Divine Comedy, Part 1: Inferno Traditional Cache
Divine Comedy, Part 1: Inferno
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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The first part of a series of three geocaches
Divine Comedy, Part 1:
Inferno
Parking can be found at these coordinates for all three
geocaches in this series:
N43° 58.577
W80° 01.602
At the trailhead, there are steps over the fence.
I have had the idea to use The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri for
a series of three geocaches for quite a while.
I was ready to give up, believing that it would be difficult to
undertake this journey. Then I thought, just hide three caches! As
an added incentive, I received three containers from Tylor2100 and
res2100 for my birthday. So I was suddenly committed to the
idea.
The Author and the Book
The Divine Comedy was one of the greatest literary works of the
Middle Ages and continues to be one of the greatest works of world
literature today. It was written in 1307-1308 by Dante Alighieri.
Dante was born in Florence, Italy in 1265 and died in Venice in
1321.
The Divine Comedy details the author’s imagined journey from Hell
to Paradise. It is a weaving together of pagan myth, literature,
philosophy, theology, sciences (physics, astrology, cartography,
mathematics), history and politics into a complex poem. It was
originally written in the Italian dialect (rather than Latin) so
that it could be widely read. The effect of its greatness was
immediately felt: the book was already being studied at
universities starting in 1320.
I am including drawings by the French artist, Paul Gustave Doré
(1832-1883) since they capture the essence of the poem so well.
The Geocaches
This is a series of three geocaches:
Divine Comedy, Part 1: Inferno
(GCR07E)
Divine Comedy, Part 2: Purgatorio
(GCR0AW)
Divine Comedy, Part 3: Paradiso
(GCR0BF)
I tried to find a place which would take people down to a valley
which was kind of scary and rocky and then allow them to take the
slow ascent up to the heavens with a scenic view at the other side.
We couldn’t really find anything exactly like that but did our best
in the Hockley Valley area.
It makes sense to do the three caches in order but it does not
have to be so. There is some back-tracking involved. Each part is a
separate geocache and each is a small Tupperware-type container
with trade items and a logbook.
Dante’s was a journey from Hell to Heaven but your
journey, Geocaching Pilgrims, will just be a nice, long walk in the
woods!
Divine Comedy, Part 1: Inferno
Follow the blue blazes of the Peter Beecham Side Trail in Hockley
Valley. Down. Down. All the way down, to hell. Well, not really.
Find an unofficial trail which will take you to the domain of
Lucifer. Just kidding.
When I had journeyed half of our life's way,
I found myself within a shadowed forest,
for I had lost the path that does not stray.
Canto I, lines 1-3
The place that we had reached for our descent
along the bank was alpine; what reclined
upon that bank would, too, repel all eyes.
Canto 12, lines 1-3
by ear-there is a sounding stream that flows
along the hollow of a rock eroded
by winding waters, and the slope is easy.
Canto 34, lines 130-132
The next geocache: Divine Comedy,
Part 2: Purgatorio
GCR0AW
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Orgjrra gur genvy naq gur evire, va gur gnyy gjvfgl ebbgf bs n tenlvfu-juvgr 2 gehax gerr. Nobhg 5 zrgerf sebz gur habssvpvny genvy.
Treasures
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