Z Mountain Mystery Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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The listed coordinates are NOT the real coord’s. Don’t go there! Solve this puzzle instead. Fun hike with lots of elevation gain. PLEASE confirm coord's with me before going up there; Z Mountain is just over 9000 feet above sea level. There are passwords for a couple of other caches in the log book.
I eventually learned the real name of this peak after calling it Z Mountain for years, but I like my name better. Count traditional vowels to get the actual coordinates of the cache. Can anyone solve it without a dictionary?
40 1A.BCD
111 3E.FGH
A = Blue whales prefer this snack 2 to 1.
B = The highest point in the heavens
C = A religion of ancient Persia + What Phil Jackson is the master of
D = John the Baptist’s father + A metallic element often used as a coating for iron and steel (I also read somewhere that if you get enough of this element, it helps you remember your dreams. Who knows?)
E = Too much of this eager and ardent interest can get you in over your head (Geography should eliminate one of the two possible answers here, or just choose the longer option.)
F = An astrological circle + A percussion instrument that sounds like it should be in this puzzle + A sweet bread that is sliced and toasted again after the initial baking
G = The type of antics practiced by Krusty the Clown
H = A type of ox with a large fleshy hump native to India + What every newly engaged woman should beware of + The sixth letter of the Greek alphabet
As it stands, this cache involves some substantial uphill bushwhacking as well as lots of elevation gain. We placed this cache in a loop while getting GCW8YC MAPLE FLATS Cache, but don’t necessarily recommend that route. We’re not sure if there is a trail to this peak or not. We went up through Slide Canyon and took a right (south) at the trail sign towards Slate Canyon. This brought us around to the back side of Z Mountain. At the highest point between the two canyons, we then bushwhacked to the west up a steep, brushy slope. That is the worst part. We soon reached flatter ground and had a nice hike around trees and snowy patches with plenty of open area to navigate. We circled around to the south end of the ridge which led us right to the summit without losing elevation. That is the route I would take going and returning right now, maybe making a loop into Slate Canyon. There are three or four cairns up top even though we couldn't see a trail. The cache is NOT in any of these obvious cairns in the open.
We ended up bushwhacking down the northwest side of the mountain several hundred feet to Maple Flats. The bushwhack was pleasant compared to a scrub oak slope, but very long. We took the much shorter trail north from Maple Flats back down to Slide Canyon and saw a small trail branching off and heading up the slope to the south. This may be a trail up, but we don’t know. Good luck!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur pnpur gvgyr naq chmmyr ner gurzrq. Haqre ebpxf abegu bs ovt ebpx.
Treasures
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