GC6WV1K Near The Boundary--Comanche Peak Wilderness 3
Type: Mystery | Size: Small | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: Denali41 @ | Hide Date: 11/10/2016 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N40° 34.600 W105° 32.670 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
                             

---

This is a puzzle cache that is NOT at the listed coordinates. Read the information below carefully, do your homework, and then calculate the cache’s actual coordinates.

---

Wilderness -- "an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain ... an area protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions." —The Wilderness Act of 1964

The Comanche Peak Wilderness encompasses 66,791 acres and is located in the Canyon Lakes District of the Roosevelt National Forest. This wilderness was designated by the U.S. Congress in 1980, and is named for the prominent peak (12,709 feet in elevation) that lies along its southern border.  It shares the summit of Comanche Peak with Rocky Mountain National Park, so hikers who make their way to the top of Comanche get to “double dip” by straddling a peak that’s both in the park as well as in the wilderness area.  Despite the proximity of the wilderness to the national park, it receives relatively few visitors.  It also shares with the park a majestic beauty with sweeping panoramas of magnificent terrain. The Neota Wilderness Area approaches but does not actually align with  a portion of Comanche Peak Wilderness near its western boundary. Elevation ranges from approximately 8,000 feet to 12,702 feet.

More than 125 miles of trails exist in Comanche Peak Wilderness along 19 maintained trails. These provide a plethora of hiking and camping opportunities in spectacular visual settings. As summarized in The Colorado Mountain Club Pack Guide entitled “Comanche Peak Wilderness Area Hiking & Snowshoeing Guide” by Joe and Frederique Grim, destinations accessible by these trails include eight lakes, 16 named rivers and creeks, two named waterfalls, Comanche Peak and six other named peaks, and numerous unnamed but equally impressive mountain summits. Much of the wilderness lies above tree line, enhancing the superb viewsheds.  Photos, descriptions, maps, and information about the trails and hikes in this wilderness are available for free viewing at www.joeandfrede.com/comanche.htm.

UNSCAMBLING THE SIGNAL

The method used to determine the coordinates for this cache was inspired by a blue whale, specifically “Whale of a Cache” (GC5P1KQ), by icezebra11. Whale of a Cache employs a variation of a puzzle theme that I’ve used before; it’s an interesting concept, so with yet another modification I’m using it again for this cache. Have fun with it. And have fun playing with features on your GPSr.

On July 21, 2013 a multi-cache placed near Pingree Park, CO by ArkF was published.  It is GC4GTR6, "Scrambling the Signal".  The multi sequence is staged along the Signal Mountain Trail.  You will need to work through stages of Scrambling the Signal in order to obtain certain information required to solve the puzzle for this cache, so count on some hiking and scrambling.

Near the summit of Signal Mountain is a benchmark having an identifier that ends in “381". The cache is 2089.47 Kells Croziers north of this benchmark. The Final stage of ArkF's multi is 0.00203 degrees east of the cache. Using this information, determine the coordinates of the cache. Then take a pleasant hike to the cache vicinity. Most of it will be on a good trail system. The cache is a small jar that has very limited room for geocoins/travelers. It contains a log sheet but no pen or pencil. So bring your own writing utensil. To reach the cache requires approximately a 2-mile hike (one-way) between elevations of 8,000 to 9,000 feet--so make certain you have sufficient time available for the round trip effort. You will enjoy the hike, and the area.

If you do your homework in advance and understand how to apply the information specified in the previous paragraph, you can treat this as a field puzzle and determine the coordinates for this cache during your hike. Have fun, and have success.

CONGRATULATIONS TO icezebra11 ON THE FTF!!

Additional Waypoints

08/12/2018 By ArkF
Thanks for the nice puzzle cache! I had an advantage over most people, seeing how I already know the final coordinates to my cache, but it took me a while to actually get out in the mountains to find it. Very nice day on the trail, very green up there with lots of flowers and some ripe raspberries very close to this cache.

I was stuck for a little on how to solve the puzzle, but eventually figured out what I needed to do and got some reasonable looking coordinates. GPS was jumping around more than usual near GZ, but I saw the cache after not too long looking. Signed the log and kept going. This is the 6th or 7th time I've hiked this trail, and I enjoy it every time.

11/12/2016 By icezebra11
After seeing this cache get published two days ago I changed my hiking plans for today. I originally had planned to hike and cache Grays and Torreys but this opportunity for a nice back country cache FTF was one I couldn't pass up. I got the FTF on ArkF's Scrambling the Signal and Denali41 used a puzzle method that I first used on "Whale of a Cache" so I figured I had the FTF sewn up on this one. Just one slight glitch, ArkF had relocated the final of his cache after I had found it so I needed the new final coordinates.

After I first took a nice hike to the top of Bald Mountain to log Denali41's "Getting Bald on the Solstice" cache, I drove to the Signal Mountain trailhead and took a nice hike to this cache. I stopped at Stage 2 of "Scrambling the Signal" to verify the correct final coordinates and with that, I double checked my numbers and set off for the final of this cache. It turned out that my math was correct and the coordinates were spot on as I was able to very quickly locate the nicely hidden container. I opened the jar to find a blank log sheet so I happily signed my name in the {FTF} position.

I really enjoyed my hike of this trail the first time and this second time was equally enjoyable. It is a really nice trail and some day I'll have to make the hike all the way to Signal Mountain. Thanks Denali41 for luring me back to this beautiful location!!!

11/10/2016 By Alpine Reviewer
Published