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Theseus Duo Mystery Cache

This cache has been archived.

RheS: The maze needed to solve the puzzle is no longer available. I am disabling this now, although I have no reason to doubt that the cache is still in place. I will try to revive it as a non-puzzle of some sort.

Thanks to all who solved it... and also those who tried.

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Hidden : 6/12/2004
Difficulty:
3.5 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

This cache (which is a repeat of one of my (Bigcall's) VA caches) is based on the mythical story of Theseus and the Minotaur. Instead of a single maze, Theseus (you) must navigate through a series of mazes and collect the codes associated with their completion. The codes are then required to locate the caches true location. The real challenge here is defeating the Minotaur.


This cache is not too close to the coordinates given above, although that is certainly an interesting place. Solve the puzzles as described below to compute the coordinates of the cache.

Try this link to the mazes here, but not the prettier expanded version there, because although it has been extended to more mazes, it does not output the codes you will need. The rules and story can all be found through various links on this page, as well as the solution to a couple of the mazes for those who need help starting off. All of the credit for these mazes goes to Toby Nelson and Robert Abbott, whose web sites are referenced above.

It may take you a little while to figure out the basic moves, but after that it's all about defeating the mechanical bull. You will need to write down the 4-letter code you see when you beat a particular maze. While you may not need them all to find the cache, I refer to all 10 maze result codes in the solution.

To get the coordinates:
Convert the individual letters to numbers using a basic system of A=1, B=2, ... Y=25, Z=26 and do the following math.

For brevity's sake the key for below is:
Maze solution # (1-15), letter #(1-4) - Maze solution #, letter #. So if Maze 1's answer code is GKLX and Maze 2's is AKWR then (1,4) - (2,3) = X - W = 24 - 23 = 1.

North latitude in standard dd mm.mmm format:
(3,4) - (1,1)
(2,1) - (1,3)
(4,1) - (5,3)
(6,4) - (8,1)
(10,2) - (10,3)
(10,4) - (7,2)
(6,3) - (5,1)

West longitude also in dd mm.mmm format:
(2,4) - (3,1)
(4,2) - (3,3)
(7,4) - (9,1)
(1,2) - (7,1)
(7,3) - (6,2)
(8,2) - (2,3)
(9,4) - (4,3)

The mazes are meant to be fun, they do not have to be done in any particular order but a learning process evolves if done in near order.

The final cache is an ammo box that should be relatively easy to locate once you have the proper coordinates, although the final few feet may be a tad more difficult. The location could be busy so please keep an eye out and hide it well.

Good luck on freeing Theseus, email me with any questions or problems. I can/will provide a check sum of the coordinates for those who are stuck or for anyone who just wants to verify their answer.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Uvqqra va snyyra gerr haqre znal yrnirf nobhg 10 srrg sebz srapr. Chg gur yrnirf onpx!

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)