The Nathaniel Trail consists of 17 caches. Because all 17 are part of the geoart, please don't forget to do your homework before setting out to find these caches. For 14 of them, you'll need to enter a simple solution into Certitude in order to receive the actual coordinates for those hides. To find caches 15-17, you'll need to carefully collect information from each of the 14 caches. Some of the trails are used by equestrians, so be prepared to yield to riders. And please pay attention to hunting regulations and schedules. Wearing international orange is never a bad idea. I've never seen one in Carroll County, but a bear was sighted in this area in December 2018, and others have been reported in backyards in Carroll recently. So be careful as you hike these woods. I strongly urge you to solve all the little puzzles BEFORE you head for the trails. All 17 caches could be found in a couple or three hours and three or four miles of relatively easy walking. If you love birds, remember your binocular. And if you don't love ticks, remember your Deet or chemical of choice. As you cache, may you find joy and peace.
From upper left, clockwise: Nathaniel and PhosDad at the Cacheboose; MuggleMom, PhosDad, & Nathaniel; Korbul, PhosDad, & Nathaniel; JAF430, PhosDad, MsTomulus, & Nathaniel; Nathaniel experiencing Grace; Nathaniel & 3 of his favorite peeps: Grace, JAF, Hunter
Nearly every geocacher cherishes making friends and deepening relationships while engaging in the various facets of caching. Nathaniel really enjoyed Thursdays because we counted hawks, but he loved being near people, too, and caching enabled him to make a few wonderful friends, even if time with them was necessarily and regrettably limited. Once he learned that Nathaniel was pretty much tethered by his wheelchair, NCPositronics put out some wheelchair-accessible hides so that Nathaniel wouldn’t run out of caches to find. One of the best was the one Backgammon at Birdie’s, where Nathaniel used his braille technique to get his hands on the micro hidden behind that fine coffeehouse (replete, I might add, with artwork about the historical debate over the virtues of coffee). Other good ones were Roaring Bison and Slammin’ Sammy’s Cape Horn Cache. Nathaniel had a swell time with dear friends Tomulus and MsT, whose Tour of Sykesville (GC6Y6GJ) had JAF and me huffing and puffing behind Nathaniel’s chair, thanks to the town’s steep hills. Occasionally, even my father-in-law, Korbul, joined in the fun with Nathaniel, and, less often, Nathaniel’s mom and stepmom.
To determine the actual coordinates, you’ll need to first come up with a six-digit number. Its first two digits appear on the very real caboose whose picture can be found most easily if you visit CAM 2017: Welcome to Sykesville. The two digits are the number of “linked states” denoted on the caboose. The next four digits follow “C” on the caboose—so you’ll have a six-digit number whose checksum is 23. The coords are N 39 39.ABC W 76 59.DEF, where:
A=the 6th digit minus the 1st
B=the 2nd digit
C=the sum of the first three digits
D=the last digit minus the second
E=the 3rd digit
F=the 4th digit
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.