You wouldn't know it from just casually strolling down Cary's Black Creek Greenway, but not too far off the trail is The Mother of All Walls. Her offspring hold the earth of this city together while she slumbers here, out of sight. Come and gaze upon her majesty.
Take a lovely stroll down the greenway trail in nice shade from all the trees before delving into the rough. For the off-trail section, brush and ground cover isn't too bad, but there is some elevation change and creek hopping involved.
Stage 1 (virtual):
The posted coords will lead you to the foot of a giant retaining wall which will help you find the coordinates for the final. The wall separates the public greenway area from the residential area at the top of the wall. There are houses pretty close up there, but the angle is so steep that you shouldn't have to worry about being seen.
First, stand at stage 1 and face the wall. You'll need to locate two black plastic drainage pipes sticking out of the wall to your left and right. You'll then need to count some bricks in the wall to get the values of A, B, and C:
- A = Number of bricks from the left drainage pipe to the top of the wall. Do not count the brick the pipe is mounted in or the wall cap at the very top.
- B = Number of bricks from the right drainage pipe to the top of the wall. Do not count the brick the pipe is mounted in or the wall cap at the very top.
- C = Number of bricks between the left drainage pipe and the right drainage pipe. The pipes are on different rows, but only count horizontally.
Final:
The final is located nearby at: N 35° 48.5XX' W 78° 47.4YY' where
- XX = 3 * B
- YY = A + C - 3
Good luck!
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.