GC53D9 A Little History and A Birds Eye View
Type: Multi | Size: Regular | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: MegaVar @ | Hide Date: 05/02/2002 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N37° 17.700 W107° 52.202 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 6

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This is a four-part multi cache where you gather information and perhaps learn a little history along the way. The information is required to solve puzzles and determine the coordinates for the next location. The whole route is about 5.75 miles one-way and depending on how it is approached, could take a full day to complete.

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The first four locations are all accessible by car, but riding a bike or walking will make this quest a little more scenic and enjoyable experience. The path between the first four locations is paved and generally level.

A hike of about a mile, along a dirt path and up a fairly steep grade is required for the final cache location. Look for the trailhead about a quarter mile west of location #4, just off CR 211. The elevation at the final cache is about 7580 ft. For those who would rather drive, there is a rough road that approaches the final cache site from the west. You’ll still have to hike a little ways, but most of the grade change is eliminated.

Once at the final cache location, you’ll be looking for a small ammo box filled with the usual stuff, a logbook, a pencil, some knick-knacks, and a few other goodies. Log your find on the website and in the logbook. Let us know what you thought of this cache hunt and any interesting stories concerning your quest. Be sure not to leave any information that might spoil it for others.

Enter the coordinates given at the top of the page and find the first location. The information required to complete the first puzzle should be easy to find once you’ve arrived at the coordinates. Oh, and you’ll also need the following letter=number associations to complete some of the puzzles. Good luck and have fun.

A = 9 / B = 16 / C = 22 / D = 3 / E = 19/ F = 23/ G = 13/ H = 17 / I = 21 / J = 18 / K = 15 / L = 2
M = 24 / N = 10 / O = 20 / P = 4 / Q = 11 / R = 25 / S = 8 / T = 26 / U = 7 / V = 5 / W = 14
X = 1 / Y = 12 / Z = 6

Puzzle 1
Replace X's with word or date.
XXXXXX City was originally founded in XXXX and was incorporated into Durango in XXXX.

The coordinates for the next location are N 37° 16.ABC W 107° 52.DEB where
A is the fourth digit of the date the city was incorporated into Durango.
BC is the number corresponding to the third letter in the name of the city.
D is the last digit of the date the city was founded.
E is A minus B minus D.

Enter these new coordinates into your GPS receiver and head off to the next location.

Puzzle 2
Replace X's with dates.
The greatest flood of the Animas River occurred in October, XXXX. The most recent flood occurred in XXXX.

The coordinates for the next location are N 37° 15.ABC W 107° 52.CDB where
A is one less than C.
B is one less than A.
C is the third digit of the year of the most recent flood.
D is the last two digits of the year of the greatest flood added together.

Enter the new coordinates into your GPS receiver and take off for the next location.

Puzzle 3
Replace the X's with words or dates.
“Either they or we must go, and we are not going…” This statement appeared in the XXXXXX XXXXX in XXXX. The ‘they’ is referring to the XXX XXXXXXX.

The coordinates for the next location are N 37° 14.AAB W 107° 52.CDB where
A is the fourth digit in the date the statement was made.
B is the number corresponding to the first letter of the people referred to in the statement minus the third digit in the date the statement was made plus 1.
C is the number corresponding to the first letter of the name of the paper the statement appeared in.
D is one less than A.

Enter the new coordinates and we’re off to the next location.

Puzzle 4
Replace the X's with words.
The sawmill that once was operated across the river was owned by XXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX.

The coordinates for the final cache site are N 37° 15.ABC W 107° 53.BDE where
A is the number corresponding to the first letter of the owner’s last name divided by 2.
B is the number corresponding to the first letter of the owner’s first name divided by 6.
C is A minus B.
D is the number corresponding to the first letter of the owner’s middle name.
E is the number corresponding to the fourth letter of the owner’s middle name divided by 2.

Enter the last set of coordinates into your GPS receiver, make sure you have some water and lets go find the cache. Oh boy. This is going to be great. Success at last.

06/02/2019 By AutumnEB
FINALLY took me two trips but I got it. Tftc!!

05/30/2019 By MegaVar
I checked this multi cache today all is intact.

05/29/2019 By IgnotusPeverell
Greetings. A string of DNFs and a Needs Archived log brought this geocache to my attention. After reviewing the geocache page, I believe the geocachers who logged these were looking for a physical container, instead of doing the substitutions on a sign for coordinates, as explained on the geocache page:

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Enter the coordinates given at the top of the page and find the first location. The information required to complete the first puzzle should be easy to find once you’ve arrived at the coordinates. Oh, and you’ll also need the following letter=number associations to complete some of the puzzles. Good luck and have fun.

A = 9 / B = 16 / C = 22 / D = 3 / E = 19/ F = 23/ G = 13/ H = 17 / I = 21 / J = 18 / K = 15 / L = 2
M = 24 / N = 10 / O = 20 / P = 4 / Q = 11 / R = 25 / S = 8 / T = 26 / U = 7 / V = 5 / W = 14
X = 1 / Y = 12 / Z = 6

Puzzle 1
Replace X's with word or date.
XXXXXX City was originally founded in XXXX and was incorporated into Durango in XXXX.

The coordinates for the next location are N 37° 16.ABC W 107° 52.DEB where
A is the fourth digit of the date the city was incorporated into Durango.
BC is the number corresponding to the third letter in the name of the city.
D is the last digit of the date the city was founded.
E is A minus B minus D.

Enter these new coordinates into your GPS receiver and head off to the next location.

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I will not be disabling this geocache, as I feel it is most likely intact. If the signage is missing, then we can proceed a different route. Thanks,

IgnotusPeverell
Volunteer Reviewer

09/27/2017 By TeamChewbacca
Was really looking forward to finding the first clue, but no luck! Any hints? I even looked for LPC, nothing!

08/27/2017 By jdjames123
Sad

08/27/2017 By jdjames123
Did not find

07/28/2015 By JustFindingOurWay
Wonderful hike from the gate about 2 miles to the west. Loved the history and the views. SL with Kennolia. Rescued the TB. Left a Jokers Wild pin and a McPhee jewel from the Cowboy series in Cortez. Well deserving a Favorite!

This entry was edited by justfindingourway on Tuesday, 28 July 2015 at 22:14:13 UTC.

08/29/2014 By ccarolinecc
Very cool! Tough hike

08/29/2014 By 3xSilly
Took about half a day to gather the puzzle clues. The hike took us lowlanders a bit to do, but we nailed it. Left a TB and a coin for a free drink should you make it out to Vegas. Game On!

10/06/2013 By wing6rider
We arrived in town and used this cache to familiarise ourselves with the area. We had fun finding all the waypoints. Today we planned to go to GZ but once at the trail, we lacked the necessary energy and enthusiasm! Slack I know but we did find some others nearby that were much easier! Thanks for the tour!

08/16/2013 By DurangoDurham
Just wanted to let everyone know that the access to the fourth (final) puzzle location is a little harder to get to. There is construction in the area and the path that leads to the information sign is technically closed. However, there is a detour and it wasn't actually hard to get to the location. There are no physical barriers or anything. Just some caution tape.

No need to let this deter you right now, just know that the access might change.

08/16/2013 By DurangoDurham
Thank you so much for placing this cache. The view is beautiful. I had completed the first two puzzles about a month ago and then finished today with a friend and her dog. The challenge of the hiking was rewarded by the view and the solace found at the top.

07/01/2013 By Inmountains
I just gave this cache a "favorite point" as it was my very first cache find.