction you need to go.

Clue decoding tables - Top letter or symbol decodes to bottom letter or symbol:

!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?	@	!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/

Clues: decode

Super Clue:
Fgneg jnyxvat sebz Zveebe Ynxr Ohf Fgbc gbjneqf Zveebe Ynxr> Fgbc ng gur svefg erfgebbz ng gur yrsg> Gurer vf n sbex va gur ebnq> Svaq gur genvy gb gur evtug bs naq oruvaq gur erfgebbz> ,oe ?.,oe ?.,oe ?.,oe ?.

Add a Log Entry

CACHE LOGS - May contain hints(spoilers)! decode

13 Jul 2009 by dgillam (Finds: 0 Score: 0) (Hidden: 0 Score: 0)
Open Log: Personal use only

This is the first time we have found a geocache. We searched for easy ones in Yosemite since we had a family vacation planned. The kids loved decoding the clue and finding the cave. We only saw the main cave, which seemed to have caved in at some point. It was an easy ten minute hike to the cave. Still fun though and we will definitely do this again in the future.

21 Sept 2007 by 57tbird (Finds: 2 Score: 11) (Hidden: 12 Score: 56)
Open Log: Unrestricted

The cache owner is correct, getting a decent satellite fix here in the Yosemite valley is tough. I could get a 2D fix though which was good enough for me to find these interesting caves. I explored the largest and spooked a few bats. No bears to be seen although I saw raccoons and coyotes nearby. Yosemite never ceases to amaze me. I had never seen these caves before. Thanks for bringing me here. - 57tbird
[Modified 2007-09-26 19:44:06]

!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?	@	!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/

!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?	@	!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/

!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	:	;	<	=	>	?	@	!	"	#	$	%	&	'	(	)	*	+	,	-	.	/