I am by no means a mystery cache expert but I enjoy them very much. This Puzzle Gym series is intended as way for new cachers to build up their puzzle stamina and for the old timers to get in a bit of training to stop them becoming rusty. Please ask for help if you’re stuck, I want these to be solvable. Enjoy!

I get the impression that most puzzle cachers are more mathematically talented than myself. I kind of enjoyed algebra at school, but I’ve gone through most of my adult life wondering if I would ever have reason to use what I studied in those maths classes long ago. Thankfully we all have geocaching to make sure our maths muscles get a bit of exercise.

Since the information you’re looking for with puzzle caches is nearly always numbers, many caches require some manipulation of numbers. But then there are also other caches which cannot be solved without some more detailed general maths knowledge. These caches could involve more complicated sums or they could require you to brush up on your trigonometry, calculus, averages and probabilities.

For straightforward sums you should be able to work them out using pen and paper, (or calculator), but for more complex equations you need to identify what you need to do and then how you need to do it. Check the cache title and listing information for clues about what type of maths you will need to perform. Also, if the information is presented in a story format make sure you read the instructions carefully.

Some local caches which require maths skills include ChrissA33’s Taipei River Biking Mystery/Multi (GC6M1K6), Haima’s Long-tail Dragon (GC1AM69), Rudychung’s 10/10/10 - Stargazing at Taipei Riverbank (GC2GHYE) and teng hang’s pu tou shan (GC3RZ6E).

PUZZLE GYM SERIES

MATHS MYSTERIES

THE CRUX OF THE MATTER

This is a Romeo and Juliet story. More precisely, this is a Coco and Skittles* story since the star-crossed lovers in our in our story are not Veronese teenagers from warring families but instead two amorous avians from vying racing lofts.

Coco belonged to Mr. Chen, a well renowned pigeon fancier hailing from the Shalun District of Tamshui District whilst Skittles was the star racer in Mr. Liao’s Shimen District based flock. Skittles and Coco had been hatched by neighbouring mothers in the loft of a racing master (Mr. Lin), as chicks they had bonded through the bars of their nest crates and so when they day had come for them to be taken from their mothers and sold into servitude, they parted with great sadness. You see pigeons are intelligent and loyal birds who often mate for life and this meant that they pined away, spending their rest time dreaming of one day eloping to start a life far away from the trials and tribulations of being racing pigeons.

But life was not easy for the two lovebirds - they couldn’t afford to slack off on their training, since any reduction in speed or ability put them in grave danger of ‘being retired’ (a euphemistic term if ever there was one). And so they trained hard, and diligently, both hoping to one day cross paths with the other at the start of a race or whilst on a training flight. Unfortunately, this was not likely to happen, Coco’s strength was in his speed over medium distances, whilst Skittle’s aptitude was great stamina over long distances. These differences meant that the two were never destined to enter the same race and consequently the chances of them meeting grew smaller and smaller until they seemed almost non-existent, as dim and far away as home seemed at the start of a race (and even less likely to be reached). They both doubted that they would be reunited and even started to wonder if the other had forgotten them entirely.

That was until the day of the great races. 

Races in Taiwan are not joyful events for the pigeons who participate. Many perish along the way and even those who make it back may be ‘retired’ if they don’t get home in an acceptable time frame. Coco and Skittles knew this, and it was with fear and only the tiniest sliver of hope that they endured the crated journeys to their different starting points. Skittles was taken to Tainan, to a location at Anping Port (N22° 58.007 E120° 09.881), she was released on a Friday afternoon and as she flew north-northwest (along a bearing of 28.336 degrees), many of her fellow feathered friends dropped back as exhaustion overcame them. As she was flying, Coco was being prepared for his flight. Mr. Chen had crated him up and was taking him to Neipi beach, just south of Yilan, (N24° 34.695 E121° 52.312). Early on the Saturday morning Coco was released with the rest of his beaked brethren and they all embarked on the long flight home (he flew north-east at a bearing of 326.320 degrees).

Now this is where serendipity plays the role of Fairy God-mother to our two plucky pigeons. In a bizarre twist of fate, their paths home crossed, and even more luckily, the two pigeons had rom-com perfect timing which meant that they just happened to be at this point of confluence, this crux and crossover at EXACTLY the same moment. 

Well, once reunited the pair immediately abandoned their flights of folly that their owners had imposed on them and instead decided to set up nest in the rafters of the structure where they were reunited. Mr. Chen and Mr. Liao just assumed that their birds had come to harm along the way home and thought nothing more of it. Coco and Skittles lived out the rest of their lives on the lam and stayed hidden by fattening up to look more like the other feral pigeons which flock to the park near their nest. As far as I know, they’re still settled there now so when you visit GZ, keep your eyes open for a couple of pigeons with racing-bracelets around their legs. But you must promise them that you won’t reveal the secret of their whereabouts.

*(To protect the identity of the two birds involved, false names have been used. Likewise, the photograph is only a stock image and is not an actual photograph of Coco or Skittles.)