Having grown up not far from nearby Pine Grove Park, the Gulf Road was a luring unpaved road located at the far corner of town. As a kid, I would often take off on my bike to cruise the neighborhood streets. Inevitably, I would end up at that far corner where Park Street and High Street ended and the cavernous entrance to the Gulf Rd. began.
As the woods enclosed around me it appeared civilization ended. I remember that I would ride only as far as the "rocks" began. The massive tumble of rocks with their mixture of paintings, moss and ferns frightened me and I always turned back quickly never traveling any further..... I would repeat this ritual of riding to this spot and always turned back in apprehension.
Many years later I had the opportunity to go geocaching for the first time with XiaDog, his wife, and my son, and I asked about coming back to the Gulf. As they say “some things never change”...the trees were a bit taller, the road a bit rougher, the rocks further overgrown with shrubs, but the same haunting feeling that was there so many years before was as real as if I had never left....
...Someone once wrote “right in this spot it is always a few degrees colder".... Come share in the folklore, visit the beauty only the Berkshires can afford and decide for yourself if the legend is true....
The Legend
Wizard's Glen, a wild valley known for its echoes, is nestled in the Berkshire Hills about 4 miles from Pittsfield. It is here one can find the red-stained Devil's Altar where Indian priests performed their incantations. Legend has it that human sacrifices were made to Hobomocko and his demons of the wood.
The story is told that John Chamberlain, a Dalton hunter, was on his way home carrying a deer on his shoulders when he was overcome by a storm and sought shelter among the caves of Wizard's Glen. Unable to sleep, on this night he witnessed a ghoulish scene unfold before his eyes. The Devil himself appeared with his imps as a sacrifice ensued. The cry of that terrified Indian girl would haunt Chamberlain for the rest of his days. In a flash of lightning the girl looked to Chamberlain, he clutched tight his Bible and cried out the name of God. With a crash of thunder the storm passed, the demons vanished and peace once again settled over the hills.....
The Puzzle
At the posted coordinates, you will find several rocks that have been painted.
Information from one rock will be used for North, another for West.
It will be up to you to decide which rock is for North and which is used for West.
The final coordinates for the cache are: N42 29.xxx W73 11.xxx.
You must use the information below to solve for the “xxx” in both the North and Wests coordinates.
First Rock to be used:
This rock has a name circling the image on it.
The last 3 digits for the portion of coordinates used for this rock are as follows:
First Number: Count the number of letters in the name circling the image on the rock, which are not found on a standard rotary phone dial. Discount any graffiti.
Second Number: Count the number of letters in last name
Third Number: Count the number of ORANGE feathers in the headdress. For the purposes of this exercise there are no rachises in the headdress.
Second Rock to be used:
This rock depicts a recent scene from American History.
First Number: There is a 2 word phrase used on that day. Both words have the same number of letters, Count the number of letters in either word.
Second Number: The date of the event contains this number 2 times. What is that number?
Third Number: There is a large 3 word phrase on the rock. Using the 3rd word in the phrase, remove any duplicate letters, and count the remaining letters.
Substitute the numbers you now have for the appropriate xxx in the North and West coordinates and in no time you will have left for the cache which you should find right away!