Route 3 South Multi-Cache

This cache has been archived.

Loch Cache: Progress has caught up with this cache. All waypoints have been wiped out. I had to go on a Sunday and approach the area via a power line trail and still had to hop a fence to retrieve the final. The final was a bit frozen in place but otherwise fine.

I have to say, I really enjoyed placing this cache and watching others find it. If I could favorite my own cache this one would get a nod from me.

Goodbye Route 3 South.

Loch Cache

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Hidden : 7/1/2011
Difficulty:
4.5 out of 5
Terrain:
4.5 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

This cache is not a walk in the park and is not recommended for the feint of heart. It is a 4.5/4.5 rated cache.

Warning
I set out to create a very tough cache in a very interesting area. Although the area is not very big, you will cover 1-2 miles of terrain ranging from moderate to difficult terrain. There will be times where there is no trail, times where there is patches of PI to tread around, times you will be scrambling up or down a steep incline and a time you will be walking along the top of 60 foot cliff. (YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO CLIMB THE CLIFF!) Also, you will never need to climb over a fence and you never need to actually go on the active Route 3. The stages are all on one side of the fence where you will be walking. (Hug the fence as much as you can.) You will be going through 8-14 stages to get to the final. Attributes include serious warnings so look at them. This is a 4.5/4.5 so be prepared.

The Area
This woodland area once was destined to be part of the freeway US Route 3. Instead of stopping at Route 128, it was to extend all the way down to MA Route 2 and the proposed, but never built, Inner Belt that was to be known as I-695. Somewhere along the line it was decided that the Inner Belt would not be built and the freeway portion of US Route 3 would end at 128/95. The remaining portion of US Route 3 runs along with 128/95 North up to Exit 33 where it turns south through Woburn, Winchester, Arlington and finally ends in Cambridge at Memorial Drive. (Route 3 does continues all the way to the Sagamore.)

Help Along the Way
At each stage you will find a micro. Once you have found the first you will know what the unaltered container for each stage looks like. (Thank you Bailey) The final is a full sized ammo can. In each micro you will find a two sided laminated piece of paper. On one side you will find the coordinates for the next stage. On the other side you will find the coded terrain help. Use the terrain help if you want or need.

Coded Terrain Help
The terrain help will give you a fair idea on how to get from one stage to the next. I added this in due to the unusual nature of the terrain. As I mentioned earlier this area once was destined to be part of the freeway US Route 3. You can see the northbound and southbound lanes were blasted out for about 2/10 of a mile and then abruptly end at the south ridge. This means there is a western edge, the southbound lane, a median, the northbound lane and then the eastern edge.

The following is the coding used for the terrain help:
  • NB = Northbound Lane
  • SB = Southbound Lane
  • MD = Median
  • WR = Western Ridge
  • SR = Southern Ridge
  • ER = Eastern Ridge
  • U = Up (walk up hill)
  • D = Down (walk downhill)
  • X = Cross (Just cross over the lane)
  • 2 = to
Example 1 = NB U MD = Walk the northbound lane for a bit then go uphill and walk the median for a bit.
Example 2 = U MD D SB = Go go uphill and walk the median for a bit then go downhill and walk the southbound a bit.
Example 3 = MD 2 SR D NB = Walk the median until you reach the southern ridge then go downhill and walk the northbound a bit.

Remember, no rock climbing is necessary but some of the uphill and downhill parts can be rocky and slippery so use caution.

Check Sum for Hint
You will see in the additional hints there are 14 hints and each starts with something like N42 or W19. N42 would mean the sum of the last five digits of the north coords for the stage equal 42. W19 means the last five digits of the west coords equal 19. You will never have both for one stage. So, if the coords were N 42 28.571 and W071 12.079 then the north check sum would be 23 and the west check sum would be 19. There is no N23 hint, therefore the hint would be W19 = Yrbaneq Avzbl. You will never use a hint more than once nor will you use all the hints.

Final words of caution: Take a buddy along for safety. Remember don't try anything that would put you in danger. I hate PI so there is bound to be away around it to get to each stage.

Good luck and good caching,
Loch Cache

Congrats to Chasandmaeg on the FTF

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

A26 = Jnvfg Uvtu A30 = Mvccrq ng 6sg J5 = Qvssrerag Urvtug sebz gur ynfg gjb A17 = Fghpx jurer lbh jbbq guvax J19 = Yrbaneq Avzbl J21 = Abg nyy angheny J13 = Jngpu jurer lbh fgrc J22 = Funyr jr ybbx pybfre A24 = Fvzvyne gb gur ynfg [Not in the pile of rocks] A42 = Sbegl-gjb A28 = Qba'g or fghpx hc J15 = Lbh pna abg or gverq lrg A25 = Abj lbh pna or gverq [don't move anything] J8 = Svanyyl gurer, gnxr n ybnq bss J11 = Ab zber uvagf

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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