The Walls of Moria Traditional Cache
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DO NOT GO IN THE CAVE. DO NOT TOUCH A BAT. WALL ONLY "Dwarf-doors are not made to be seen when shut," said Gimli. "they are invisible, and their own Masters cannot find them or open them, if their secret is forgotten." Gandalf, coming suddenly to life and turning round, said, "Unless things are altogether changed, eyes that know what to look for may discover the signs." - the Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Your GPS will bounce when at the final. Use your geosense!
This is the first in a series we have started of caches which relate to the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy by Tolkien. Each will have a part of the scenery of Missouri that reminds us of parts of the Trilogy. In this series you will discover caves, hilltops, streams, valleys, and cliffs while enjoying beautiful Missouri scenery. The container is a small lock n' lock box large enough for TB's and trinkets. This cache is in Meramec State Park. The final location is on the Wilderness Trail in the park. You will pass through stands of pine trees, cedars, and oak, and traverse hillsides and hollows, and cross small streams. Tolkien's LOTR Trilogy often comes to my mind when we am hiking and the coordinates and clues will lead you to a beautiful and unique place. You don't need to know the Trilogy to solve the cache but if you do know it, it adds to the fun! See the title. The hike can begin at the trail-head for the Wilderness Trail in the park, but I have provided coordinates for parking a little closer to the cache to shorten the hike. Parking for the shorter loop is along MO 185 Spur which is a two-lane road and you will need to pull off onto a small parking area. It is not suitable for vehicles with very little clearance and it is possible that it will be full since it accommodates only one car. Summertime can be a crowded time in the Park so it is best in the Fall and Winter. There may be muggles near the cache in the summer. Either starting point will get you to the cache. The full trail is a 10 mile loop, but from the parking coordinates it is a 6 mile loop or a 4 mile out and back. The terrain is mostly flat with a few small hills. The trail is well marked but I recommend picking up a trail map from the Ranger's Station located just inside the Park entrance. Then you can drive back to the parking coordinates or down into the park to the trail-head for the Wilderness Trail if you want to hike the whole 10 mile loop. This link will show you a map if ranger station is not open: http://www.mostateparks.com/sites/default/files/Meramec.pdf Thank you to Brian Wilcox, ranger at Meramec State Park, for permission to place this cache. For those of you unfamiliar with this part of the story, Gandalf The Grey was leading his party and the ring-bearer to Lordor to destroy the One Ring. They were forced to escape across the mountains and a terrible storm unleashed by Sauron made them desperate enough to go through the Mines of Moria, a terrible place of the Dwarves from ancient times. At this point they were faced with a rock wall (The Walls of Moria) with a hidden door and had to solve a riddle to get inside. The cache is not in the cave which is closed and off-limits.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ebpx jnyy, nqhyg urnq urvtug
Cnl nggragvba gb pnpur anzr
Vs lbh ernyyl arrq uryc frr gur cvpgher bs gur trbqbt. Ur vf va sebag bs gur pnpur.
6/25/2020 hcqngr. Jr zbirq gur pnpur 25' gb gur rnfg hc gur uvyy. Frr cvpgherf sebz guvf qngr.
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