Official Stuff
This cache is hidden inside the Nicholson Public Library with permission. Current library hours are:
Monday: 10 AM to 5 PM
Tuesday: 10 AM to 6 PM
Wednesday: 10 AM to 5 PM
Thursday: 10 AM to 6 PM
Friday: 10 AM to 5 PM
Saturday: 10 AM to 2 PM
Note that holidays may affect closing times and they are subject to change. Please check before heading out.
This cache was hidden by the Georgia Geocaching Puzzling Society (GGPS). See a description of our group at the end of this cache page!
Note that the difficulty rating of the puzzle is a 4.0. The actual hide is a 2.0.
This Cache
The cache is NOT at the posted coordinates.
This cache is meant to be a review of topics covered in previous GGPS events!
The puzzle is divided into four sections. Inside each section are 5 "clues". You will solve the puzzle by doing the following:
- In each section, solve the five clues. Each clue will be a single word.
- Review the 5 words in each section. One of the words will not go with the others. Make note of this word. Be advised that the reason the word "does not belong" is different in each case. It can be definition, spelling, word structure, or more. Review carefully!
- After you complete the exercises, you will now have four words. One of the four words does not go with the others. Remove that word.
- You now will be left with three words. Use the three words to find a QR code near the final that will reveal a map to the ultimate location of the cache!
Note that there may be multiple concepts mixed together (For example, the solution to a map puzzle may require ROT13 to get the actual word). Be on your toes!
We have created a worksheet to keep track of your answers. You may find it useful to print and use to keep trackk of your work. You can download the document here.
Enjoy! You can do it!
Review 1: Basic Codes
At our second GGPS event, we covered how "codes" and one cipher (a book cipher) can be used in puzzles. We covered things like book ciphers, Morse code, braille, ASCII, unique codes (like "Birds on a Wire" or semaphore), Bacon, binary,
Solve each of the 5 exercises below. Each presented code will reveal a single-word answer. Make note of the word that "does not belong"
Exercise 1-1
Exercise 1-2
I was walking down a trail one day and singing one of my favorite songs. The chorus went like this:
Battleships confide in me and tell me where you are,
Shining, flying, purple wolfhound, show me where you are,
Lost in summer, morning, winter, travel very far,
Lost in musing circumstances, that's just where you are
I don't know why, but right after I started singing it, I couldn't get some names out of my head!! I just kept thinking this:
Jefferson, Jackson, Washington
Jefferson, Jackson, Madison
Madison, Van Buren, Jefferson
Adams, Washington, Madison
Jefferson, Madison, Washington
All of a sudden, I had a word!
Exercise 1-3
LXXXIV, CV, CIX, CXII, XCVII, CX, CV, CI, CXV
Exercise 1-4
🍔🍔🍔🌭🍔🍔🌭🍔🌭🌭🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🌭🍔🍔🌭🌭🌭🍔🍔🌭🌭🍔🍔🌭🍔🍔🌭🍔🍔🍔🌭🍔🌭🍔🍔🍔🍔🌭🌭🍔🌭🍔🍔🌭🌭🍔
Exercise 1-5
Ruby-Gold-Platinum-Diamond Topaz-Silver-Garnet-Sapphire Iron-Amethyst-Tin-Aluminum Emerald-Emerald-Emerald Iron-Sapphire-Sapphire-Iron Silver-Silver-Silver-Silver Diamond-Diamond-Diamond Topaz-Zinc Chromium
Final for Exercise 1
You should now have 5 words. Find the one word that does not belong (Note: the reason it may not belong can be anything!). Make note of this word.
Review 2: Solving Puzzles with Ciphers
At our third GGPS event, we covered using ciphers in creating puzzles. The main ciphers used were Playfair, Four Square, and Vigenère!
Solve each of the 5 exercises below. Each presented code will reveal a single-word answer. Make note of the word that "does not belong"
Exercise 2-1
Message: Sm' Ottqqda tusbac dgnh esh hc ngkzxqw t hslk! Wea hcmi usv'pt mscfgbi gcm db eipthpngez
Cipher News Reporter (CNR): Hey! Lord Playfair! What's a great passcode for some encrypted text?
Lord Playfair: I really like to use my friend, Charlie's last name!
Exercise 2-2
Message: Qca nhltghqqt bs xlot skmoschl xhsi bs ykhqamtqq!!
This code isn’t PLAYFAIR or VIGENERE, but it is somewhat similar! You have what it takes to square it up and get what you came four!!
Exercise 2-3
Message: NLI (Weggav) KR (Bbicmg) IHHT (Zrj) XH (Xzrkg)
I don’t care how good your vision is, this code is indecipherable! And speaking of indecipherable, what was the last name of the guy that was in charge of the team that cracked the enigma machine in World War II???
Exercise 2-4
Message: Fzjyfjzxlwzdueuaxftjcpnfjhmretlntiown
My friend Giovan Bellaso likes to say, “From A-Z, Alpha to Omega, or even A-Я, these things sure make writing a lot easier, not to mention decoding ciphers!!“
Exercise 2-5
Message: sitprkcwtikrqnpkzacpqmnqraipfrswhhiomn
I was talking with my friend, the Baron (from St. Andrews), and he would not stop talking about how in 1869, Dmitri Mendeleev created the framework for what would become the modern ______ _____!!!!
Final for Exercise 2
You should now have 5 words. Find the one word that does not belong (Note: the reason it may not belong can be anything!). Make note of this word.
Review 3: Solving Puzzles with Images
At our fourth GGPS event, we covered using images in creating puzzles. We covered a lot of methods like hiding information in the picture itself, creating puzzles using pictures, adding a text message to a picture file, using the properties of the picture to hide clues, and even using steganography!
Solve each of the 5 exercises below. Each presented code will reveal a single-word answer. Make note of the word that "does not belong"
Exercise 3-1
Exercise 3-2
Exercise 3-3
Exercise 3-4
Exercise 3-5
Final for Exercise 3
You should now have 5 words. Find the one word that does not belong (Note: the reason it may not belong can be anything!). Make note of this word.
Review 4: Solving Puzzles with Maps
At our fifth GGPS event, we covered using maps and map-related things in creating puzzles. We covered alternative coordinate formats, coordinate math, projecting bearings, Google Maps (including street view and Google Earth) and more!
Solve each of the 5 exercises below. Each presented code will reveal a single-word answer. Make note of the word that "does not belong"
Exercise 4-1
Go to 11SPV6446696080. You are looking for a large, 5-letter word in blue letters.
Exercise 4-2
Go to 15S 767940mE 3893136mN. You will need to search for a large sign with a 7-letter word.
Exercise 4-3
Go to the opposite side of the world from -37.35785,90.84408. Once on the opposite side of the world ride a short distance in the southbound lane and look for a green sign. What is the name of the city that is more than 7, but less than 183 miles away? (One word)
Exercise 4-4
Go to the opposite side of the world from 4PH4PG2P+R8X4545. Once on the opposite side of the world, project a waypoint from that spot. The distance is 2,648,448 inches and the bearing is the freezing point of water in the United States, plus 7/10th's of a degree. What is the name of the city you are now in? (One word)
Exercise 4-5
Start with the coordinates 27 26' 36.6" -081 15' 13.86". Now, add 10.818762 degrees to the north coordinates and add 13,694.21 seconds to the absolute value of the West coordinates, and then multiply the calculated West Coords sum by -1. What city are you now in?
Final for Exercise 4
You should now have 5 words. Find the one word that does not belong (Note: the reason it may not belong can be anything!). Make note of this word.
Final Review
You should now have 4 words (one word from each exercise). One of the words is not like the others. Remove that word and you will now have three words.
You can use those three words to get the coordinates (checker available below). You will need to go to that location and scan a QR code to get a map to the final cache location!
Checker
You can validate your solution with the Certitude checker below!
About the Georgia Geocaching Puzzling Society
The Georgia Geocaching Puzzling Society was created in 2022 to support the Georgia puzzling community. The goals of the organization revolve around the three "E's":
- Educate: teach important skills and help geocachers find important resources to help them solve puzzles.
- Encourage: Encourage people to look at puzzles and develop a love of puzzling and hide more puzzle caches!
- Engage: We want to engage and create a community that supports creating and solving puzzles in Georgia!
We hold events the last weekend of the month in various locations. You can search for "GGPS" to see all of our scheduled events!