BFE Challenge Mystery Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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Cache is not at posted coordinates, but it is not a puzzle. The posted coordinates are for parking. The cache is located at the waypoint shown at the bottom of the cache description.
"Cache Like An Egyptian"
(Susanna Hoffs, 1986)
There are lots of challenge caches in this area and we have had a good time finding them and performing the various caching requirements to qualify for them. So this is our first attempt to tempt the geocaching community with our own challenge cache placement. The cache location is one that previously had a cache that was recently archived. I thought it was a good location for a cache so we placed this challenge in the same general area.
The goal of this challenge is to get cachers out looking for caches in "B"ackwoods and "F"armcountry "E"nvironments, or "remote" caches that are outside of the large clusters of urban caches that reside in most cities. Some of our favorite cache finds have been in BFE and sometimes they don't get the number of visits they deserve.
The requirements to be met in order to find and log this cache are not very difficult and any cacher can likely qualify with a little effort. The requirement is this:
You must find and log at least 5 "remote" caches of any type before you find and log this cache. Then list these qualifying caches and dates in your "found" log.
Now here are the qualifications for a "remote" cache as defined for this challenge:
- A remote cache is a cache that has no other cache listed within 3 miles of its posted coordinates.
- If you find a "remote" cache and then sometime later a cache is placed within 3 miles, you can still use your find to qualify for this cache. It was "remote" when you found it, so it counts.
- For the purposes of this challenge, only posted coordinates are used. So puzzles and multis are considered to be at their posted coordinates when comparing distances.
- No finds prior to January 4, 2010 count for this challenge. Otherwise there would be no "challenge" part of it for many of you since you'd already qualify.
- When you log your find here, list in your log the GC numbers of the five qualifying caches that you found along with the date of each find.
"Found" logs that haven't met the above requirements will be deleted.
Finding qualifying caches
There is an easy way to find out if a cache qualifies. When viewing the cache listing, there is a link at the bottom of the cache description to view "...all nearby caches". If you click that link, it shows a page with the nearest caches sorted by distance. If the nearest cache shows "3.0mi" or further, it qualifies.
I did some initial searching around this area and there are several qualifying caches in western Michigan including one of our own hides. There are a few that are not far out of cities like Holland and Grand Rapids and many more as you get further out of town, especially north. I found several, for instance, around Mt. Pleasant and Alma and even a few around the Lansing area. There are several in Egypt as well. Of course many of you have already found some of these caches so you may have to expand your search area a bit.
The terrain for this cache will vary depending upon conditions from 2.0 to 5.0, so I've made it 5.0 to account for the higher end of that scale. It was a 2.0 terrain when I placed it on January 3, 2010. If you decide to attempt it at a time when the terrain is easy, please be careful and make sure it is safe. Otherwise it is actually not very difficult to get to even during the 5.0 terrain periods. Any simple flotation device works (we used an inner tube to get the previous cache here) or it can even be waded to.
Finding this cache will not be difficult. It is in a tree near an old beaver hut. I am not sure if the beaver is still alive or in the area, but just in case do not disturb the hut. The cache is clearly visible in the tree nearby. It was only chest high when I placed it, but may be a little higher than that in non-winter conditions. If it turns out to be out of most cachers' reach I'll move it lower.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
SVANY: Ovfba ghor unatvat uvtu.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
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