Escape From Alcatraz
A
cache
by Jbond
Hidden
:
4/13/2003
Difficulty:
Terrain:
Size: 
(Virtual)
You must be logged in with a Geocaching.com account to view the specific location of this geocache. It's free!
Located on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. Rated 3 for
difficulty due to detailed nature. Rated 2 for terrain due to long
walk up a steep incline. There is a tram available for those who
cannot manage the walk.
This is a virtual cache at one of America’s most famous (and
infamous) former federal penitentiaries, Alcatraz. Also know as
“The Rock,” Alcatraz began as a fort in 1853. Later, in
1859, the first military prisoners were placed here and Alcatraz
soon became a military prison. By 1933 it had become too expensive
for the Army to continue to house prisoners at this site. Alcatraz
was then transferred to the Department of Justice and in 1934
opened its doors for the first time as a federal prison. While
there were a few successful escapes from Alcatraz during its years
as a military prison, once it became a federal penitentiary, there
were no known successful escapes. During its years as a federal
prison a total of 36 men tried to escape in 14 separate attempts.
All were either caught and brought back, or they drowned in their
attempts to swim to shore. Five were never seen or heard from again
and are presumed to have drowned and their bodies swept out to
sea.
While this is a virtual cache, it is also a role-playing cache. You
are to imagine yourself a prisoner on Alcatraz. By solving the
clues you will find your way out of Alcatraz. Only by answering all
the bonus questions correctly along your way will your escape be
successful. One wrong answer and you will be brought back to
“The Rock.” Good luck.
Day 1: The coordinates above are near the dock. This is your first
stop as a new prisoner at Alcatraz. However your escape attempt
begins outside your cell. Go to the main cellblock area. You may
either go there directly or you may want to take the guided audio
tour. I recommend the tour. It is informative and gives you some
interesting background about the island. The cost of the tour is
included in your ticket. You enter the cell house through the
basement where you shower and get your prison clothes. Once you
reach the cell house you may go in and explore on your own or you
may begin the audio tour. The audio tour is not necessary for your
“escape” but it is interesting. Your GPS will probably
not work while in the building. That’s OK. You won’t
need it, yet. While in the cell house you will be collecting needed
information that will eventually give you coordinates to guide your
escape once you get outdoors. Go to your cell. It is cell number
139 on B Block down “Broadway.” (For direction purposes
assume Broadway runs east and west with the administration offices
on the east end of the cell block.) Look into your cell. On the
back wall are shelves for your personal belongings. How many
shelves are there on the back wall? Answer= A. Later, you will use
the number represented by “A” to compute your
coordinates. Bonus Question 1: Who is prisoner 586? Bonus Question
2: Your cell is located in B Block. Which Block is across the hall
from your cell?
Day 2: As part of your escape plan, you are going to make a model
of your head to place in your bed so that the guards won’t
notice you are gone. Go to the barbershop to collect some hair. The
barber shop is located at the west end of A Block. How many windows
are there in the west wall? Answer=B.
Day 3: Your escape plan calls for you to sneak aboard a supply boat
to the island dressed as a guard. You will need a boat schedule.
Clyde Johnson has a schedule. He is sweeping the floors in D Block.
Go to D Block to get your boat schedule. How many cells are there
on the 1st floor of D Block? Answer= GK
Day 4: Of course you will need money once you’ve escaped.
Master forger Henri Young has agreed to make you some money. You
will meet him in the prison library. Go to the library now. How
many radiators are there in the library, including the
“caged” area? Answer= L
Day 5: It is visiting day. Your girlfriend, Molly McGee has come to
visit. You will tell her where to meet you once you have escaped.
Bonus question 3: At the visitors area the visiting rules are
posted. Go to the visitor’s area and read the rules.
According to rule number one, how many visits are you limited to
each month?
Day 6: To help you once you have escaped to the mainland you are
going to need a map of the area. You have arranged to meet with Tom
Limerick in the cafeteria. He will give you a map. Go now to the
cafeteria. How many windows are in the south wall of the cafeteria?
Answer= D
Day 7: You will also need some paper, paste and paint to construct
the model of your head. Rufus Franklin will meet you in the kitchen
and give you what you need. Go to the kitchen. As you look above
the bars that block the entrance into the kitchen, you will see the
menu of the day. The date is March 21st. What year is on the menu?
Answer= 1HIJ
Day 8: It is now time to begin your escape. Go to the recreation
yard. In the yard are areas where prisoners line-up to go to the
various work assignments. Find the line to work at the dock. Look
down. Bonus Question 4: What color is the actual line?
Day 9: Go to Waypoint 1: N 37' 49.I1J W 122' 25.LLD At this spot
you will meet Sam Shockley, who works in the sewing shop. He will
give you the guard uniform you will need. Bonus Question 5: What
bridge is visible from this spot?
Day 10: Go to Waypoint 2: N 37' 49.B7B W 122' 25.JAH Floyd Wilson
will meet you here. He will give you shoe polish that you can use
to change your hair color to aid in your escape. Bonus Question 6:
What major structure is here and when, according to the sign, was
it built?
Day 11: Go to Waypoint 3: N 37' 49.IKG W 122' 25.KGB Here you will
meet “Doc” Barker who will give you some civilian
clothes that have been made from some garments from deceased
prisoners. Bonus Question 7: Look west. What is here that was
constructed in 1910?
Day 12: Go to Waypoint 4: N 37' 49.IGK W 122' 25.3AI At this spot
you will put your guard uniform on over your “civilian”
clothes to begin your walk to the supply boat. Bonus Question 8:
Look up. What date is on the arch above you?
Your boat has arrived. Go through the arch and make you way to the
dock and the awaiting boat. Is your escape successful? Email me the
correct answers to the bonus questions and you will have made good
your “Escape From Alcatraz.” Also, you will receive a
certificate, suitable for framing, declaring you as having
officially escaped from Alcatraz. (Certificate will be emailed as
an attachment. Must have MS Word to open.) If any of your answers
are wrong then your escape will have failed. You will be recaptured
and brought back to “The Rock” to spend time in
solitary confinement. (And, you will not get the nifty
certificate.)
Note-There is a fee to visit Alcatraz. The fee includes the boat
ride to the island and the audio tour. Reserve your ticket early as
they usually sell out. Also, except for the name of Molly McGee,
which is purely fictional, all the other names used are those of
actual prisoners who tried to escape. Final bonus Question 9: How
many men total tried to escape from this federal penitentiary?
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Dhrfgvba 1 fvta ba Zvpuvtna Nir: Dhrfgvba 4 Vs lneq vf pybfrq, nfx n thneq sbe yvar pbybe: Dhrfgvba 7 tb gb qbbe, ernq fvta: Dhrfgvba 9 ernq pnershyyl
Find...
Alcatraz
This is a picture of "The Rock" from the ferry boat on what happened to be a beautiful sunny day.
Loading Cache Logs...
|
Current Time:
Last Updated: on 1/24/2012 2:24:39 PM (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) (10:24 PM GMT)
Rendered From:Unknown
Coordinates are in the WGS84 datum
