Math Whiz
A
cache
by allagash
Hidden:
2/16/2008
Size:
 (Small)
Difficulty: 
Terrain: 
(1 is easiest, 5 is hardest)
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Somewhere on State Trust Land in Apache Junction there is a
cache waiting to be located. It should be fairly close to US
60 over basically flat terrain. It is NOT in the Silly
Mountain parking area as the above coordinates suggest.
Here’s the story: An old college friend stopped by for a
visit while traveling across the country. Naturally I steered
the talk to Geocaching and he seemed quite interested. He
told me he knew a little about a map and compass, and enjoyed
walking in the desert. I showed him how a GPSr worked, and
then guided him to a couple of caches. He thought it was fun
and asked if he could hide a cache for me to find before he
left. It sounded like a good idea to me, so we dug out a
small metal box, I loaned him my GPSr, and off he went. He
said he wanted to explore the State Trust Land near his RV park,
and would let me know the next day where he had hidden the
cache. I cautioned him about taking accurate coordinate
readings, and even told him about the good common practice of
approaching the waypoint from several directions just to verify the
accuracy of his figures.
Now, I hadn't seen this guy since college (a LONG time
ago). He was a bit spacey even back then. The rest of
us never did understand what he was talking about, but we admired
him and called him the "Math Whiz". He was the kind of guy
that carried a 2 foot long slide rule in a holster - he could
calculate a cotangent to 8 decimal places. He could do square
roots on paper with an ink pen. He knew the derivative of pi
r squared. He knew... well, you get the idea.
I was a little worried when I had not heard from him the next
morning, but when I looked on my porch I found my GPSr and the
following note:
Sorry, but I thought I’d get an early start towards Yuma.
The desert was beautiful, the weather superb, and I found a neat
spot for your cache. I remembered to take four readings just
like you said. I converted all compass headings to true,
except maybe #3 – I don’t know about that one.
(1)From N33º 22.589’ W111º 29.329’ the cache is 201º true
(2)From N33º 22.706’ W111º 31.724’ the cache is 111º true
(3)From N33º 21.051’ W111º 28.620’ the cache is 320º either
magnetic or true
(4)From N33º 21.712’ W111º 28.620, I forgot to write down the
heading.
It should be very easy. Oh yeah, I also remember that it’s
exactly one mile from #4 to the cache. Have fun and I’ll see
you next year, I hope. Hide a cache for me.
When I first read this over, I thought: Great, you dummy, you
forgot to write down the coordinates of the cache. I’ll never
be able to find it. And I can't even contact him - my voice
mail must be getting caught in his spam filter. A cache
container gone to waste. Oh well.
But after a little while of pondering, I thought of at least a
couple of ways to look for the cache. Perhaps you can help me
out. This is one adventure that definitely requires
pre-planning. Good maps are a plus.
This website
could be a help. Or maybe
this one. Or maybe neither. And a compass if you
get really desperate. And desert boots.
Hope you can find it for me.
PS: If you do find it, please do not give away your
secret(s) in your log. More of a challenge for others, and
more satisfaction when they find it on their own.
PPS: Congratulations to DoubleBogie6, azdiablos and Team
AZFastFeet for finding the cache on their own. The remainder
of the caching community seems to have leaked from a somewhat lower
level in the gene pool. The cache has been dumbed down a bit
and there are now three helps available for those of less nimble
wit, or for those that feel somewhat mathematically
challenged:
(1) You can ask for help.
(2) You can plead for more assistance than anyone should need, and
finally
(3) You can grovel on the ground while begging for a giveaway clue
that would lead a blind idiot to the cache.
To use the first help, log a DNF (might actually be a Did Not
Try if you are at that stage) and ask for help.
To use the second help, (after failing to comprehend the obvious
clue provided in the first help) log another DNF and explain how
your life's experiences have failed to prepare you for such a
simple challenge.
To use the third help, abandon all pretense of intelligence,
subject yourself to abject humiliation, resign yourself to the
position of Also Ran, log yet another DNF and prepare yourself for
the head-banging "DUH" answer.
Additional Hints (
Decrypt
)
Decryption Key
A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z
(letter above equals below,
and vice versa)
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Gur qrivy vf va gur qrgnvyf. Vg pna or sbhaq jvgu be jvgubhg zngu.Cnex npebff HF 60 sebz Onfun'f naq pyvzo bire gur tngr - ab zbgbe iruvpyrf nyybjrq. N tbbq ebnq jvyy gnxr lbh dhvgr pybfr gb gur pnpur. N ovplpyr jbhyq fcrrq guvat hc.
(Decrypted Hints)
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Logged Visits (
22 total. Visit the Gallery (1 image)
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Warning.
Spoilers may be included in the descriptions or links.
Cache find counts are based on the last time the page generated.
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 March 8 by sole seeker (5650 found)
I first did the math and plotted it out, then used an online tool to verify my result which gave me a bit more accurate coordinates. No problem finding it. At the site, my gps showed my coord's were only 8m off. Fun puzzle! tfth
[view this log] | February 9 by garyhh (2246 found)
Well I can't say I'm a math whiz but I did find it using a method mentioned by a earlier poster which got sharonlh and I to with in 118' feet of the cache. We started working 1/2 circles in opposite directions. After about 20 minutes I set the GPSr at reference point #4 and saw that I was only .96 away so I went the other direction until I hit the 1 mile mark and started searcing the arch at 1 mile and just happened to get to the cache before sharonlh who was only 10 feet away :-). She hates when I do that :-). LNTN SL TFTC
[view this log] | February 7 by Desert scavengers (168 found)
Plotted the coords on mapsource and rode my bicycle right to it.
[view this log] | January 11 by RODFLY (532 found)
I have spent some time trying to plot the find the first time. Since I am a retired surveyor, I did this find via the old plotting method and then went back and refind my plotting. First time I was skunked but the next time I was with in 150 feet. Then followed course #4 and walked right up on it. I did my little dance, since I just could, and then signed the log. I have been introducing a friend from CA in this "specific disease, Geocaching" and he was a witness to this find. The other finds he got greedy and jump on them first. I'll see you later in the "Park" Steve. THANKS for the puzzle. TNLN/SL
[view this log] | December 8, 2008 by Greasepot (12587 found)
My first calculations were 500 feet off, came back today, and found it easily. If you've got the right coords, you can't miss it! tftc. GreasePot and Garlic.
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Current time: 11/22/2009 4:28:02 AM
Last Updated: 3/9/2009 1:43:29 AM
Rendered: From Database
Coordinates are in the WGS84 datum
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