/ Derek H /

A Puzzling Tour — Cube Root of 39.304 (GCNCMA) — Geocache of the Week

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Frank Gehry's "The Stata Center" Photo by geocacher niraD
Frank Gehry’s “The Stata Center” Photo by geocacher niraD

 

Geocache Name:

Cube Root of 39.304 (GCNCMA)

Difficulty/Terrain Rating:

2.5/1

Why this is the Geocache of the Week:

On March 14, aka Pi Day, you can earn two special souvenirs. One can be gained by attending an event. The other, by finding a Mystery Cache like this one. This Mystery Cache in particular takes you on a tour through the many art installations on and near the MIT campus. Throughout your journey, you’ll have to take a few directional readings and solve some relatively easy math. After you find this one, all you need to do is log an event for the other souvenir—and then, maybe there’s a surprise waiting for you…

What geocachers are saying:

“Finally! Brewer has been going to MIT for five years now and during that time he has been working to solve this. Patience, grasshopper. Well, sort of… there always seemed to be something that kept him from completing the cache. Today, he took his saved coordinates and went to GZ. His coordinates were within 6 ft. Not bad. So I guess all that time at MIT has helped. He even opened the log book. Seriously, this was a wonderful cache, A favorite in our book!” – Trail Buzzards

“Found it! Found it! Catkin is back in her office (on the campus of a fine institution…) doing the happy dance post-find, since that might have proven embarrassing at GZ. Add me to the list of seekers who did not recognize the cache and ignored it a frustratingly large number of times in search of this smiley. Fortunately I came prepared for the field work and the smiley is now mine! Cache container is in great shape, though the log is close to full. Thank you NTP for this engaging, edifying expedition!” – Catkin&Golden

“Waaa! Awesome! I finally discovered this brilliant little hide after several fruitless trips to the river (I couldn’t get the sculpture coordinates/bearings right and would wind up with a different GZ every time). What a wonderful cache– everything from the creative hide to the simple adventure-oriented puzzle to the beautiful buildings and sculptures and views. Here, have a favorite point to add to your well-deserved pile!” – Rainbow Crash

 

What the geocache owner, NotThePainter, has to say:

“I’ve always enjoyed art, especially public art. This cache, and another long archived one, was a way to invite the caching community to go for a small walking tour of the MIT campus and see what public art MIT has to offer to the local community. I was also quite insistent that the cache be wheelchair friendly since my father had great difficulty walking at the time….A puzzle, and a multi, are the only ways to get a cacher to visit more than one spot, or more than one piece of art. Also, at the time, caching was pretty young. Puzzles, back then, were essentially gimmes that took only a few seconds to solve. (First letter of the sign is a 7, that sort of thing) and I wanted to stir up the local caching community. Based on emails and meeting cachers at events I know I was successful at that. Cachers either flocked to my puzzles or, more likely, ignore them, but that’s fine also.I have enjoyed [all the favorite points and positive logs]. I don’t use geocheckers on my puzzles, I prefer interacting directly with the seeker. This puzzle hasn’t had much interaction, since it is all solved on the ground, but I do enjoy helping a cacher work through my puzzles. The Favorite points are nice, but sharing a beer at an event is a far better way to enjoy a cache! I was exceptionally moved to find that a local cacher was secretly battling cancer, and he used to work on hard puzzles, including mine, to take his mind off his therapy during the long train ride from NH to Boston for treatment. Cube Root was one of my two Boston area caches that actually got to find during one trip to the hospital. (And yes, that cacher did eventually beat the cancer!)

Photos:

Another sculpture you'll see when solving this puzzle. Photo by foragess
Another sculpture you’ll see when solving this puzzle. Photo by foragess
Alexander Calder's "The Big Sail" Photo by geocacher niraD
Alexander Calder’s “The Big Sail” Photo by geocacher niraD
Mark di Suvero's "Aesop's Fables, II" Photo by geocacher niraD
Mark di Suvero’s “Aesop’s Fables, II” Photo by geocacher niraD

 

What’s the most puzzling geocache you’ve ever found? Tell us in the comments.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog. If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, just fill out this form. Thanks!

Derek H