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Pirate Gold left on the Trail near Klahanie Mystery Cache

Hidden : 10/28/2007
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Arrr, so ye be wantin' t' go to sea an' ye don't be wantin' t' end up in Davy Jones' Locker. We have hidden arrr loot, but ta get it you need to answer ye riddle.

The coordinates listed above only gets you to a spot on a trail near Klahanie.

Once upon a time a small band of pirates followed a treasure map until they located the correct spot on a small island. Then they dug all day and half the evening, and behold! They uncovered a treasure chest filled with gold pieces. It was so heavy with all the gold in it that there was quite a struggle to get it out of the hole and lug it back to camp. By this time it was already late at night, so by common agreement, the pirates decided to sleep the night through and divide the spoils in the morning.
There being five pirates, they all placed their bedrolls in a circle, with the treasure chest in the center, next to the fire. This way, they reasoned, none could sneak into the treasure while the others slept. Of course, each one also reasoned in his heart that he alone was stealthy enough to do just such a thing!
At midnight, one pirate arose, opened the chest, and counted out the gold pieces into five even piles. When he finished, there was exactly one odd piece remaining. Wishing to avoid arguments, he threw that piece as far as he could into the sea. Then, he thought, he might as well keep a share to himself and still take a share in the morning. So he carefully hid one of the five piles in the sand, and place the other four back into the chest. Then he went back to sleep.
At one o'clock, another pirate arose, and he also counted out the remaining pieces of gold into five equal piles. He, likewise, found one extra gold piece and got rid of it into the ocean. Then, greed got the better of him, and he too hid one of the piles he had made, and only put four of them back into the chest.
Well, you guessed it. At two o'clock, three o'clock, and four o'clock, each of the remaining pirates in turn sneaked a look into the chest. Each pirate, being unaware anyone else had beaten him to it, divided the gold he found in the chest into five equal piles, and each one found exactly one extra gold piece from going evenly by five. Each pirate disposed of the odd piece, and each one in turn kept one-fifth of the gold he'd counted for himself, and only put the other part back into the chest.
Come dawn, all arose, and after congratulating each other on being so honest--remember, each pirate thinks he is the only one who has helped himself to an early share--they all sit down to count the gold. Lo and behold! The pile of gold pieces remaining in the chest divides evenly five ways. Each pirate receives a share, and the band splits, each member planning on secretly returning to recover his hidden extra share.

Let each gold piece be the same size and value as all of the others, and for simplicity's sake, we won't allow splitting of any pieces into two.

The question is this: what is the smallest number of gold pieces that could have been in the chest to begin with, for the above events to have taken place? The answer is a 4 digit number with A being the 1st digit and D being the last (ABCD).

Go get the cache:

N 47 A4.4(A+C)(B-D) W D21 (C+C+B)9.A5(A+A+1)
No multiplication is necessary.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Gur pnpur vf whfg bss gur genvy.

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)