Tri-State Peak Benchmark?

[Frozin]

We found this benchmark at the exact center of the tri-state corners at the Cumberland Gap. I have been wanting to log this find, but cannot seem to match our findings with anything listed on this site. I have added pictures for validation. The first picture shows my daughter standing right between the marker beneath her feet. The second is a close-up.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Picture 1

Picture 2

[+Rotareneg]

http://www.geocachin...aspx?PID=GA3599

[Frozin]

http://www.geocachin...aspx?PID=GA3599

 

Thanks! Can you help me understand how you found that? We have another one that we located on the way to an outlook in the Cumberland Gap, close to a civil war cannon that we also took a picture of It was on top of a rock that my kids sat by. You can see the raise on the rock right by my son's arm.

 

Second Benchmark

Second Benchmark 2

 

My family and I are really interested in learning the aspects these. Teach a man to fish and all that. =)

 

I have yet to acquire a GPS device, which I know will help me in the future. We are active in letterboxing until I am able to get the funds for a device. What can I do in the meantime to learn how to pinpoint other benchmarks we may come across?

[mloser]

http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=GA3593

 

I saw that the mark was PINNACLE NO 5, which is the 5th reference mark for the triangulation station PINNACLE. While triangulation stations typically only have 2 reference marks, if some are destroyed and new ones set, the new ones are numbered starting from the last used number. I used the advanced search http://www.geocaching.com/mark/nearest.aspx to look for PINNACLE in VA, and found PINNACLE and PINNACLE 2 (and PINNACLES OVERLOOK, which doesn't count). Since there is a PINNACLE 2, I assumed that PINNACLE was not found and replaced by PINNACLE 2, so I looked there first. I later looked at PINNACLE and confirmed that it was replaced by PINNACLE 2 in 1950.

 

On the advanced search page you can search for benchmarks based on name, zip code, and coordinates.

[+EdrickV]

It is also possible to do searches from the NGS website. (The database on Geocaching.com was made from snapshot of the NGS database made in 2000, so it's rather old.)

http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/datasheet.prl

Doing a "Station Name" search Pinnacle would turn up the datasheets for both Pinnacle and Pinnacle 2.

[+Rotareneg]

Probably the easiest way, especially if you don't have a GPS and couldn't quite make out the label on the disk, is to use Google Earth with a Survey marker overlay.

[+EdrickV]

Probably the easiest way, especially if you don't have a GPS and couldn't quite make out the label on the disk, is to use Google Earth with a Survey marker overlay.

 

Haven't seen that page before, and it's interesting. This website might be a little easier though, since it doesn't require installing anything, downloading any files, and provides links both to the NGS datasheet and the Geocaching.com page (if it exists) for a benchmark:

http://benchmarks.scaredycatfilms.com/

So this site may be usable on other computers (say hotel computers) where installing software isn't an option.

[Frozin]

Thank you all for the helpful links and downloads! The family and I have been having a blast finding caches and we believe we came across two more benchmarks in Atlanta while on vacation. Will try to log them soon.

[+billwallace]

You don't necessarily need a GPS to find the marks. The descriptions and directions on the 'datasheets' can be pretty accurate - and downright essential.

 

A lot of good info in the faq at GC Benchmark Hunting page

 

I like the Benchmark Viewer - pretty good resource. See if there are any close to your next outing.

 

gl

[+GrizzFlyer]

 

Thanks! Can you help me understand how you found that? We have another one that we located on the way to an outlook in the Cumberland Gap, close to a civil war cannon that we also took a picture of It was on top of a rock that my kids sat by. You can see the raise on the rock right by my son's arm.

 

Second Benchmark

Second Benchmark 2

 

 

The photo you posted is of reference mark 3 for PINNACLE 2, GA3593. It is not the actual tri-station mark for that PID. The one you needed there is nearby, in a square concrete setting. We just did that one this past weekend, the photos I posted on GA3593 should help.