Feather in your cap Mystery Cache
BeechCachers: Due to a visit by the Grinch during the Holiday Season, this cache is being disabled. Thanks to all who played the game!
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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in our disclaimer.
In honor of S finding his 500th Geocache
*Note the cache is not at the coordinates listed above*
Feather in Your Cap
Geocaching. The name does not, at first, raise even a small alarm in those who incidentally think they can dabble, but the addictive power of the GPS and the call of the cache combined can be life changing. This is one story......
S was an average family man - husband, father, fisherman and all around good guy. Fishing was his favorite hobby and his extra time, money and thoughts were spent either fishing or wishing he was fishing. He woke thinking of trout, he showered thinking of wide-mouth bass, he fell asleep with memories of his ocean catch - shark and tuna beyond count. But that all changed with one little purchase.
A GPS - three little initials. Global Positioning System. Who knew that they would be the beginning of an obsession that would lead us to this day. Steve's purchase of the GPS started innocently enough. He wanted to mark his territory, to be able to exactly pinpoint that perfect fishing hole so that he could return to it and enjoy reeling in the perfect catch. This innocent purchase, though, took S on trails he had no intention of traveling when he bought the GPS. One purchase led to the door of a new reality called Geocaching.
He was just experimenting. He was just giving it a try. He and no intention of getting hooked when first he held the GPS in his palm. But his experimentation took him on a road of obsession that continues today. His first cache he approached with nominal interest. He loaded the coordinates, he followed the instruction and he was transformed. In the process he found himself filled with the primal urges of fulfilling the hunt, of stalking his prey, of reaching and defeating his foe. As he held the first cache in his hand, the surge of hunter coursed through his system and the hunt had begun. Caches came more often and in order to keep the high, more and more difficult cashes were sought. Soon he was involved n multiple cashing, driving to different states and in all sorts of territories to fulfill the need. The inevitable occurred. He soon became a dealer - he not only located caches, but started planting them for others to find. He though of cleaver ways to entice hunters to participate in his hunts and keep them coming back for more. This then is the man who stands before you now with 500 caches completed. An object of admiration, an object of bemusement. A Geocaching man.
Three GPSr's, many a rigged holding unit, several DNF's and countless run-ins with muggles later, S continues on his quest to complete a cache is all 50 states. K continues to be his trusty sidekick now that S has loosened his grip on the GPSr and allowed her to be assimilated.
In honor of S locating his 500th cache, K thought she would put together a cache that tested one's true knowledge of this addiction. The answers to these questions can all be found online at Geocaching.com. There is a special geoswag item for the first 10 geocachers to complete the puzzle. You will also need to bring a pen in order to sign the log.
Enjoy!
1. What was the original name given to the idea that sparked the game?
2. What was the name of the website where the first coordinates for this idea posted?
3. What was the date of this posting?
4. What were the actual coordinates?
5. Who coined the name Geocaching?
6. What was the official launch date of the current website?
7. How many caches were known to be in existence as of this date from question 6?
8. How many media outlets reported on Geocaching in the year 2000? (Only count the ones specifically named on the website)
9. What are the basic rules of Geocaching?
10. What is the oldest active cache in Kansas?
11. What are the coordinates for the oldest cache listed on www.geocaching.com?
12. There are several caches that were hidden prior to the existence of the game. Name one of these and the date that the cache was hidden.
Now that you have the answers to these questions, plug the numbers in as follows:
N 37 A . B
W 096 C . 0D
A= (# of words in the answer for #1)+(# of letters in the ans. for #5)+(answer #9)+24
B= (# of letters in the answer to #2)+(M+D+Y of question #6) - (sum of all N coordinates from question #10) -320
C= (M+D+Y from question #3) - (results from question #7) - (sum of all the coordinates from question #11) - 366
D= (sum of W coordinates from question #4 divided by 11) – (answer from question #8) - 19
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur TP anzr vf n unaql jnl gb frnepu. Pbbeqvangr gbgnyf rdhny ubhef + zvahgrf + frpbaqf