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A Painful Introspection Mystery Cache

Hidden : 3/4/2004
Difficulty:
4 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:


Gosh, I'm very sorry, but the cache is not at the posted coordinates. It's close, but you'll get wet looking there. Sure, I could have posted the real coords, but I've put out too many easy caches lately. Some were even lame drive-by caches. It pains me to admit it, but that's the truth.

"Reexamine what were the most memorable caches you've found in the game", I told myself. "And emulate those." Of our best caches, IMHO, those math puzzles put out by jelong/LazerBlazer or the multicaches of Yoyo-man caused me many frustrating enjoyable hours that I'd like to pay back. To think back, and concentrate on those memorable caches, will hopefully reawaken my creativity. On every geocacher's shoulders rests the responsibility to maintain a high standard of cache placement. I alone am to blame for the decline of my caches. My creative abilities have lately festered somewhere between inept and complacent. It's time to reach for new heights, or at least return back to the level at which I once hid caches I was proud of.

So let me think back to some more of those outstanding caches that set the standard....

There's Trailerman's "Counterfeit Blend", Mtn-man's "33 1/3", several caches by Ramness570. The goofy and tricky caches of Skeetman/Ga. GeoDude and of mrplug are good for inspiration. Then there are the great hikes experienced thanks to caches of the Lacys, Georgia Hikes, and Trailfrogs. For real physical challenges (at least for me) there's Sparc77's "Starhopping" odyssey, followed by Johnnie's "Moolah". Not to forget the cliffhanger "Band of Brothers". But back to the cerebral rather than physical challenges...

The mental sleight of hand tricks of Yellow Jacket with his "Ultimate Puzzle Cache" and the nocturnal pleasures of his "Night Owl Walk" are some of our most memorable. Trez eroded my psyche big time with some of his caches. I still can't believe he had me snorkeling under a floating dock for "Pirate Trezure".
I really got into code caches like "Dispatch for Thomas Jefferson", "Entrance to Hades" and the P.I.T.A. series, but I can't believe I spent hours with a calculator or researching codes on the internet when I could have been out hiking.
On each cache hunt there are challenges. The best caches involve the greatest challenges. It can involve a convoluted code like that in "Beale's Box" to analyze, "Rock Town's" terrible satellite reception, or the knee twisting final stage of a cache that will remain unnamed.

It would be great to keep listing my most memorable caches, and pay tribute to those who placed them, but I know you really just want to know how to find this cache. Well, it's your basic large ammocan. I may tell you more later if necessary, but I suspect those who have enjoyed many of the same caches I've struggled with will soon know where to look.

2008 Outstanding Cache

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

[It's a somewhat lame hint], ohg guvax bs gur inevbhf zrnavatf bs gur jbeqf pbzcevfvat gur anzr bs gur pnpur. Gel gb nccyl gubfr zrnavatf ng gjb bgure yriryf orfvqrf gur boivbhf bar bs gur jevgre pbagrzcyngvat uvf pnpurf naq gubfr bs bguref. Gel gb nccyl vg gb gur pnpur cntr vgfrys naq gura yngre gel gb nccyl vg gb gur nern uvqvat gur pnpur. Gur jbeq "cnvashy", sbe rknzcyr, zvtug zrna "ynobevbhf" va gur svefg pnfr. Vg zvtug zrna "bhpu", yvxr jvgu zl "Pnoyr Pebffvat" pnpur, va gur frpbaq pnfr. Fvzvyneyl, gur jbeq "vagebfcrpgvba" pna vzcyl qvssrerag guvatf ng qvssrerag yriryf. Ng gur npghny pnpur fvgr vg zvtug zrna gur boivbhf - gung gur pnpur vf VA fbzrguvat. Zber pevgvpnyyl, gubhtu, ybbx VAjneqyl ng gur pnpur cntr. Qba'g ybbx ng be sbe nalguvat RKgreany gb gur cntr, vtaber RKgenavbhf pbagrag ba gur cntr. Whfg ybbx VAjneq sbe jung lbh xabj lbh arrq gb svaq gur pnpur. [Alright, a less obtuse hint]: Lbh arrq pbbeqf gb svaq gur pnpur. Pbbeqf ner ahzoref. NYY gur ahzoref ner ba gur cntr. Lbh whfg arrq gb svaq gur ahzoref. Ubj ryfr pna V fcryy vg bhg?

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)