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 210. 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.