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Salt Lake County Quads Challenge Cache Mystery Cache

Hidden : 8/26/2013
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Cache IS at the posted coordinates.


This is the Salt Lake County version of USGS 7.5 Min. Quads - Utah County Challenge Cache.

 

In this day of GIS software and consumer map programs, we tend to forget about the rolls of paper that hikers once employed to find where they were going. Of course the paper versions are still around and the way they divided the country has been translated on to mapping software. The idea of the challenge is to find one cache within the area defined by each of the 7.5 minute quads that cover Salt Lake County. This will be an easier challenge than its Utah County counterpart with 58 quads. Almost every one of Salt Lake County's 25 quads has an urban area well populated with caches. The exceptions are the quads which cover the Great Salt Lake where there are no caches. Because this is so much easier than the Utah County version, one little requirement has been added. Here's what you need to do to qualify for this challenge.

 

    1. Find one cache within the area defined by each of the 7.5 minute quads that cover Salt Lake County.

       

      • There are 25 quads but only 23 can have caches (see list below).

        • The entire quad Plug Peak SE is within the Great Salt Lake. Unless someone places a scuba cache, there will never be a cache possible within this quad. Since diving in the Great Salt Lake requires a high degree of skill, it will never be necessary to get a cache on the Plug Peak NE quad to qualify for this challenge. SAFETY FIRST!!!

        • The Saltaire NE quad currently has no caches within its boundaries. The confluence cache, GCQHX0 A Muddy March through the Marsh to the Moon, which sits on the corner of this quad and three others could be used but is not required. If a new cache is placed clearly within the boundaries of this quad, then it must be found to qualify. For anyone who wishes to place such a cache to "help" people qualify for this challenge, please be aware that much of the quad is protected wetlands where physical caches are not allowed.

      • Use the Project-GC challenge checker to see which quads you have completed. PGC Checker

      • To fill in missing quads, the image at the top of the pages should give you a good idea of the quad boundaries. For more precise mapping, check out this site, USGS Quadrangles (QUADS), to help you map the quads in Google Earth. You can then import Salt Lake County caches or simply place pins for the caches you want to check to see which quad it falls in. Be sure you have "Borders and Labels" checked to see the county line.

    2. If no cache is available in Salt Lake County on a quad, you may find a cache in a contiguous county on that quad. The Farmington Quad is currently the only quad for which this is necessary.

      • As of July 2020, the Big Dutch Hollow quad has a cache within Salt Lake County.

      • There is only one cache in the Bingham Canyon quad, GCZ5ZF Stratovolcano to Huge Hole in the Ground. All of that quad except the mine overlook parking lot where the posted coordinates of that cache are located is private property. I have put considerable effort into trying to find some corner of the quad that is not private property in order to increase the options for qualifying for this challenge. If you find one, PLEASE place a cache there and let me know. On the upside, at least it gives you an earthcache for the next criteria.

    3. Here's the "make-it-interesting" part. There are 11 cache types available in Salt Lake County. Of those 11 types you must include 8 in your list of 23 qualifying caches.

      • An unknown type must be physically in the quad for which you use it. It would probably be easiest to use a field puzzle or another challenge for an unknown type.

    4. Only caches found, not owned, may be used toward qualifying for this challenge.

    5. There is no date restriction so newly placed caches count toward qualification.

    6. Sign this final which you may do before or after completing the other qualifications.

 

Here is my list:

Salt Lake County Quads Qualifications for HikingSeal

 

 

Have fun tracking down qualifying caches and learning a bit more about maps! Good luck!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Cyrnfr gnxr gur gvzr gb frny gur yvq nyy gur jnl nebhaq gb xrrc vg jngregvtug. . . . . . Va pragre bs zhygv-gehax gerr ba FBHGU fvqr bs srapr.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)