Print this two-page PDF document, and gather a sharp pair of scissors and a glue stick. You're going to be cutting, folding, and gluing the printout to make a contraption called a hexahexaflexagon. You'll then manipulate the hexahexaflexagon to solve this puzzle. I know you're in a hurry, but for best results cut precisely, fold crisply, glue neatly, and above all follow these directions to the letter.
- Cut the shape out of each sheet of paper.
- Fold and glue each shape as follows. Fold the shape in half lengthwise along its center line so that its top and bottom edges align exactly. The blank side of the paper should be on the inside of the fold. Glue the blank sides together with a glue stick. (Liquid glue tends to soak through the paper, making a mess.)
- You now have two double-sided strips of triangles, and you need to glue them together to form a single strip. Find the end triangle labeled "C" on one strip and end triangle not labeled "A" on the other strip. Glue the back (blank) sides of these two triangles together.
- Carefully crease, forwards and backwards, the edges that divide the triangles. Don't leave anything folded, just make the creases.
- Arrange the strip in front of you so that the triangle labeled "E" is on the left. There should be 19 triangles visible.
- Flip triangle "E" over on top of the triangle to its right by folding along the edge that joins the two triangles. (The E will no longer be visible.) Flip what is now the second triangle over on top of the triangle to its right. Flip what is now the third triangle over on top of the triangle to its right. Continue flipping in this fashion. (You should feel like you're "rolling up" the strip.) When you're done, you should have a doubled-up strip with 10 triangles visible on each side.
- Arrange the strip so that the triangle labeled "A" is on the left. Flip the triangle labeled "Hex" over on top of the triangle labeled "Wrench". This will involve folding the left end of the strip up and to the right along the edge between the two triangles.
- Turn the strip over, taking care not to undo any folds. Arrange the strip so that the longest edge is closet to you and the triangle labeled "A" is pointing away from you.
- Flip the triangle labeled "by" over on top of the triangle labeled "lesdubois". Once again, this will involve folding the left end of the strip up and to the right along the edge between the two triangles.
- Place the end of the strip that you just folded underneath the stack of triangles labeled "B". You should now have a hexagon with an extra triangle, labeled "A", sticking out.
- Flip the triangle labeled "A" so that it is underneath the hexagon. This will involve folding along the edge between the triangle labeled "A" and the triangle labeled "B". When you do this, the only two remaining blank triangles should meet. Glue those triangles together.
- Crease the hexagon back and forth along its three diameters. This shouldn't be too difficult since you creased all the individual segments earlier.
Congratulations! You have made a hexahexaflexagon. To play with it, hold it with both hands. Pinch two adjacent triangles together with your right thumb and index finger, then push in the joint between the two opposite triangles with your left index finger. This will form a kind of three-sided star. Open the center of the star to reveal a new face of the hexahexaflexagon.
Your hexahexaflexagon has nine faces. Some are easier to reveal than others, but you'll need to reveal them all to solve the puzzle. Six of the faces are particularly interesting!
Beginning at the posted coordinates, go 0.ABC minutes north and 0.DEF minutes west to locate the cache container. It contains a log book (that you'll need to sign to claim this cache) and a wooden puzzle (that you'll need to solve to obtain the coordinates for Stick Figures). Plan to solve the wooden puzzle at the site of the hide; please do not remove it from the immediate vicinity of Hex Wrench.