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Masquerade Mystery Cache

Hidden : 11/26/2009
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:

The cache is not at the given coordinates, but lies within 2km, somewhere in Pacific Spirit Park.

cover
Within the pages of this book there is a story told
of love, adventures, fortunes lost, and a jewel of solid gold.
To solve the hidden riddle, you must use your eyes,
And find the hare in every picture that may point you to the prize.

This puzzle cache is a tribute to Kit Williams’ masterpiece, Masquerade. Masquerade was my favourite book when I was a child. At the time I enjoyed the exquisite illustrations, and searched for the hidden hare on each page, but it wasn’t until I was an adult that I learnt about the full intricacies of the book’s riddle. The book tells the tale of Jack the hare, who carries a gift from the Moon to the Sun. Unfortunately Jack loses the gift on the way, and the reader is challenged to use their sleuthing skills to find the location, where they would be rewarded with a real buried treasure – a golden bejewled hare pendant, crafted by Williams himself. The book sparked a worldwide treasure hunt, which lasted for three years, until the treasure was found.

In order to find the final cache location, you must uncover the secret hidden in the image below (modified from one of the illustrations in the book). I hope that in researching this subject, you fall in love with Masquerade as much as I have done, and buy a copy of the book to pore over and treasure. The book has been out of print for a long time, but copies are available at AbeBooks. You may also be interested in Quest for the Golden Hare by Bamber Gascoigne, which tells the story of the creation and solution of the puzzle.

Final location: N49 1x.xxx, W123 14.xxx

First to find prize is a SuperSleuthySam cache FTF fridge magnet!

Masquerade

The solution is hidden deep in the illustrations. Even a picture of a cow or a cat might give you a clue. Finding the location of the hare is the hardest part. Even with the help of a sniffer dog, one might never find it. Many have wasted hours following the twisted horn of a ram or the tail of a horse, only to discover a blind alley. My advice – make yourself a cup of tea, stroke your cat and just enjoy the illustrations.

You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Gur obhyqre lbh ner, gur zber yvxryl lbh ner gb svaq gur cevmr!

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)