In February 2013, Puttzy joined me on a trip to Sunset Beach where I got to log my 1,000th find. We made the find at sunrise then traveled to Wilmington, Raleigh, Greensboro and back to Charlotte finding other interesting caches in our wonderful state throughout the rest of the day.
It was during this trip that we decided that it would not be unrealistic to travel from one corner of the state to the other with the goal of finding a cache at both extremes assuming you minimized the number of caches along the way. According to Google maps, the trip would take roughly 550 miles over 8.5 hours and pass through no less than 20 counties. The directions are easy though -- get on Hwy 64 and drive east (or west). It was that discussion that led to this challenge.
This cache IS at the listed coordinates. However, to correctly earn your smilie, there is a challenge you must complete in addition to signing the log:
1) You must log a cache within a 10 mile radius of the town of Murphy, NC in the western mountains. For the sake of this challenge, the "center point" will be per the coordinates listed on wikipedia at the time this challenge was published. The cache you log MUST BE A NC CACHE (caches within the radius but in a neighboring state do not count). As of 2/13, there are 55 qualifying caches.
--> Click here to perform a search of all active caches within 10 miles of Murphy.
2) You must log a cache within a 10 mile radius of the town of Manteo, NC near the eastern coast. For the sake of this challenge, the "center point" will be per the coordinates listed on wikipedia at the time this challenge was published. As of 2/13, there are 115 qualifying caches.
--> Click here to perform a search of all active caches within 10 miles of Manteo.
3) Both caches must be logged as found on the same calendar day (12 AM to 11:59 PM).
4) Include the names of the caches you found around Murphy and Manteo in your log entry for this challenge cache, and the date you completed the challenge for verification purposes.
5) The challenge cache does NOT have to be logged on the same day.
6) Qualifying caches can be placed at any time. Past, present and future caches placed within the specified radii are all valid however you may not log your own hide(s).
7) Meeting these requirements can occur at any point. It is possible that you have already completed the necessary requirements to qualify (although if you did, I would love to know what you were thinking when you chose to grab two caches so far apart!)
8) The difficulty rating for this cache is based on the time commitment required to complete the challenge. The actual difficulty for the cache is a 2. The terrain rating IS for the cache itself. The caches you choose in Murphy and Manteo will determine the overall combined terrain.
If you have any questions regarding the requirements, please email me for clarification prior to attempting this challenge. I welcome any comments so that I can update this page as necessary for future cachers. Good luck and enjoy North Carolina caching from the mountains to the sea!
I chose the hiding location for a couple of reasons:
1) It is close to 29/74 which was originally part of Route 20 in the early 1900's. Until US 64 came along, Route 20 was the longest, continuous road thru NC which ran from TN to Wilmington (400 miles). Had geocaching been around back then, this would have been the Murphy-to-Wilmington Challenge.
2) It is in the right-of-way for Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) which increases access to our beautiful state. You may want to bring ear protection -- the planes are pretty close when they pass over!