Led by Gandalf, the company has arrived at the West-door, only to find it shut and hidden. Dwarf-doors are not made to be seen when shut...they are invisible. But Gandalf is with them, and eyes that know what to look for may discover the signs.
Passing his hands over a smooth space in the rock wall, he mutters words under his breath and faint lines appear, like slender veins of silver running in the stone. At the top, as high as Gandalf could reach, was an arch of interlacing letters in an Elvish character:
"The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter."
The meaning is plain: If you are a friend, speak the password, and the doors will open, and you can enter.
The finder must identify the name of a specific book, a specific chapter within that book, a specific scene in that chapter, and a specific password used in that scene to open a door. The password must then be converted to a numeric value. This value determines the specific number of paces the finder must take from the starting point to the actual location of the geocache.
Note: The finder must use the Elvish form of the password, NOT the English form.
Warning!
This cache is physically demanding, and it requires some rock climbing skills. I placed the cache container without special equipment or special training, but there is a risk of slipping or falling. I recommend gloves, sturdy boots, eye protection and head protection. Getting to the location is easy, but accessing the container is difficult and potentially dangerous. This find is NOT for children.
Here are the steps to finding this cache:
- Identify from which book this scene is taken.
- Identify the chapter in which this scene takes place.
- Identify the password which opens the door.
- Use the password to determine the precise number of paces required to reach the geocache, starting from the published coordinates.
Remember: The correct password is NOT in English!
Determining Pace Length
You can determine your own pace length by marking a waypoint, labeling it "Start". Walk in a straight line for at least 200 paces (more is better). Mark a waypoint when you stop, labeling it "Stop". Determine the average distance you walked for each 100 paces.
For example, I walked 200 paces ( two sets of 100) and the total distance was 0.20 mile. 0.20 divided by two is 0.10 mile. For every 100 paces I go a distance of about 0.10 mile.
Another example:
You walk 300 paces (three sets of 100) and the total distance walked was 0.35 mile. 0.35 divided by three is about 0.12 mile. For every 100 paces you walk, you go a distance of about 0.12 mile.
You must walk in a straight line, because your GPS measures distance as the crow flies. It doesn't follow curves.
An easy way to count paces is to carry a few short sticks in your left hand, transferring one stick to your right hand each time you reach 100.
A pace, by the way is two steps. I always begin a pace with my right foot, and I count one pace when my left foot passes my right foot. If I need to walk exactly 100 paces, I'll begin with my right foot and end with my right foot.
For this cache, you'll need to walk a precise number of paces.
Starting out
At the starting coordinates you'll be on a dirt road, with a concrete footing on the side of the road. Here's a picture of that concrete footing:
Stand in the middle of the road, with the concrete footing on your right side, and the Columbia River on your left side. Sight down the road and begin walking, staying in the middle of the road. After walking the precise number of paces, turn 90 degrees to your right and face the rock wall. You should be looking at the location of the cache, within three feet up or down of eye level.
How many paces should you walk from the starting point?
Divide the value of the password by 2.3667 and round up to nearest whole number.
What is the value of the password?
Each letter of our alphabet may be given a numerical value. Think of the simple cipher we all learned early, probably soon after we learned our alphabet. Try converting the password into a numerical value using that simple cipher.
Check Your Answer: Send password, value and paces in message to cache owner.