How do you describe a cache like Forbidden Tower, the scariest cache I have ever found? I guess you have to start with a quick history of the town. Butner, NC has an abandoned, ghost town feeling to it. In 1942, the United States Government purchased over 40,000 acres of land in Granville, Durham, and Person counties to be used as a training facility and hospital for troops serving during World War II. It was named Camp Butner in honor of the late Major General Henry Wolfe Butner. Construction began on March 15th, 1942 and the camp was officially activated three months later on June 15th, 1942.

After the war, Camp Butner was closed and abandoned by the Army with only a small staff left to protect the property. In 1947, the state of North Carolina acquired the property from the federal government for the sum of $1. Although many of the camp buildings have long since been removed, the history of Camp Butner is still visible if you know where to look. Although it is only about 15 miles northeast of Durham, the camp feels like it belongs in another century.

As you exit the interstate, you see a few well-known, familiar establishments, but there are none found in the downtown area. In fact, half of those store fronts are available. The few major employers in town are the minimum-security state prison, a medium-security federal prison, and the main state mental hospital. In fact, the state still manages the entire town. The parking coordinates for the cache lead you to the end of a once-paved road that just goes off into the forest. The trees and plant life have reclaimed it. There is a large pile of dirt blocking vehicular access, so, if anything happens, you are on your own to get back to the road.

Stroll down this forboding lane about a half mile to a hardly-recognizable intersection and make a left turn. Slowly, out of the mist, you will see the tower rising above you. The forest is oddly silent in this area. Once this was a noisy active place, generating energy for the area. Today it is full of decay and rot. I have been here on several other cache hunts and the area is always damp and creepy, no matter what the temperature is. The GPSr tells me I'm getting close. Should I enter the rotting brick building? Should I crawl under the rotting porch? Do I search the surrounding woods that have grown up right to the edge of the structure?

Or do I need to climb that Forbidden Tower? Where is this cache hidden?