"Tho' Degrees of Longitude and Latitude in Name, yet in
Earthly reality are they Channels mark'd for the transport of some unseen Influence, one
carefully assembl'd cairn... to the next."
-- Thomas Pynchon, Mason & Dixon
Any location on the globe is a confluence
-- a cross of longitude + latitude projected onto the world. And it's a confluence in
a broader sense -- that is, as a mingling of human conception and the Earth itself.
Geocaching has called our attention to thousands of such points around the world. Some
points, though, seem intrinsically noteworthy, through the simple appeal of whole numbers:
no minutes, no seconds, nothing past the degree decimal point. The Degree Confluence Project is dedicated to these
points, much as Geocaching.com is dedicated to those points we have marked with our
caches, both physical and virtual.
This geocache is intended to serve as a
confluence between geocaching and the Degree Confluence Project. Toward this end, we have
placed a physical cache at N 36, W 79 -- the Triangle's own point of whole-number
confluence. For further information, you may refer to the Degree Confluence Project's web
listing for this spot:
http://confluence.org/confluence.php?lat=36&lon=-79
This is a heavily wooded area, and our GPSr was giving only about 50 feet of accuracy, so we may have placed the cache slightly off what you determine to be the confluence. This is important to bear in mind, especially since the cache is well-hidden, employing a natural hiding place enhanced by human hands. We will offer no further clues as to its
location, and we ask that you not post any spoilers.
Please bring only small items to trade --
the cache is a six-inch-diameter, three-inch-high cylinder. Travel bugs take precedence;
if you're bringing a bug, take out as much as you need to (except for the log-bag
contents) to make room.
We look forward to reading the stories that
come together in the log book and on this webpage.
-- The Alethiometrists
Update: 4-3-04 - During a service visit (see log below) we placed a screwdriver in a bag adjacent to the cache container, for help in opening the lid. Please leave this with the cache. Thanks!
PARKING AND ACCESS: While we have used a Forest Road for access (see 4-3-04 log for details), there is much closer access to the cache site now, thanks to adgiebear, who lives at N36 00.000, W79 00.183, and has kindly offered access via his property. See 12-28-04 log for details. And, again, thanks, adgiebear!