'Twas just before Cachemas ...
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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Nothing too hard, nothing complex.
Unless you don't like noise from I-66.
The poem below contains a key.
For a cache, next to a trail, under a tree.
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'Twas just before Cachemas, not much was ado.
Not a creature was stirring, not even lawnrescue*.
The notifications were set to inboxes with care,
In hopes that new hides soon would be there.
The cachers were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of FTFs danced in their heads.
And honeychile in her 'kerchief, and offline in his cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap.
When suddenly from my phone there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my computer to see what was the matter.
Away to my email I flew like a flash,
Looked over the subject lines, which all read "New Cache"!
And soon I discovered, upon making some clicks,
A few NoVAGO members had been up to some tricks.
More rapid than eagles, the alerts they came,
And I whistled, and shouted, and called CO's by name!
"Now Awesnap! Now Serrabou! Now seadog129 and obxgeek!
On zgrav! On 4EverYoungs! On two000miler and WVKiwi!
Go in2Mud! Go saberspark77! Go #1Fishingal and reedkickball!
Now Dash away! Cache away! Cache away all!"**
Well, that certainly explains what these folks had been up to.
I'd noticed they hadn't been out much, their finds were quite few.
Some PAFs weren't returned, I'd thought they'd been jerks.
But nope, turns out, a new series was in the works!
Flung all accross NoVAGO, quite far and wide,
How'd they find all these spots for new caches to hide?
And I thought to myself, "That sure was some stunt.
Cachemas smilies for all ☺, and to all a good hunt!"
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So I hopped in my car, to go out and find one
This looked like a blast, some nice clean fun
I arrived at parking, and what did I find?
Five orange poles marked the end of the line.
Surrounded by diamonds, they seemed to be.
But I looked beyond to a very strange tree.
No branches, no leaves, no roots and no bark.
Just some metal, and wires, and an odd mark.
Cornered by white, it was quite high,
So I looked up and up, towards the sky.
X1 the star shined sparkly and bright,
OVR the horizon away to the right.
Aha! I saw some symbols and I knew what to do.
This part doesn't rhyme, though I'd really like it to.
And yes, that's a challange that I put upon you.
Perhaps I'm too verbose, perhaps a zaiku?
N(/8)(*8) (-17)(*1).(-12)(*0)(+1)
W(-6)(+6) (-5)(+3).(-9)(/11)(/2)
My arrow did point, straight dead ahead.
Away down the trail, I followed, it led.
If yours isn't the same, you might recheck.
Are those numbers? Or letters? Oh dear, oh heck ...
Eventually the counter got quite close to zero.
I felt like a champ! I felt like a hero!
I couldn't wait, what would it be?
Saw a (surpisingly) not evergreen tree.
But there behind two rocks just at the base,
What I saw at the trunk put a smile on my face.
Indeed, where else would a Cachemas gift be?
But wrapped up in plastic, under a tree, under a tree.
I used my pen to sign, none could be found.
Replaced things quite carefully, there on the ground.
Not too visible, not too easy, not in plain sight.
But not too evil, not too hard ... got it just right.
And I walked up the trail, to think just a touch,
About Pipers and Drummers and numbers*** and such.
And as I got in the car, it all felt quite right ...
Merry Cachemas to all, and to all a good night!
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*- Alternate wording, "not even a Roo".
**- Santa has a lot of reindeer, it's sometimes hard to keep track of who exactly is pulling the sled.
***- How many Drummers and how many Pipers? I always get these things confused.
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This cache is not part of the 2014 Cachemas in NoVAGO series.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Svryq chmmyr, erdhverf cbrz. Ynfg yvar va qrfpevcgvba ernqf Guvf pnpur vf abg cneg bs gur 2014 Pnpurznf va AbINTB frevrf. Vs qrfpevcgvba unf orra gehapngrq, lbh znl unir qvssvphygl svaqvat gur pnpur.