There are some things you will need to know about this cache:
The above coordinate IS correct but only if you use it in NORTH AMERICAN DATUM 27 CONUS, (or NAD27) map datum. If you use them in WGS84 (world geodetic system) datum you will end up in the wrong spot.
There are (2) waypoints that you will have to visit before you have the proper coordinates for the actual cache. At both waypoints you will need a slim but sturdy shaft. A good hefty screwdriver will do. A small bit of heavy lifting will be in order. Please replace things in their proper place when done. If anyone asks, simply explain you are studing Map Datums. At both waypoints you are looking for a small film canister with the coordinates for the next location.
Waypoint (1) is at the above location. The coordinates for Waypoint (1) and (2) are accurate! You can check your GPS by them.
Waypoint (2) is about a mile and a half from waypoint (1) by car plus a round trip walk of about one mile. The coordinates you get FOR waypoint (2) will be in UTM grid format and WSG84 map datum.
The coordinates you get FROM waypoint (2) for the cache will be in hdddmmss.s grid format and NAD83 map datum. Read the “secret” about NAD83 in the hints once you have completed your hunt.
This cache is your opportunity to learn about how we navigate the globe. It is an introduction to map datum and why it exists and how we must relate to it through a chosen grid format.
Maps represent the landscape on which we live and travel. But the real world is not a flat sheet of paper and to best represent our world on paper, reference points must be established as a basis for those maps. Map datum establishes reference points by which to model the Earth or a portion of it..
Grid or location formats are ways to describe your position on those maps, like an X axis and a Y axis on a graph. But again, there are differing ways to describe this, such as in Degrees and minutes in Longitude and Latitude. Another Grid system, UTM, lays a flat grid over the earth’s curved surface and attempts to describe location in an ordered system of metrics. UTM is the most precise measurement system on your gps. It reports your position to 1 meter precision. None of the other grid systems can achieve this level of precision. However, it does have other drawbacks.
Click on this link for the full story:
http://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/measure.htm
Happy Hunting!