A Bit of a Disappointment
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Cache is NOT at the above Co-ordinates!
A multi that will take you at least an hour or more.
Um, huh, a bit disappointing. It's in a natural area (not as natural as you might hope)on top of Cooper Mtn. (well, that's only 760' above sea level), and you can't take the dog (Sorry Fido). And we're just getting started. There are some views, but the multi is annoying - a disorganized hike on hillside trails, and after all that work, a pretty mundane cache. Elevation change is about 300 feet. The new wide gravel paths give better traction, and ensure that the wildlife will hear you coming and go hide. There are some benches to sit on here and there, and 3 interesting ear trumpets - meant for eavesdropping on the birds, but also let you listen in on traffic on distant roads, and if some youngster thinks one is a megaphone, might give you quite a start
This south slope of the hill which once was crisscrossed with bike trails, horse trails, and animal paths is now being managed to protect some rare plant species, and the old interesting spots are no longer accessible. And don't go turning over the logs, they're protecting some kinds of rarish amphibians up here. Take some water.
We give you co-ords for the parking lot. Better put it on your GPS. It would be nice to get out of here when you are done. Then we give you the co-ords for the master waypoint (that tells you where to find the other waypoints). There are 3 of those other waypoints, one for the missing latitude number, and one for the missing longitude number, and one that is totally useless, except to make you go for a walk you weren't hankering for anyhow.
After you figure out which of those two waypoints to use, and which is which, then you can find the cache. I haven't checked all the combinations to know where you might possibly go if you get it wrong, but I will say this much. The cache is in that same natural area somewhere. If it looks like someplace else, or where you shouldn't go, that's probably not it. And it is within 85 feet of a good trail, so if you can't get that close, try somewhere else. (Told you this was disappointing)
At the Master Waypoint, you will find a directional post. Collect 5 useful numbers here.
a) On one side of the post, there are 3 signs, The number of letters in the bottom word = a.
b) On top of the post, there is a map with a scale. The first digit in the number of miles and the last digit in the number of feet are the same. That number = b.
c) The word mountain appears on the post. The number of letters in the word after "mountain" = c.
d) On top of the post, there is a map with a scale. The digit that appears in all 3 numbers = d.
e) The number of letters in the word starting with C = e.
Checksum: a + b + c + d + e = 15
The SW Waypoint is at N 45? 26.6c3’, W122? 52.6b2’ in Oregon Oak, Quercus garryana.
The SE Waypoint is at N 45? 26.e01’, W122? 52.1d3’ in Big Leaf Maple, Acer macrophyllum.
The NE Waypoint is at N 45? 27.0a4’, W122? 52.b7e’ in Pacific Madrone, Arbutus menziesii.
At each of those 3 waypoints collect a single digit from the out of place natural item you will see there. The waypoints can be read from the trail, you need only your eyes to find them.
Now you have 3 numbers, but you only need 2 of them. One of them is x, the other is y, and the third is useless (Are you disappointed?) Using your best judgment, replace x and y in the cache co-ordinates and go find the cache. The cache is in this same natural area, about 85 feet from the trail. If that doesn’t match up, try a different combination. The cache is in a non-sensitive area, with tall grass and scattered blackberry vines and occasional poison oak, so wear your shoes and long pants and be careful. You are looking for a small dark plastic container. Notice that some of the poison oak on the ground under the trees not far from the cache has huge leaflets – as big as 3” x 6”, probably because of the shade. I took care to place the cache away from the poison oak.
Cache location N 45? 26.x66’, W122? 52.y48’.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[Master waypoint] gur fvta [waypoints] angheny vgrz, bhg bs cynpr.