| This cache
is a tribute to a fine geolad for his generosity, inventiveness,
and remarkable geospirit. Nope, it surely ain't about the
numbers CENT5. But rather, it's oh so all about sharing
adventures, fun and friendships. |
And in that
spirit, globalgirl (in WA) and the weizguyz (here in AK) have
devised a matched set of "twin" caches each with but one simple
mission: to connect geocachers and foster friendships between
the folks hunting tupperware in two widely spaced chunks of Pacific
Northwest real estate - the pristine wilderness of Alaska and the
emerald beauty of Washington.
The 5¢
Nitty-Gritty:
To find this cache, you'll need some help from our geopals down
south in the fine state of Washington. Somewhere down there
amid the verdant corners of the Emerald city hides a bitty
NICKEL. A mere 5¢ bit of wampum that holds the key (the
nickel's date) to finding this cache here in Alaska.
Likewise,
there's a twin 5cent Twins: WA-AK cache
(GCQBZ1) down south, that requires our help up here in
Alaska. For here too hides a bitty nickel with the date
needed to locate the prize in Washington. Indeed, the posted
coordinates above will only get you to the WASHINGTON NICKEL here
in Alaska (and so too, the coordinates posted on the Washington
cache page will only get them to the ALASKA NICKEL.)
Thus nabbing
a yellow smiley for either of these twin caches requires a team
approach. You'll need to contact a Washington geocacher (or
vice versa) and negotiate a cooperative exchange of nickel
info: You glean the date from the WASHINGTON nickel hidden
here in Alaska, in exchange for the date on the ALASKA nickel
hidden in Washington.
Pretty
simple. Once you have the ALASKA NICKEL date, (thanks to your
new geopal in Washington), it's just a matter of plugging the 4
digits into the following formula to point you to the final
prize:
| 4 digit
date on the ALASKA NICKEL hidden in Washington = ABCD
((B + D - 3)
+ Washington's namesake's year of birth) + ((the year WA was
admitted to statehood * A6.CBD5) - .155) = N61º xx.xxx
(4A0C *
(number of thousands, without the 0's, paid for the lot that the
Space Needle was built on / 10)) - (((# of letters in the name of
WA's state capital + WA state number in the union) + Mt. "Rainier's
great height" in feet + ((A,000 + Time of day that Mt. St. Helens
erupted) - Number of steps from the basement of the Space Needle to
it's Sky City restaurant))) = W149º xx.xxx
Note: to
confirm your coord solution:
Adding all 5 N x's should equal 19
Adding all 5 W x's should equal
15 |
To
review: This cache is a 2 wpt multi. The 1st wpt is, like we
said - errr... a couple thousand miles south. Ah but the
final - once you have the nickel year from wpt 1, the final is a
small container hidden within a mile of the posted coordinates
above.
| Now don't
be shy - it's easy to find a fellow WA geozany to help you.
Just a matter of searching for WA caches (zip code 98106 will
likely prove handy) and wading through the logs for WA
cachers. Or... drop into the Groundspeak Northwest forums to
seek out southern folk who like you, need some help with these twin
caches.
Then again,
do feel free to hop on a plane or a slow creeping barge, and head
down the Northwest Passage to Puget Sound to find the ALASKA NICKEL
yourself. Hey, whatever tickles your
toes! |