ADVANCED WARNING (20 May 2025):
Commencing in April 2026, we will start to archive many of our caches as the maintenance load is becoming a major concern as our capacity to make regular visits to our caches declines. The date has been chosen so that, apart from unforeseen circumstances, all of our caches will be available to those visiting Tasmania for the Tassie Event in early March 2026. We are giving advanced notice so that all have the opportunity to look for any of our caches that they haven't found before they are archived. This is one of the caches we plan to archive.
Geocaching is fun and can become addictive. It comes with senses of achievement when a cache is found and frustrations when a DNF has to be logged or you do not have the right tool to retrieve a cache. In the beginning, traditional caches are generally tackled with confidence, multi-caches with some reservations and mystery caches or puzzles with apprehension. Over time confidence grows and the range of caching activities being tackled increase.
However the biggest hurdle for many new to caching are Mystery or Puzzle caches. Some new cachers avoid them - "I don't know where to start". Others ask more experienced caches but often get responses like "that is an XYZ type of puzzle - there is a tool in the toolbox - use that and it will be easy" but that often leaves the new cacher more confused and apprehesive than before, especially if they do not know what "XYZ type" means, they do not know what a toolbox is, and they do not know where to find it. Too many experienced cachers have progressed so far that they don't recall their first efforts in solving puzzles and the hurdles they encountered.
We have been approached by some less experienced cachers to help them get started with puzzle solving. In response we are meeting with them on a regular basis to take them through a structured puzzle solving program. The program makes no assumptions and takes the participants through some experiences designed to develop skills and confidence. The program does not aim to tackle every different type of puzzle but does aim to develop sufficient skills so that a new cacher will have a range of tools to explore a new puzzle and the confidence to try those tools.
At each of the sessions we introduce a concept or two, apply the ideas to some examples and then we ask the participants to try the ideas on some new puzzles which will be published after each session. Through this structured approach we hope to develop the skills and confidence of the new cachers and let them experience even greater enjoyment with geocaching. Experienced cachers should find these puzzles quite straightforward and are most welcome to solve them and find the caches - they are not restricted to those participating in the program.
Starting Puzzle Solving 1B
The coordinates for this cache are contained in the following text. Can you find the information to generate the coordinates?
the first geocAche and most of its contents were eventuaLly destroyed by a lawn mower; the can of beans was the only item salvaged and was tuRned into a trackable item called the "orIginal can of beans". another Geocache and plaque called the original stasH tribute plaque now sit at the site. (trackable items are no longer supporTed by groundspeak).
groundSpeak allows extraterrestrial caches, e.g. the moon or mars, although presently, the website provides only earthbound coordinates. only one geocache has ever been extraterrestrial: gc1be91, which was on the international space station between 2008 as 2017. it used the launch area baikonur in Kazakhstan as its position.
the activitY was originally referreD to as the gps stash hunt or gpsstashing. thIs was changed shortly after the original hide when it was suggested that "stash" could have negatiVe connotatIons and the term geocachiNG was adopted.
ovEr time, a variety of differeNT hide-and-seEk-type activities have been cReated or abandoned, so thaT "geocAching" may now refer to hIding and seeking contaiNers, or locatIons or iNformation without containers or packaGes.
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