I found something interesting in the dunes recently and thought I should share it, so here's a puzzle cache that's easier than most of mine. (At least I think it is; time will tell.)
The cache is magnetic, and not easily visible. It might help to bring a mirror. Depending on where you start, the round trip hiking distance is about 1 mile or about 2 miles.
I define a 'word step' as a pair of words in which the second is obtained from the first by adding or deleting one letter and, possibly, rearranging the letters. Here are a few examples:
word - row (delete 'd')
step - steep (add 'e')
palace - place (delete 'a')
speeders - expressed (add 'x')
journalist - insulator (delete 'j')
manipulate - planetarium (add 'r')
(I'm not aware of any standard name for what I'm calling a word step. There are 'word ladder' puzzles, but those aren't quite the same thing. P.S. (5/20/2020): According to jeremiahsjohnson, these are called "transaddition" and "transdeletion", as described here. Thanks for the info.)
For most pairs of common English words, we can transform one to the other by a chain of word steps. For example, here's a word step chain from 'start' to 'finish':
start - artist - transit - taints - tasting - giants - sting - things - insight - shifting - fishing - finish
To find this cache, you'll need to find a particular word step chain from 'anorexics' to 'nestling'. I've given definitions of the intermediate words:
anorexics
_______ Possible sequence of events
_______ Some happen in test tubes
_______ Covering less
_______ Poisonous element
_______ Ascended
_______ Absinthe flavoring
_______ Nuts
_______ They may be cast out
_______ Sheets, towels, etc.
_______ 1-dimensional figures
_______ Briny
_______ Necessitates
_______ Theft
_______ Shimmer
nestling
For those of you who've solved a lot of geocache puzzles, figuring out the coordinates from your word step chain will be easy. For the rest of you, the hint will tell you what to do.
If you think you've figured out the coordinates, you can check them with certitude:
You can also see who else has solved the puzzle. Note: You can remain anonymous if you want to; incorrect guesses are always anonymous. (Puzzle makers, you can create your own certitude links here.)
Congratulations to the first certified solver, jimbexleyspeed, and the first finder, humboldtkc.
On 7/27/2018, this puzzle was
If you're ever on Prince Edward Island in Canada, you can use the solution to this puzzle to find a cache there: #86 Kudos!