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OotA - Malibu Springs Not-so-shady Spot Multi-Cache

Hidden : 3/26/2021
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Back in 2008, on September 24th, we hid a cache on this trail. It was called Malibu Springs Shady Spot (GC1GJT2). In late 2018, it, and dozens of other caches, was destroyed by the Woolsey Fire. We finally got around to seeing if any trace of it remained, but if there was anything, it likely got removed by the mop-up crews.

Rather than replace it - it was over a decade old, after all, and had over 80 Finds - we took an idea from gsmX2 and the rest of the OVC, and hid a new cache, using the OOTA tag: Out of the Ashes. Then we took a page from zdonb's book, and made it a three-stage multicache, just to give the area a bit more variety.

We STRONGLY recommend using a hand-help GPSr for this multicache. A) cell service is iffy out here. B) updating each stage is generally easier with a dedicated GPSr than on any app on a cell phone, because of A), above.

The first stage is virtual. Go to the given coordinates. There you will see a telephone pole with a sign on it that asks you to keep an eye open for rugrats. On this pole is a vertical ID tag with seven digits and the letter 'E' at the bottom. The seven digits should be assigned to the letters 'T' thru 'Z', in order, from top to bottom. IOW, if the top digit is a 7, then 'T' = 7, and so on. Once you have done this, then the final coordinates will be found at...

N 34° 04.U[X-Y][Z-V-T]' W 118° 54.Y[U*V][T*W+X/Y]'

{NOTE: it may be possible to do this from home. If so, feel free, but you might want to stop at the actual coords to check your work, just in case. Checksum for the six computed digits is 27.}

Once you have the above coordinates worked out, continue on the road. At the second stage you will find a small bison tube, hanging on a wire. The Final coordinates are on a slip of paper inside. YOU DO NOT NEED TO OPEN THE TINY TUBE INSIDE THE BISON!! You can read the info without opening the tube. Please do NOT take this stage with you. 

The Final is on a trail which is easily accessed from several spots along Decker School Road. The hike to the cache is somewhere between 100 and 300 meters from the closest TH. If you continue on, you can get to other caches. You can make a nice loop of 3-4 miles, or set up a shuttle and hike down to Mulholland Highway, assuming that the road is open, or even down to PCH. Bring lots of water, as there is none that is drinkable anywhere in the Nicholas Flat area.

Good luck Have fun! Be safe.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

beqre bs bcrengvbaf

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)