This is a somewhat challenging find, in four stages, for newbie
geocachers: Your quest is to find the secret sign of The First
Degree geocacher.
Stage #1: A nano @40°52'3.95" N 73°25'33.15" W with the
co-ordinates to Stage #2.
Conklin House: The Conklins are among the earliest settlers of
Huntington.
David
Conklin built this Farmhouse around 1750. His father Thomas
signed Huntington’s own Declaration of Independence, the town's
Articles of Association. Being patriots, David fled when the
British occupied Huntington following their victory in the Battle
of Long Island. David's wife Sybil, who remained behind, struggled
to deal with the occupying army. It is said that when the British
troops ransacked the house and ordered her to give them her gold
wedding band, she took the ring off and put it in her mouth,
refusing to part with it. When a soldier was about to hit her an
officer spoke up, ordering him to “Leave the plucky little lady
alone.”
Stage #2: An historic sign at Benchmark
KU0436 hides the co-ordinates to Stage #3. This benchmark is
described as being in the South wall of the Fire Department
Building, 5.5 feet West of the South East corner, and 3.7 feet
above the sidewalk. A standard disk, stamped 55.837 Q 39 1932 and
set vertically.
Stage #3: A sign at this Patriot's House hides
co-ordinates to Stage #4. This Patriot was a physician and an
officer in the revolution and a member of the Long Island Spy Ring
between Brooklyn and Setauket. He was known for the patriotic
saying "I am determined to live and die free." He is buried in the
Old Huntington Cemetery on Main St., site of an earlier cache in
this series:
GC1XY64
Stage #4: Take a load off outside this venerable house of
learning -- in fact, take the whole bench to yourself. You're
looking for a magnetic micro cache. Bring your own pen to sign the
log then claim your find. Geocoins won't fit -- but Travel Bugs
without attachments may be traded here. You're encouraged, but not
obliged, to upload a photograph of yourself in the general area of
this cache showing off, as discretely as possible, the secret
sign of The First Degree geocacher -- without obviously giving
it away -- the instruction for which is contained in the cache.
FTF prize is a gold Liberty Dollar (not much else fits this
micro cache container, sorry)!
Congratulations on obtaining your First Degree in
the somewhat mysterious, slightly technical, secret society of
geocachers. Your ordeal now is to learn the secret sign of The
Second Degree geocacher
This is number Three in a special series of geocaches in
Huntington ...
- The Neophyte:
GC1Y8D0 (a traditional cache)
- The Entered Apprentice:
GC1XY64 (a multi stage cache)
- The First Degree: GC1Y8TK (this cache)
Graduate to higher degrees of this order by uncovering other
caches in this series -- coming soon to a neighbourhood near you in
Huntington!