Classified Information Mystery Cache

Cache is NOT hidden at the posted coordinates!  Trust me, you don’t want to swim here anyways.

For years there have been sightings of something odd in the waters near Wildwood Zoo.  People would see parts of a creature in the water or just a lot of bubbling.  It dates back to many years before the zoo was built, when the upper pond was still called Lake Mutroll.  No one could pinpoint exactly what the creature was as it didn’t seem like a normal animal.  People have speculated it was just something ordinary like a swimmer, a playful muskrat, a beaver, a floating log, a catfish, just a plain old duck, or a turtle sunning itself.  However, most people think it is something more mysterious in the waters of Lake Mutroll.    

Many times people combed the waters hoping to find the creature but nothing conclusive was ever found.  Some people think that they couldn’t find the creature since the lake is so deep, or perhaps the creature made its way down to lower Lake Mutroll.  Eventually people lost interest and eventually gave up looking for it.  They just figured it was a stray animal from the forest or in later years something that escaped from the zoo since it is so close.  Those people were partially correct.  There were indeed zoo animals in Lake Mutroll but they didn’t escape from the zoo….they were genetically engineering them and putting them there.  Creatures that would put Marshfield on the international map and get the attention of every scientist on the planet.  

A number of years back the long time zookeeper left to get a job higher up and for more pay somewhere else.  The truth is that he never left, he just got reassigned to a secret government project that has been operating for decades called the GSCP, the Giant Squid Crossover Project.  Their goal is to create and modify giant squids to be able to survive in fresh water.  They could then analyze them and study their habits in a more controlled environment than out in the wild.  The amount of information they could learn is vast and could cure many diseases and create many new products from the unique physiology that giant squids possess.  The benefits to humanity could be profound!!  If the project is successful Marshfield’s very own Wildwood Zoo would be known worldwide for giant squids.  I never thought I’d see the day!!

Solve the below puzzle to find the cache coordinates

Puzzle Instructions

1. The object of the puzzle is to discover where all giant squids are located by marking every square on the grid as containing either a giant squid (or part of a giant squid) or water
2. Giant squids can only be horizontal or vertical, they cannot be diagonal.  
3. Giant squids never overlap or touch each other, or the fisherman or orca horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
4. The immediate surrounding squares of a giant squid, fisherman or orca must be filled with water.
5. The numbers on the right and on the bottom of the grid indicate how many squares in that row or column contain part of a giant squid.
6. The number of giant squids in the puzzle, and the lengths of each, are below the puzzle.
7. Some giant squid pieces and water have already been placed to help get you started.
8. After the grid puzzle is solved and all giant squids are on the grid, use the letters above and to the left of the grid to come up with the numbers you need for the below math problems. For example, the upper left corner on the grid is KA, the next one to the right is KB, then KC, and so on...
9. If the spot you found on the grid contains a giant squid, the length of the entire giant squid is the number you need to use.  For example, if the spot OE contains any part of a giant squid that happens to be 2 sections long, count that spot as the number 2.
10. If the spot on the grid is water and does NOT contain any part of a giant squid count that spot as the number 0.
11. After solving the math problems plug in those numbers into the final cache coordinates.

Final Coordinates

N44 38.ABC
W90 11.DEF

A = ((SJ * PB) + RB - LI) + ((KF + MA) - (NA / TF)) 
B = ((TF * (OD * TJ)) + LH) - (NF + (MA - PC))    
C = ((SH + NF + OH) * (KB + OF)) - (MD - RC)   
D = (((36 / SJ) + (ND * SF)) - OA) / ((NH * QH) - (RA * NB))
E = ((LF * LJ) - SI) / ((PA + TH - MH) + LI)   
F = (((6 * OD) + QJ) - ((TI * KA) + MB)) / (QF * RC) 

Permission was given by Ben Steinbach, Parks Superintendent.  The large animal drive is open from 6:00am-10:30pm.  The best time to see giant squids is unknown at this time.