Powerful Chemical Conundrums
This series of progressively more complicated mystery caches is based in southern Tasmania. A feature of the series is that no waypoint is available for any of the caches. Each cache is located near an electrical distribution pole or tower ("Powerful"). Transend operates Tasmania's 220 kV and 110 kV transmission networks and our interest is in their high voltage transmission towers. Aurora Energy distributes electricity using a lower voltage network utilising power poles. Safety note: follow any safety warnings and avoid climbing or interfering with the structures.
Finding each cache involves four parts:
- To find the coordinates of the power or tower you will need to solve puzzles based on chemistry ("Chemical Conundrums"). For example properties of a chemical element or of a chemical compound might be used. (Wikipedia is an invaluable tool for this.)
- Each pole or tower targeted can usually be reached via a 0.5 - 5 km walk (or bike ride) along the associated service road (typically of 4-wheel drive standard). There may also be an alternative, sometimes shorter, walking track. You could use Google Maps or Google Earth to plan your route (see Tip 1 below).
Coordinates may be confirmed with Geochecker (www.geocaching.com). (see Tip 2 below).
- Once the site has been reached a further short walk, sometimes through light bush, will be required to get to the "waypointless" cache. Each pole or tower has an identifying label attached to it. You will require this information to solve a puzzle to discover where the cache is relative to the pole or tower. Typically you will need to determine distances and/or bearings. It is this part that becomes more difficult as the series develops.
- Use the information revealed in Part 3 and find the actual cache. Since poles and towers are very conspicuous and easy to find, locating the cache has been made more challenging. The cache is in a screw top plastic jar in a black bag and is hidden so as to be inconspicuous. It contains a few small swaps and a couple of items donated by the School of Chemistry, UTAS.
Please note that all coordinates, distances and bearings are as reported by a GPS receiver at the site. The calculation of distances assumes a spherical earth and are great-circle distances; local terrain is not taken into account. Bearings are true and measured in degrees. (Some GPSRs do not measure bearings sufficiently accurately. You may therefore need to use a magnetic compass for the bearings but remember to allow for magnetic variation, currently about 14° E. Note that a magnetic compass is less reliable when in close proximity to high-tension power lines.)
Now for this particular cache - good luck with the puzzling, walking/pedalling and finding.
POWERFUL CHEMICAL CONUNDRUM 10 - Wellington Park 05
No waypoint is available for the cache, it has to be found by other means. Therefore more advanced techniques than just going to the cache's waypoint have to be used. (As a bonus this provides an opportunity to practice navigation skills.)
GPS techniques used to find this cache:
- Locate an object using its coordinates (waypoint)
- Measure distances
- Make waypoints (presumably)
- Measure bearings (presumably)
- Locate an object using bearing(s) and/or distance(s) from points (presumably)
Part 1
The cache is not at the listed coordinates. The required transmission tower is at S 42° 52.x' and E 147° 15.y' where x and y are both three digit integers. This puzzle involves two drugs.
- x = a * 2
Where:
- a = the integer part of the molecular mass (weight) of lenalidomide, a drug that has been used to treat both inflammatory disorders and cancers
- y = b* 2
Where:
- b= the integer part of the molecular mass (weight) of glibenclamide, used as an anti-diabetic drug
Coordinates may be confirmed (see Tip 2 below).
Part 2
Next you need to determine how to get to the tower positioned at the coordinates discovered in Part 1. You can view the location in Google Maps and/or Google Earth (see Tip 1 below). There may be several alternative routes.
Site notes: The closest car park is at the end of Lenah Valley Road. The tower may be approached by walking or bike riding along well formed fire trails. For the adventurous a more direct approach through the dry sclerophyll forest is possible. Signage indicates that dogs on lead are permitted and that the track is classified as "moderate" for bike riding. For other details see the Wellington Park web site.
Part 3
The transmission tower that you have just located has a label "Transend ghiTjk" where g, h, i, j, k in "ghiTjk" is each a digit in the range 0-9. The tower supports m electrical conducting cables.
The tower has four legs that are in the form of an approximate square with one leg in each compass quadrant.
We will define "Line A" as the straight line passing through the NE and NW legs at ground level (a side of the square).
We will also define "Line B" as the straight line passing through the NE and SW legs at ground level (a diagonal of the square).
Point A is p metres from the NW leg along Line A in an approximate W direction where:
Point B is q metres from the SW leg along Line B in an approximate SW direction where:
We will now define "Line C" as the straight line passing through Points A and B and z as the distance in metres between Points A and B (along Line C).
The cache is on Line C and is approximately 3/4 of z from Point A (and ~1/4 of z from Point B).
Visibility is restricted due to the vegetation and you will not be able to see the tower from Point B or from the cache site. The tree canopy will significantly interfere with GPSR reception.
A diagram showing the cache location is available - see below.
Please note that there is a compounding of errors (uncertainties) here so you may need to search over a wider than normal area.
Part 4
Follow the directions in Part 3 and find the cache. It is a screw top plastic jar in a black bag and is hidden so as to be inconspicuous. The jar contains a few small swaps and a couple of items donated by the School of Chemistry, UTAS.
In the week between hiding and its first discovery the cache was disturbed and partly destroyed. It seemed to have been attacked by an animal that chewed through the bags and jar. The replacement container and black bag are in the same place at the base of a tree but now are under a layer of wire mesh held down by rocks and then covered (as before) with burnt wood. Finders: please replace the protection and camouflage carefully before you leave.
Special note
This is the last of the single Powerful Chemical Conundrum caches. All of the basic GPSR techniques for cache location have been utilised. The series will be completed by a few multi caches that will each use several techniques.
Tip 1 - Visualising the location (optional)
The site coordinates can be used in Google Maps (http://maps.google.com.au/) or in Google Earth (if installed) to visualise the location so that you can determine your approach.
Prescribed formats are needed. An example follows. (The result should show the location of Junction Cabin.)
Suppose the required location is S 42° 53.253' E 147° 15.150' (in geocaching representation).
For Google Maps or Google Earth use location: 42 53.253 S 147 15.150 E or location: -42 53.253 147 15.150
Tip 2 - Confirming coordinates (optional)
You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com (a location map is also displayed).