Over the last few years, I have traveled far and wide in support of my efforts to create puzzle caches. One time I spent days flying back and forth across the globe; another time I visited capital cities on each continent; and yet another time I spent several weeks in a car during an epic cross-country road trip.
I saw a lot of amazing sights during my journeys, but the ones that I saw during my most recent trip are literally out of this world! That trip took me farther from home that I had ever traveled, and I'm eager to share what I saw.
The list below contains the coordinates of six fantastic viewpoints that I want you to visit. The list also contains one question that pertains to each viewpoint. It will require a great deal of time and expense for you to follow in my footsteps, but I'm sure that you'll agree that your reward (the coordinates of a match container hidden in Salt Lake City) will be more than worth it!
(A) You should begin your journey in the southern hemisphere at S 8° 00.609 E 24° 59.850. You will find yourself in the midst of a dramatic white rock outcropping that resembles a giant animal track. Look around a bit and see if you can find the answer to this question: During what year was this formation first photographed from above?
(B) At your next stop, N 19° 34.337 W 179° 27.102, you will be surrounded by a collection of distinct landforms. Take some time to explore the surrounding terrain. How many such landforms are there within an 11-mile radius of your starting point?
(C) From near the equator at S 1° 57.125 W 5° 30.574, you will see a spectacular view of an object that looks to me like the wreckage of an alien spacecraft. When the sun is in just the right position, this object reflects brilliant streaks of light. What color are those streaks of light?
(D) When you reach your next destination, N 18° 45.235 W 132° 48.339, you'll be standing near the summit of an awe inspiring volcano. The views from there are spectacular, but it'll be a bit chilly so be sure to pack a windbreaker. What is the elevation (in feet) of your vantage point?
(E) There are a number of impact craters on earth, but most of them are so weathered as to be unrecognizable. Chesapeake Bay, for example, is the remains of an impact crater formed over 35 million years ago. When you visit N 37° 26.727 W 51° 35.853, however, you will have no doubt that you are standing in an impact crater. What is the circumference (in miles) of this crater?
(F) The panoramic view you'll have from S 14° 36.219 E 175° 31.635 takes in a lot of interesting geological features. If you face 125 degrees east of due north, you'll see the summit of a gently sloped hill. If you can find a native, maybe you'll be able to learn the answer to my last question: What is the name of the hill?
With the answers to my six questions in hand, it should be a simple matter to locate the cache. Proceed as follows:
- Let A be the last two digits of the answer to question (A)
- Let B be the answer to question (B)
- Let C be 5 if the answer to question (C) is green, 6 if the answer is blue/purple, 7 if the answer is yellow/orange, 8 if the answer is red.
- Let D be the result of dividing the answer to question (D) by 5000 and discarding any remainder
- Let E be the result of dividing the answer to question (E) by 8 and discarding any remainder.
- Let F be the number of letters in the answer to question (F), not including the word "Hill".
Let X be the result of multiplying B, D, and F and then dividing by 1000. Let Y be the result of multiplying A, C, and E and then dividing by 1000. The cache is X minutes south and Y minutes east of the posted coordinates.