Hemlock's Test Cache - April Fools! Traditional Geocache

This cache has been archived.

Lil Devil: Well it was fun while it lasted [}:)]

More
Hidden : 4/1/2006
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: micro (micro)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:


Parks that do not allow caches
  • All National Parks, including the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (visit link)
  • All National Wildlife Refuges run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (visit link) (not to be confused with the California Dept of Fish and Game, which has no published geocaching policy)
  • Empire Mine State Historic Park in Grass Valley


Cache Listing Requirements-Guidelines (visit link)
Frequently Asked Questions (visit link)
Knowledge Base (visit link)
Geocache Rating System (visit link)

Coming out - Feb 14, 2004 (visit link)

----------------------------------------------------------

April Fools, South Bay cachers!

When this cache was first published, the info above is all that was on the page. The narrative below was added on April 3rd.

Lately, I have seen that I can publish a cache in the Bay Area at virtually any time of the day or night, and the cache will have a first-to-find usually within 15 minutes, and almost always within an hour. I wanted to somehow trick cachers into not searching for a new cache. I carefully crafted this page to look like a reviewer's "test" cache; well, it really was my test page for a long time. The idea was to make it look like it was published accidentally. Almost all the info on the page had nothing to do with the cache; only the coordinates and difficulty/terrain ratings applied. At first, the hidden date was 4/1/2003, and the title was simply "Hemlock's Test Cache."

My trick worked. The cache was published at about 8:35 a.m., although a server glitch prevented the Premium Member new-cache-notification from going out until a few minutes after noon. It wasn't found until 3:45 p.m. I at least delayed the FTF for three hours and forty-five minutes, or up to seven hours for a few people that happened to notice the cache early in the day!

The cache itself was crafted by workerofwood, and is in the genre of his assume-nothing caches. The location is exactly on the 122 degree meridian, to add to the deception. The idea was to hide a cache just devious enough, that when the first cachers appeared on scene, since they wouldn't be sure if there really was a cache, they just might not find it. I have since heard from four people who admitted this is exactly what happened to them. I am sure there were others who won't admit it

To add insult to everyone else's injury, the FTF prize that the un-foolish bytemobile scored is a highly sought after, valuable, Volunteer Geocoin

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Ebfrohq'f n fyrq, Oehpr Jvyyvf qvrq ng gur ortvaavat, naq Ireony Xvag vf Xnvfre Fbmr.

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)


Advertising with Us

Inventory

View past Trackables

What are Trackable Items?