Bruce Almighty (Burlington) #1 - Rock 'n' Wood Mystery Cache

This cache series pays tribute to the Bruce Trail, specifically to the portions of the trail in Burlington. This is the first in a series of 5 caches, which you will need to find, in sequential order, to locate the 6th and Final cache, after which, there will also be a Bonus cache.

The coordinates above are not the location of the cache, but of the recommended parking. To find the cache, you must solve the puzzle and use the formulas to determine the cache location.

These caches are NOT bicycle, stroller or wheelchair friendly. They are are not recommended for night caching, as the terrain would make them very dangerous. The shortest hike is about 1km, round-trip and the longest could be around 4km or more round-trip. All caches are just off the Bruce Trail, in Burlington.

These caches, though challenging, will reward you with some of the most beautiful hikes this area has to offer. Some are magical and mysterious, some are breathtaking. All, at some point, offer beautiful views. May you enjoy these areas as much as I did in discovering them.

The Story:

When my family moved from Scotland to Canada in 1966, we soon settled in the Mount Nemo area of Burlington. Growing up on the Niagara Escarpment gave us a wonderful and rich childhood, exploring the caves and forests near our home. The summers seemed endless, as we hiked and camped on the Bruce Trail yet were seldom far from home.  This heaven was our playground!

As a "grown-up", I also spent quite a lot of time on the Bruce Peninsula, and I am proud to know that this rich ecological area has now been designated as a Unesco World Biosphere, and therefore the entire escarpment and trail system, from Niagara Falls to Tobermory, will remain a highly-protected area that our families will enjoy forever.

The history of Bruce County, and therefore the peninsula and the trails, can be traced back to James Bruce, the 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, who in 1854, became Canada's first modern Governor General. The watercolours of his wife, Lady Elgin, are an important glimpse into Canadian life a century and a half ago, when Canada became a democracy. Lord and Lady Elgin, as they were known, "helped to change the role of the Governor General, adding an active cultural and social dimension that reached out to all parts of Canadian society. Together, they created what we might call the modern vice regal couple." - His Excellency John Ralston Saul.

So one day, when I was thinking about the "Almighty Bruce" trail and how its passage through Burlington has impacted my life so greatly, my stream of conciousness jumped to "Bruce Almighty," the film in which Jim Carrey plays Bruce Nolan, who is forced to fill in for God, as played by Morgan Freeman. That got me thinking that I could do a series of caches around the Bruce idea and in a quick brainstorming session, Michelle and I came up with Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Willis, Bruce Cockburn, Bruce Hornsby, Bruce Dern, Bruce Lee and even, at a bit of a stretch Robert the Bruce, who it turns out, is related to the Earl.

I decided to make it a mystery cache series, where the thrust was based on Bruces, words, the trail and escarpment and the movie, all at once, avoiding math as much as I could. (Unfortunately, the last bit didn't quite work out. It seems math is almost unavoidable!) I hope you enjoy it.

To find the final cache, you must find the first five caches, in order:

• Bruce Almighty (Burlington) #1 - Rock 'n' Wood
• Bruce Almighty (Burlington) #2 - "Gorge"ous
• Bruce Almighty (Burlington) #3 - Cavelet
• Bruce Almighty (Burlington) #4 - 's Bruce right?
• Bruce Almighty (Burlington) #5 - Cavelet, too!

• Bruce Almighty (Burlington) Final - Ancient Glade
• Bruce Almighty (Burlington) Bonus - What a Blast!

One of the coolest things we discovered while doing research for this series is that the name "Bruce" means "Woods".  So fitting!  In celebration of that theme, the final cache will be filled with all natural objects, or things made from them.  A piece of wood, a rock, a seashell, a carved statue, a soapstone figurine - all of these would qualify.  Please try to trade only items fitting that theme at the final cache.

Don't forget! Since the puzzle will be needed for all calculations and the information for the calculations can only be found at each cache, you would be well-advised to take a printed copy of the finished puzzle with you, to ALL caches.  I would also recommend that you take WATER with you on all of these hikes.

The BRUCE ALMIGHTY word puzzle:

You will notice that the puzzle has a NORTH axis to the left (vertical) and a WEST axis at the top and bottom (horizontal).  Each individual letter, therefore, has a value for NORTH and a value for WEST.  For example, if you look at the top row, you will note that the third letter in is a "J".  Reading from the numbers at the left and the top, this would give THAT "J" a NORTH value of 1 and a WEST value of 3.

At each cache, you will find a word with two circled letters on a card taped to the inside of the lid.  This will also be on the first page of each log book.  Be sure to note the exact letters AND the word they are in, since they will be needed to find the next cache, as well as the final cache.

This is a multi-cache. To find Stage 1, use the word “Niagara Falls”. Add the North value for the G to the North value for the F, and disregarding the decimal, add to 21.257 to get the North coordinate. Add the West value for G to the West value for F, and disregarding the decimal, add to 51.215 to get the West coordinate. There you will find the coordinates for the actual cache. Note: Please be very careful at or around this cache site. The ground is very uneven and very deceiving.

1. N 43° and W 079° are always assumed.
2. Always remove decimal point before calculations and replace it after calculations.
3. Many of the trails cross private property. Please respect land owners and stick to the trails. Do not take shortcuts. All caches can be most easily reached by following the trails. The longest bushwhack is 65m, at cache #3.
4. It is strongly suggested that you do all calculations as soon as you find a cache, before moving on or returning to your car. =:-)

   Time for some additional notes (October 8, 2006): Since many cachers have taken this series on, often making the same "mistakes", I've decided to add a few notes, which I originally left out, simply in the interest of trying to cut down on the already overly long texts. Hopefully, these will be of benefit for those in the midst of the series and those yet to take it on.

5. The caches DO get progressively longer. It is not your imagination. They were deliberately designed that way.
6. Caches 2 & 3 are designed to be done together, without returning to your vehicle in between. They can certainly be done separately, but knowing they were planned to be done together may help you.
7. Cache 5, The Final and the Bonus, were also designed to be done together, if at all possible. They, too, can, of course, be done separately, but you may miss out on some of the enjoyment and some of the beautiful views.
8. When you are at Cache 5 and you calculate where the final is, you PROBABLY have not made a mathematical error. It really is that far!
9. Given the above information, if you are looking for an after-work hike, these may not be for you. However, if you enjoy a good, strenuous after-work hike and at certain times of the year, are prepared in case it gets dark, Caches 1, 4 and the Bonus might be an option. 2 is also possible, but you may regret not doing 2 & 3 at once.

Near the beginning of the film Bruce Almighty, the character Bruce Nolan, played by Jim Carrey, exclaims the name of a Southern Ontario cacher. If you happen to know that name, you can have an opportunity to find the bonus cache without having found the previous six caches. This could allow you to be the first finder on the bonus cache, or to do this cache on a day when you don’t have time to do the entire series.

If you know that name, reading backwards on the puzzle chart, starting at the bottom right, spell the name. As you come to the first occurrence of each letter, without ever back-tracking, note the North and West values for each letter until you have completed the name.

Disregarding the decimals, add the North values of all the letters to 25.277 and the West values of all the letters to 52.370 to find the cache.