Moon Tree Mystery Cache
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Size: 
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THERE IS NOTHING HIDDEN at the posted coordinates, but it's where you'll need to stand to solve this easy puzzle. You'll be standing on a public sidewalk. On the other side of the fence, 26 feet away, is The Moon Tree. There is no need to go onto Lowell Elementary School grounds to solve this puzzle, although it is their tree.
Moon mission Apollo 14 launched in the late afternoon of January 31, 1971 on what was to be the USA's third trip to the lunar surface. Five days later, Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell walked on the Moon while Stuart Roosa, a former U.S. Forest Service smoke jumper, orbited above in the command module. Packed in small containers in Roosa's personal kit were hundreds of tree seeds, part of a joint NASA/USFS project. Upon return to Earth, the seeds were germinated by the Forest Service. Known as the "Moon Trees", the resulting seedlings were planted throughout the United States (often as part of the nation's bicentennial in 1976) and the world. They stand as a tribute to astronaut Roosa and the Apollo program.
The project began after Roosa was chosen for the Apollo 14 mission. Ed Cliff, Chief of the Forest Service, knew of Stuart Roosa from his days as a smoke jumper and contacted him about bringing seeds into space. Stan Krugman of the Forest Service was put in charge of the project and selected the seeds for the experiment. Seeds were chosen from five different types of trees: Loblolly Pine, Sycamore, Sweetgum, Redwood, and Douglas Fir. The seeds were classified and sorted, and control seeds were kept on Earth for later comparison. Roosa carried about 400 - 500 seeds in his personal kit which stayed with him as he orbited the Moon in the command module "Kitty Hawk" in February, 1971. Unfortunately, the seed canisters burst open during the decontamination procedures after their return to Earth, and the seeds got mixed together and were presumed to be no longer viable.
Stan Krugman had the seeds sent to the southern Forest Service station in Gulfport, Mississippi and to the western station in Placerville, California to attempt germination. Surprisingly, nearly all the seeds germinated successfully, and the Forest Service had some 420 to 450 seedlings after a few years (some from cuttings). Some of these were planted with their earth-bound counterparts as controls, but most were given away in 1975 and 1976 to many state forestry organizations to be planted as part of the nation's bicentennial celebration. These trees were southern and western species, so not all states received trees. A Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) was planted in 1977 at the Lowell Elementary School in Boise, Idaho. There were only three such "Moon Trees" planted in the entire state of Idaho. Lowell School received one of these trees because Governor John Evans had a son attending Lowell at that time. "It's kind of special to be one of the few institutions to have one of the moon trees," said Principal Nick Smith.
However, Lowell's loblolly pine is now in peril. Brian Jorgenson is Boise's city forester and says the lack of water and excessive heat has put the moon tree under a lot of stress, inviting an infestation of insects. "The insects light up when they see a tree that is stressed and they send a shout out in the form of pheromones to all their buddies who congregate and start attacking the tree at the same time," said Jorgenson. Seeping sap is the tree's natural defense against said attack from the sequoia pitch moth. With the amount of pitch coming out of this tree, the insect is seeing some success. But thanks to the assistance of local charities, the Moon Tree's future may no longer be waning. See the links below for more information.
THE PUZZLE... (stand at the geocache coordinates)
NORTH COORDINATE: N 43° 38.ABC
WEST COORDINATE: W 116° 13.BDE
A = Across the street is a business in a brick building with four large black numbers for the street address. Add those digits together for A. Example: if the street address were 304, the answer would be 3+0+4=7.
B = Behind and to the right of the tree is an off-white building with a blue sign on it near the door. How many stars are on that sign? Triple that number for B.
C, E = Just to the right / north of where you're standing, there's a sign in the chain-link fence. The number of letters in the last word = C. The total number of words on this sign = E.
D = Just to your left / south is a sign on a pole with an arrow on it. How many times does the letter "H" occur on that sign? That number = D.
You now have the information you need to find the final stage, less than a mile from here. You could walk, but we recommend a bike or car. We thought this was easy enough to not need a link for Geochecking your answer!
NOTES ON THE ATTRIBUTES. Plenty of parking at both stages. Final stage is dog-friendly, but you may want a leash, depending on your approach. The puzzle can be solved at any hour of the day, but searching for the final stage is a stone's throw from residences, so NO NIGHT CACHING. The cache container is too small for a writing implement, so please bring your own pen/pencil. Some STEALTH might be useful as you approach the final stage!
NASA list of Moon Trees that still exist: (visit link)
KTVB on the efforts underway to save Boise's moon tree 26 September 2015: (visit link)
Our First-To-Find prize is a coin rarer than our usual leave, a 1977 Eisenhower dollar from San Francisco in Proof condition. After Eisenhower died in 1969, this coin was designed to be a commemorative both of Eisenhower and of the 1969 Moon mission, Apollo 11. The reverse depicts a bald eagle (representing the lunar lander) swooping low over the Moon's surface, holding an olive branch, token of peace, in its claws. (visit link) The coin is Proof grade: preparation of a proof striking usually involves polishing of the dies. Proof coins can usually be distinguished from normal circulation coins by their sharper rims and design, as well as much smoother "fields" – the blank areas not part of the coin's design. This FTF prize dates back to 1977, to commemorate the year in which this Moon Tree was planted. Congratulations to will4088 for landing first at the Moon Tree -- well done!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Onpxfvqr, zntargvp.
Treasures
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