The Original American Hero Mystery Cache
4SwansT: Time for something new here
The Original American Hero
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(micro)
Related Web Page
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
An easy puzzle cache that can be solved on site. BYOP.
Parking can usually be found nearby on Highland Ave.
There have been many streets, schools, universities, bridges, parks, towns, counties, a city, a state, a mountain, even an asteroid named after him and several monuments such as this one, built to honor him. Sadly, many Americans don’t know where or how The Original American Hero’s story began.
July 9, 1755 (French and Indian War)
Ten miles upstream of Fort Duquesne (future location of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania)
The Colonel’s horse was terrified. How could she not be in the midst of chaos, gunfire, smoke and the hysterical cries of battle? She was not his horse, so she was nervous under his unfamiliar hand. His original horse, a huge mare had already been shot out from underneath him. Then the second horse had been taken, again shot out from under him. He didn’t have the time to contemplate about how he had remained unscathed. He spurred his new mare, which he’d taken from a dead soldier toward the tree line. The gunfire kept coming from the trees without end. His army was falling all around him. Trying desperately to rally his men, he rode before them crying out directions to reposition his troops. But it was too late. He was watching a demoralizing battlefield defeat. He could see his General’s soldiers were in a complete panic. He watched in shame as the British regulars he commanded turned and ran. He found General Braddock lying on the ground, badly wounded. He dismounted his horse and helped carry the general to a cart as bullets whizzed past on all sides. Then he mounted his horse and intentionally drew the fire of the enemy so the General could be evacuated from the battlefield.
After a shameful retreat, what was left of the twenty-three year old Colonel’s troops, were gathered by the fire. The Colonel removed his coat to shake the dust from it and while doing so, noticed two bullets had torn through it. A nearby soldier noticed him looking at the holes and said “There’s another one in your hat, Sir.” And sure enough there was. Two horses shot out from underneath him, three bullets tore through his clothing and yet he remained unharmed. A fellow Virginian officer turned and asked him “who are you?” The Colonel answered “you know full well who I am, I’m George Washington.” The officer spoke again saying “that’s not what I meant. God has saved you for a purpose, and we who fought here with you will follow you until God makes your purpose clear.”
Colonel Washington lying on a makeshift cot under the stars later that evening wondered if he truly was the benefactor of Divine protection. Little did he know that there would be many more battles, and many more times when it would appear that all had been lost, only to have his fortunes miraculously changed in an instant, too many times to be mere coincidence. He would eventually come to believe without question, that he was truly guided by what he called “The Invisible Hand” of God. He did, however come to one terrifying conclusion that night. The British army, the best trained, best equipped, and most disciplined army in the world, could be defeated.
Portions of the above are excerpts from the book Being George Washington
There are two stone benches that are part of the monument with a large pillar in the middle of them. Each has part of an inscription carved on them. When solving the puzzle the left side has 5 words (1-5). The right side has 6 words (1-6). The girl is on the left side. The boy is on the right side.
The cache coordinates are.
N 41* 42.ABC W 071* 08.XYZ
A= The number of times the word Colonel/Colonel’s appears in the above cache description plus 1.
B= The number of letters in the first word carved on the left side of the monument.
C= The number of letters in the name carved into the stone on the ground minus 2.
X= The number of letters in the third word on the right side of the monument.
Y= The number of books under the girl’s hand.
Z= The number of buttons on the right side of Washington's vest (his right your left.)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
bar uhaqerq naq svsgl qbyynef
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures