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A-maze-ing! Mystery Cache

Hidden : 7/22/2011
Difficulty:
4.5 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:

CACHE IS NOT AT POSTED COORDINATES
You must solve the puzzle below to determine the coordinates, which are within 2 miles of the posted coordinates. Cache is probably not winter friendly, so I would not attempt after snowfall.

In Pennsylvania I came across a wonderfully challenging and unique puzzle series created by cacher Cinderbankers. With his permission, I am adapting the puzzle idea and placing a cache in Massachusetts because I feel we could use even more tough puzzles up here. While the idea is his, I created this particular puzzle on my own. If you really want to be stumped, check out any of Cinderbankers' puzzles - they can be a doozy!

This puzzle is half maze, half logic problem. You might be familiar with logic problems from the board game Clue, or other similar puzzles (More info on logic problems can be found here). This is a whole different type of logic problem though - the clues to the puzzle are contained within the walls of the maze. The goal is to get each item (A-E) to correspond with each category (1-6). The frog can travel over 'X's but NOT over dots. You must obey the walls of the maze, and when completed, there will be one unique solution that both solves the logic problem as well as the maze, with the frog not traveling over any dots or through any walls. No diagonal moves are permitted. Contact me for an in-depth tutorial I created if the instructions are unclear.



N 42
(B * E) - H - A
(C * F * G) - (F * H)
W 071
(C * F) + (A * D)
(D * G * H) + (B * F)


You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.

The fun doesn't stop when you get the coordinates. Once you get to GZ and find the cache, there are two containers - one inside of the other. The outer container serves to prevent water from getting in; it also is where TBs can be stored. The inner container contains the log book and is what you must ultimately sign in order to log this as a legitimate find. Opening the second container is a challenge.

Update 1/12/12: I replaced the previous puzzle container with a new one. It is a different type of puzzle but will hopefully still be challenging. Container can be finicky at times; if at first you don't succeed, try again.

I noticed this trail the other day when driving by it. There are some very cool erratics inside this area. For a nice hike in, park at offset -.044N +.405W from the final. You can also park at offset +.158N -.066W for a bit of a shorter walk. You will need to BYOP. Please take caution around GZ. There is a steep rock at GZ with a 10 foot drop off. This cache is not worth a broken leg. Don't risk your health for this cache.

Good luck, and happy hunting.

Congrats Hotwcnyy for FTF!!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

[Puzzle:]Qenjvat n gnoyr va ZF jbeq naq svyyvat vg va jvgu pbybef gb ercerfrag 'K'f naq Qbgf znxrf vg rnfl gb pbeerpg zvfgnxrf. Zrffntr zr sbe n pbcl. [Cache:]"Pnir" va ebpx, fbhgu fvqr. Or pnershy!!

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)