Another type of puzzle that will appear quite often in the geocaching puzzle format is the story or list puzzle. In this type, all the information you need is right there on the page. There is nothing hidden in the code or disguised in an image. A cache owner might even tell you this: "it's all here!" The thing is, if you're still looking for numbers for a cache's final coordinates and all you have are paragraphs of story or a list of words, where could those numbers be?
There are many ways that numbers can be hidden within text. A few examples are: the number of words in each sentence, the number of sentences in a paragraph, a repeating word and how many times it appears in each block of text or how many letters are in it. How you can narrow down your options is to, as with all puzzles, trying to spot clues. The hint box can be a place to start, and easier difficulty-rated puzzles will give you a solid hint there. Otherwise, check the title, look for patterns within the text, or if there is any text on the page in a foreign language try translating that as it can often be a hint too.
In the case of a puzzle with lists, there are also lots of possibilities. One of the first things to check is the number of items in the list: if the list has exactly the number of points that are in a set of geocaching coordinates, that's a pretty good clue that each point will somehow become the number. Most of the time a cache owner will place that list in order that the digits of the coordinates are expected to appear...but not always (a "twist" to add difficulty could be needing to alphabetize or reorder the list prior to converting it to numbers).
Much like the earlier puzzles in this short series, remember that the first and second digits of the north and west will very likely remain the same as the posted ones, so if you look for where those numbers could be hiding first, that can be where the pattern will become obvious.
Take the Subway, Toronto Style!
I loved riding the subway as a kid, especially the red ones where the lights would blink in the tunnels, and standing in the front so I could watch the signals change. I still enjoy taking my kids, both to the old stations and the new ones! A two-day pass can get us back-and-forth all day long. Where did we go?
Day One
- Dundas West
- Greenwood
- Lawrence
- Lansdowne
- Museum
- Runnymede
- York Mills
Day Two
- Glencairn
- Pape
- St. Clair West
- Yorkdale
- Greenwood
- Main Street
- North York Centre
To get you started, here is a tip: you have likely caught on that "Day One" is actually "north" and "Day Two" is "west". Since this cache's final has to be within 3 km of the posted coordinates, it is very likely that the first two points for the "Day One" list will have to be 4 and 3 (N43) and the first two points for the "Day Two" list will have to be 7 and 9 (W79). Can you determine the pattern with that information in-hand and continue it to solve for the remaining numbers of the final coordinates?
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.
This geocache was placed under direct supervision of park staff. Please use the provided trails and visit this geocache only during park hours.