GCKMKM Black Box (Unknown Cache) in California, United States created by The Zenone Family

GCKMKM ▼

A cache by The Zenone Family Message this owner

Hidden : 9/24/2004

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

The black box was invented by Australian scientist Dr. David Warren back in the 1950's. The black box, better known as a flight recorder, is a tool used for investigating accidents and preventing their recurrence. The black box was the first crash and fire protected device to record both the voices and the instrument readings in the cockpit of a plane...

NOTE: The storyline behind this cache was selected for entertainment. As well, since geocaching is a family-oriented sport, please do not leave any items that are inappropriate. Let’s make this a fun and safe cache for everyone to enjoy!

IMPORTANT CACHE INFORMATION...

The posted coordinates are NOT of the cache location (just one of the parking areas) -- see puzzle below to obtain final coordinates ;

The cache will require plenty of hiking to get to ;

There are multiple points of entry to get to the cache ;
The cache container is an 11" x 10" x 6" ammo box ;

GPS coverage may be spotty when you approach the cache - you will need to search.

RULES OF BLACK BOX...

Although this cache has a storyline theme, there is no theme on trade items ;
Please log your exchanges online so people know what items are in the cache ;
You may log this cache as a "find" only once, but you may visit and exchange as many times as you would like. After your first visit, just post a "note" with any exchange information ;
You may log your find without exchanging an item. You are NOT required to make an exchange to log this one.

REWIND BACK TO WORLD WAR II
World War II, in terms of lives lost and material destruction, was the most devastating war in human history. It began in 1939 as a European conflict between Germany and an Anglo-French coalition but eventually widened to include most of the nations of the world. It ended in 1945, leaving a new world order dominated by the United States and the USSR.

FEBRUARY 9TH, 1944

The number of lives lost within arial combat during the war was alarming. In response, project GLOBE CURDLE was initiated. Many of the brightest scientists from around the world were gathhered together for their contributions to this top secret project. The purpose of the project was to create a device that could record voice and instrument data from military fighter planes that could be used to help prevent future aircraft fatailities. Although Dr. David Warren is credited for inventing the black box back in the 1950's, a prototype was created as a result of project GLOBE CURDLE.

JUNE 19TH, 1944

On June 19 and 20 the US entered into the Battle of the Philippine Sea. The outcome was decided in the air and under the sea. On the first day, in what was called the Marianas Turkey Shoot, U.S. fighters downed 219 of 326 Japanese planes sent against them. Once the battle was won with the US & Allies being succesfull, a squadron of combat planes known as BLACK PUMA began their flight back home. The fighter planes within the BLACK PUMA squadron were equiped with the black boxes devised from project GLOBE CURDLE.

03:20 -- JUNE 21ST, 1944
While flying back home over the Pacific Ocean on a moonlit night a mysterious glowing cloud appeared infront of the squadron.

PILOT FORREST STONE: Skye...What's that infront of us?
PILOT SKYE WALKER: I have no idea. One moment is was clear skies ahead...and the next...[STATIC]
PILOT FORREST STONE: Sir...SIR...are you there?...[STATIC]

As the squadron flew into the mysterious glowing cloud and became completely engulfed...they disappeared off the face of the earth without a single trace. [RADIO SILENCE]

RECENTLY
Several months back several crazy geocachers were wandering around the Santa Cruz Mountains looking for some FTF's. They stumbled upon what looked like wreckage from multiple old World War II planes. They contacted authorities and soon after the US government arrived, closed off the area, and removed all of the debris.

The wreckage was confirmed to be from the BLACK PUMA squadron. An informant has stated that one of the broken clocks found at the crash site showed "03:21:20 - 21 June 1944". Somehow the squadron was transported thousands of miles instantanesouly when they flew into the glowing cloud out in the South Pacific to the Santa Cruz mountains where they met their final demise.

PRESENT DAY
The government was able to salvage all items from the crash site except one black box that may contain the key to unravel this mystery. With the help of other local geocachers we believe we've calculated where the final resting place of this missing black box may be. As a fellow geocacher you have been entrusted with the coordinates. However, the coordinates have been given to you in encrypted form.

THE PUZZLE
It will be your task to decrypt the following code in order to obtain the final coordinates:

##### Begin encrypted message
ZZZZZ VJMLF FNQXB XIDQH GVMKT WWIOR DBUSJ PULSO BGSSA MAAHC DBPAC
RXPAD DJCPW NMEEP MDMMK ILWGR IWWPQ NCATP BSOMC CDTEN QJNWU ANPFX
JXXFW SOCTO WAQMJ VKBHC HKOGO WGXKO FHEOC HKKTU GMOPC UIWNG NKDJK
FTCTO KHAIM SQGDP JWPST KTFKM UCXAO WAUPU KOEOQ XAEWR RADED OPCGQ
UTRVW TMCXO VCPPX SJCFG CWAKD OSSQU XWRHS GPOVM LTAFD NHIAF NGAXI
IQOGN HWLSJ ECSUU EXPUS XETBH QWCFK OKIDJ QFWJP KCSBX SDAUD RLHFL
UCEBG TEPGW ESHPA IDRRK ATHJC TDEHD CPHQH LJIRU IPIMO CCFOF GWLJU
ALNLL MFNDD MWALH LDFDI ISKAH RWBOO JXSDD OCGTX SQTNU PGREV QWBRM
IWDCA OXLIC PRQAF TPGVB EAHSX VAUIF TSJHR FKXWH GWSUA KLGDL GWMJP
KSKXQ JKSFX NRCAR JLVWD JETPT QEQPQ VOTFP RKAMP KVCGB DSEXA IEUDX
QOPOP QFARM BFIEB QEQRL SJULH QQSGC USOPU HLIWT RQDDQ JVPFP NODLG
JINOR TBGFJ ITVVV IKETC KBKMW TFIFR AUILO OFWHU IKAWB MHSDR XQFRR
XELMB KSSRQ GKGHG UEKLF FAOLU IJSWJ SVPTA AAAMD FFAXK LENGZ YYYYY
##### End encrypted message

You'll need to use the Internet prior to heading out for this cache. Trusted sources recommend searching for a browser based cryptography tool...possibly even one in Javascript so that you don't have to install any additional software on your system (assuming your browser supports Java and is enabled to process Javascript). It'll need to support 256 bit keys using AES.

Besides finding the right tool, you'll also need to figure out the correct passphrase to decrypt the cipher text. This will be a tough project, but we're counting on you finding the answer within the above story.

Once you find the right tool and passphrase you can decrypt the following message for hints on where exactly to find the cache. I'd recommend at least printing out the hint once decrypted and taking it with you in case you need to pull it out while searching!

##### Begin encrypted message
ZZZZZ EJHKM ALQXJ GHDRF JEGQR MVHTN CUFFB PLLBL IMFCC FVKKB UNQGK
XAVWV CGGJI JTFXV DGEBG VNWOR TBWDW SDDSD GPEHR UGXIT XPJSI KTFGE
AUVUG PNXPE UOOGX XJDKL CTNFV MTAEO JFXWI PGEID JCRQI NOORD NIAHJ
WHNKL DDHCR QPHJF MAXAW CWILW RIWOC AMXOW KRJLL RWIVI QEILC OTUVW
XOFVJ WTBEM DQMMH ROBNV GKRCR CAMJN SDPIK BJNVM FTKFD DTDMI GUOKJ
HCPBJ BSJXG HSSXF MGBBW CVREM AOBLD JFUPQ QUSIO PBINB NHUDI FJEHV
SAEBT PBPKP KVJUA LFRSE QRJOW SPHFH GKMOR XMRHD FPTTL VNISH VDKHP
TRPNU FSCDF LVGRC HDRLL HAHKA NBTTQ MXXJG ICMEB KNUOR SUSXT MNIXI
SGFCJ BEJEQ IQPUI WPVTS KGPFS CMTPF NISFW UFMWV GBSJA FNBDW XCHWD
WFJWX KAIED UMEGD SAALT GWPXL SXRBW VBWGR SBVRN MSCPA ASDSB HCLQW
DRMML PWUQB UADMC XDFFX QPGTN TAGBS PSBST AIETX DXHWX OSNBD BRMKN
OQIOP UGDQM MPSET VLIIQ PMREE BBUPR ASHJP KWLJO GINLH NNTJR WSXGI
XWAOV HUSFS CSUJB TEKOE HLOBU SLKDN KKGEN GAAGD NPXXO HSPAU RMOXX
LJFBX HNEOV PXJDL UXWES JQTFV HJUCP MODPW WDGTF UTXSM VDAQB NKDEQ
RORFK BNBJN OVGNG GJNMK ERWAA DNKCC BUGNU YYYYY
##### End encrypted message

Will you be able to decrypt the coordinates, locate the black box, and find the answer to the mystery of Black Puma's disappearance?

Good Luck!

BLACK BOXES

One of the greatest safety inventions for the commercial airline industry has actually been the crash protected flight recorder or Black Box. Today, flight recorders for accident investigation are mandatory pieces of equipment in civil aircraft.

Despite the name black box the devices are often painted a flourescent red/orange color and have reflective tape adheared to them so as to make locating them easier within a crash site in the event the box isn't charred.

The above right photo is a picture taken of an actual flight recorder.