Mitchell Lake / Blue Lake Wilderness Photo Puzzle

GC5BH0H Unknown Cache

Mitchell Lake / Blue Lake Wilderness Photo Puzzle
Type: Mystery | Size: Micro Micro

| Difficulty: 3 out of 5

| Terrain: 4 out of 5

The cache is not here. This is the trailhead. If you are real lucky you may get to park nearby.

Physical waypoints are not allowed in the Wilderness, so photo waypoints have been used.

I first thought of a wilderness cache technique while hiking West Snowmass Creek and implemented it in the original version of this cache. Unfortunately, that technique was unworkable, so I came up with a new mechanism and have redesigned the cache.

Physical waypoints are not allowed in the Wilderness, so Photo waypoints are used. Proceed to each of the Reference waypoints and determine which of the photos below was taken at the waypoint. The selected photo will give you the coordinate digit.

The Reference waypoints are in the order you will encounter them as you walk up the trail. Photos are ordered by the associated digit value. I recommend you print out all the photos for reference. There is no cell service up here. (Obviously, there are quite a few photos you will not use!)

Cache is at N 40 05.ABC W 105 34.DEF

The physical cache is outside the Wilderness, within 1200 feet of the trailhead. After gathering your information, take a seat at the picnic table and work out your solution.

Photo Clue. If this photo was taken at the waypoint, the value of the coordinate digit is 0.

Photo Clue. If this photo was taken at the waypoint, the value of the coordinate digit is 1.

Photo Clue. If this photo was taken at the waypoint, the value of the coordinate digit is 2.

Photo Clue. If this photo was taken at the waypoint, the value of the coordinate digit is 3.

Photo Clue. If this photo was taken at the waypoint, the value of the coordinate digit is 4.

Photo Clue. If this photo was taken at the waypoint, the value of the coordinate digit is 5.

Photo Clue. If this photo was taken at the waypoint, the value of the coordinate digit is 6.

Photo Clue. If this photo was taken at the waypoint, the value of the coordinate digit is 7.

Photo Clue. If this photo was taken at the waypoint, the value of the coordinate digit is 8.

Photo Clue. If this photo was taken at the waypoint, the value of the coordinate digit is 9.

*** Congratulations to hrc333 and sassydil for being Co-FTF for trying the original puzzle! Congrats to -E T- for first solving the new puzzle and finding the cache! ***

Additional Waypoints

FN5BH0H - GC5BH0H Final
N/S __ ° __ . ___ W/E ___ ° __ . ___
The cache is within 1200 feet of the trailhead.
P15BH0H - Day use parking.
N 40° 04.708 W 105° 34.243
You will probably get stuck parking here on summer weekend mornings.
R15BH0H - Photo reference point 1
N 40° 05.140 W 105° 35.314
Find the photo taken at this location to get value "C".
R25BH0H - Photo reference point 2
N 40° 05.198 W 105° 35.800
Find the photo taken at this location to get value "D".
R35BH0H - Photo reference point 3
N 40° 05.194 W 105° 35.842
Find the photo taken at this location to get value "A".
R45BH0H - Photo reference point 4
N 40° 05.072 W 105° 36.710
Find the photo taken at this location to get value "F".
R55BH0H - Photo reference point 5
N 40° 05.269 W 105° 36.962
Find the photo taken at this location to get value "B".
R65BH0H - Photo reference point 6
N 40° 05.302 W 105° 37.042
Find the photo taken at this location to get value "E".

Custom URLs

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Additional Waypoints (7)

Code	Name	Type	Comments	Date	Coordinates	Distance
P15BH0H	Day use parking.	Parking Area	You will probably get stuck parking here on summer weekend mornings.	08/23/2014	N 40° 04.708 W 105° 34.243	1.08 kms SE
R15BH0H	Photo reference point 1	Reference Point	Find the photo taken at this location to get value "C".	08/14/2015	N 40° 05.140 W 105° 35.314	0.64 kms NW
R25BH0H	Photo reference point 2	Reference Point	Find the photo taken at this location to get value "D".	08/14/2015	N 40° 05.198 W 105° 35.800	1.32 kms W
R35BH0H	Photo reference point 3	Reference Point	Find the photo taken at this location to get value "A".	08/14/2015	N 40° 05.194 W 105° 35.842	1.38 kms W
R45BH0H	Photo reference point 4	Reference Point	Find the photo taken at this location to get value "F".	08/14/2015	N 40° 05.072 W 105° 36.710	2.56 kms W
R55BH0H	Photo reference point 5	Reference Point	Find the photo taken at this location to get value "B".	08/14/2015	N 40° 05.269 W 105° 36.962	2.96 kms W
R65BH0H	Photo reference point 6	Reference Point	Find the photo taken at this location to get value "E".	08/14/2015	N 40° 05.302 W 105° 37.042	3.08 kms W

Hints

Final is bright red can on stump.

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GC6278A JPS: Lefthand #7 (22.54 kms E)

Driving Directions

Logs

5 Logs: 2 1 1 1

10/08/2016 By 5thApe
Finally made it back up to Brainard area and signed the log!

I had a little help with the puzzle form KA&IWest.

Turns out the hide is easy. The puzzle is tricky.

Thanks for the cache and the help!

07/30/2016 By 5thApe
At first I misread the map key, which had me seriously misdirected but even after recalculating with the correct key, I still don't understand the description. It says "within 1200 feet of the trail head" and my final calculated coordinates appear to be that, but it also says outside the wilderness area and that I don't understand. I thought it was all inside the wilderness area for a couple miles around the trail head. Does "trail head" mean the Mitchell/Blue Lake trailhead which is at the starting coordinates or some other trail?

Also, it's not clear where the boundary between the "wilderness area" and otherwise is.

I guess I'll go back and try to find the cache at my calculated coordinates another time.

10/18/2015 By KA&JWest
Grats to -E T-!

This is why I REALLY encourage printing out the pictures before heading up!

JW

10/18/2015 By -E T-
-FTF- (the container) 12:00p Evidently searchers for this cache are destined for 2 things: to see large bull moose and to have problems with the puzzle. On the way in I saw the moose shown in my grainy camera phone picture. He seemed disinclined to charge the 2 photographers that were 20 ft away from him out in the middle of the field with nowhere to run. The rut couldn't have ended that long ago either :-/ I took my pictures near the (relative) safety of my truck and headed on to the trailhead. Seeing that moose was worth the entire trip but there was much more to come. Before attempting this cache, I made sure to save the cache info to an offline list including the photos. In fact I saved it twice on 2 different lists. Confident, I headed up the deserted trail. There were only about 5 other cars in the parking lot when I got there at 7:30 am. The sun was shining on the mountains but the woods were still in shadow. At the first 2 waypoints I matched the pictures fairly quickly and as I was working on the third, my geocaching app reset and the photos were suddenly unavailable in either of my saved lists. The rending of the pristine silence of that place by the violence of my cursing was, no doubt, a violation of the mandate to keep the wilderness as places 'untrammeled by man'. I'm pretty sure I verbally trammeled the crap out of that sylvan paradise. After regaining my composure, I continued onto the next 3 waypoints where I took 360 degree videos to compare with the photos later. Having never been up here before, Blue lake pretty much blew my mind. Absolutely spectacular. Since I couldn't solve the puzzle until I went back home, I decided to keep going. I headed further up and ran into some guys to keep me company climbing Mt Toll. Breath taking. (pun intended) Some of the most jagged mountains in Colorado are just over that ridge. Totally worth the climb. On the way back down I traversed over to upper blue lake and back down to the truck. An epic day for sure. That night I reviewed the videos and felt sure about 5 out of 6 of the photos. I took my best shot on the last one and headed up with the kids this morning. The parking lot was full so I left the kids in the car to explain and trotted up to the coords. They were in the wilderness area. Undaunted, I plotted a coordinate at the lowest possible value for that digit and walked the line until I found it. Sweet relief. Sweet triumph. I signed the log and left without getting a ticket. A favorite point for the puzzle and the location. TFTC

08/14/2015 By KA&JWest
We couldn't even get into the area on a weekend, so we went up today.

Cache has been rebuilt.

FTF for actually finding the cache is still open. Have fun.