| 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, the weizguyz (in AK) and globalgirl (here in WA) 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 emerald beauty of Washington and the
pristine wilderness of Alaska.
The 5¢
Nitty-Gritty:
To find this
cache, you'll need some help from our geopals up north in the great
state of Alaska. Somewhere up there amid the breathtaking
vistas and towering white peaks hides a bitty NICKEL. A mere
5¢ bit of wampum that holds the key (the nickel's date) to finding
this cache here in Washington.
Likewise,
there's a twin 5cent Twins: AK-WA cache
(GCQC5D) up north, that requires our help down here in
Washington. For here too hides a bitty nickel with the date
needed to locate the prize in Alaska. Indeed, the posted
coordinates above will only get you to the ALASKA NICKEL here in
Washington (and so too, the coordinates posted on the Alaska cache
page will only get them to the WASHINGTON NICKEL.)
Thus nabbing
a yellow smiley for either of these twin caches requires a team
approach. You'll need to contact an Alaskan geocacher (or
vice versa) and negotiate a cooperative exchange of nickel
info: You glean the date off the ALASKA nickel here in
Washington, in exchange for the date on the WASHINGTON nickel
hidden in Alaska.
Pretty
simple. Once you have the WASHINGTON NICKEL date (thanks to
your new geopal in Alaska), 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 WASHINGTON NICKEL hidden in Alaska = ABCD
((B * D) *
year AK was purchased from Russia) + (year AK became a state - 7A9)
= N47º xx.xxx
((A + C) *
first two digits of the price paid to Russia to purchase Alaska) -
(# letters in the name of AK's state capital * AK state number in
the union) + Mt. McKinley's height in feet + (D354 - # times the
state of "Rhode Island could fit into Alaska") = W122º
xx.xxx
Note: to confirm your coord solution:
Adding all 5 N x's should total 25
Adding all 5 W x's should total
22 |
To
review: This cache is a 2 wpt multi. The 1st wpt is, like we
said - errr... a couple thousand miles north. 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 AK geozany to help you.
Just a matter of searching for AK caches (zip code 99645 will
likely prove handy) and wading through the logs for AK
cachers. Or... drop into the Groundspeak Northwest forums to
seek out northern 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
up the Northwest Passage to Chickaloon Bay to find the WASHINGTON
NICKEL yourself. Hey, whatever tickles your
toes! |