The Story:
On October 15th, 2006 renowned paranormal specialist Miles
Claymore disappeared while investigating rumors of a local haunting
in the woods of Shelby Farms. While his fate is unknown, clues to
his final project may be contained within this
journal.
About this cache:
As my first hide, this cache loosely borrows from the survival
horror game Fatal Frame (one of the creepiest game series
available – second only to the horrifying Silent Hill). It
is designed to be ‘epic’ in that it includes a (hopefully not too
cheesy) storyline and a bit more depth than your standard cache. It
is a two-ish stage multi and a legitimate 5/5. Unlike many 5/5
caches, it does not have any one particularly challenging moment
(no extreme climbing, chest wading, or fire breathing dragons) and
should be achievable by anyone motivated enough. That said, this
cache isn’t easy - in fact, it is downright HARD. The 5 terrain
comes from the serious amount of hiking involved (although most of
it is via trail), combined with a few minor physical challenges.
Together, these are equal to or greater than any 5 terrain I have
yet to see.
What I hope sets this cache apart, however, is the 5 difficulty.
I have attempted to implement unique logic puzzles along the way
which should provide a challenge for even the smartest of the
group, but still be doable (given the time and patience) by all the
average folks as well. While I doubt there is anything here that
hasn’t been done before, I have tried to use methods which I have
personally not seen and, hopefully, provide some fresh new twists
for those who are up to the challenge.
Combined, these factors should both delight and frustrate anyone
who attempts the find. I’ve tried to make it worth the time by
providing a large ammo can packed full of quality trade items as
the final prize. As a bonus, a very special packet awaits the
person(s) who claim FTF (there are several items, which will
hopefully help a small group divide them).
One final note as to my philosophy on cache puzzles in general.
I love logic puzzles, and I feel that a good logic puzzle should be
accessible to everyone. By this I mean that it should not require
special knowledge or research to figure out, but should still be a
challenge. That isn’t to say that having experience in one field or
another won’t be helpful, but it shouldn’t be required. Time,
patience, and creativity should be the only limiting factors, in my
opinion. I have done my best to model these puzzles by this
philosophy – with one exception. In order to provide a ‘realistic’
(or semi-believable, at least) story, the very first puzzle might
require some research, in addition to a bit of logical thinking. I
deemed this acceptable because it can be done in the comfort of
your home and at your leisure. The rest of the puzzles are equally,
if not more, difficult – but can be solved without needing to
access the internet or go to the library. In other words, they can
be done in the middle of nowhere (which is fortunate, because that
is likely where you will be!).
What to expect:
- A complex, hopefully engaging, and maybe even creepy
storyline
- Hiking
- More puzzles and riddles than there are stages of this
cache
- Some new methods of making your life difficult
- Hiking
- Potentially unexpected camouflage techniques
- Hiking
- A range of swag from $.50 to $10.00
- Ghost duckies
- Hiking
- Sore legs
- A horde of hungry ticks
- Much cursing of my name
The Stages:
The journal referenced above should get you to stage one. It is
a long read full of information not required to get to the first
stage, but instead meant to provide an engaging story (by
‘engaging’ I mean ‘overly complex and full of plot holes’). I
suspect the method required to find the location will be apparent
to many of you right away, but may require some research to
actually acquire the coordinates. The journal also contains
references to real locations around the Shelby Farms area.
DO use this to make your hunt easier (finding parking,
trails, etc.) – DO NOT expect to figure out the location
once you get there. It is, in theory, possible to follow the
journal entries to the cache without knowing the coordinates ahead
of time – but NOT recommended. The area is VERY large and some of
the descriptions are vague or ambiguous. It is also a long hike to
stage one, and you won’t be happy if you get out there and aren’t
certain of the exact location.
Stage one is standard ammo can. Within it you will find a
few items that will lead you to stage two and move the story along.
It also contains a digital camera. Feel free to review the existing
pics and take a few of your own. You may need some spare AA
batteries to get it to work (it was chosen specifically because of
this – since most cachers should have them anyway!). Also, my
experiments indicate that the batteries don’t perform at all
temperatures (yes, I stuck my camera in the freezer!), so in the
winter months you may need to swap the cold batteries for some
warmer ones. The area is well secluded and far away from any muggle
activity – which is good, because you may be here for a while.
Bring a snack.
Stage two is the final stage, but finding it may not be
the end of your journey. It is a very large ammo can with plenty of
goodies (and, of course, a log book). The can is hidden using some
atypical camouflage which may or may not make things more
difficult.
Suggestions:
This cache is perfectly solvable with one person. However, if
you aren’t seriously in to logic puzzles and long hikes, I suggest
you go with a group.
If you need to split stage one and stage two in to more than one
day, there may be alternative parking which will significantly
reduce your hike on the second day – but the route becomes more
interesting. Some people (like AngMarie) might prefer the few extra
miles of hiking. If you've done the other nearby caches, you'll
probably know what I mean.
Plan on the cache taking AT LEAST a whole day, and please be
aware of the time – especially sunset. It could conceivably take
two hours to hike from the furthest point in the cache back to
parking, and we all know there is something lurking in those
woods!
There are a couple of wonderful caches in the area. If you
haven’t done them yet, they may be a good way to learn the area
before trying this cache. At the very least, plan on picking them
up while you are out there!
Don’t try to make your own path unless necessary. The trails are
very curvy and highly inefficient, but they are TRAILS. Believe me,
you are better off sticking to them for as long as possible (that
should be most of the way).
Don’t give up! Many of the answers/locations aren’t obvious.
Some might even be counterintuitive. My experience tells me that
what you lack in smarts can always be made up for in stubbornness,
but creativity can’t be faked.
I hope you enjoy this cache or, at least, enjoy the beautiful
scenery of Shelby Farms.
Special thanks to AngMarie, geocacher extraordinaire. I couldn’t
have done it without her (at least, not without a wig!).