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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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This will be a commitment of time to do. Prepare for a lot of driving, bring a calculator, paper, pen, and (optional) a tree identification book.
This will be a commitment of time to do. Prepare for a lot of driving, bring a calculator, paper, pen, and (optional) a tree identification book. If you do not have such a book, then a visit to the Tree Zoo, just west of downtown in the City of Cadillac. That may help with the identifications you will need.For values of letters (expressed below as lower case), use a=1, b=2, c=3, d=4 . . . . z=26.For letters (expressed below as upper case) will be the values you will need to figure out where to go next. Except certain letters will have different values as to progress. They are DD=degrees, MM=minutes, MM.MMM=minutes in decimal, and SS.S=seconds. All coordinates will be northerling and westering. Keep track of values from earlier stages. You may need them at later stages.
1. Biggest is where you start. So each will be smaller after this. To find it, you will not need to leave the public road right-of-way. Please do not trespass on their front lawn. There is a metal plate on the south side. Take the value of the first letter of each word on the plate, and write them out in sequence: _ _ | _ | _ _ | _ | _ | _ and _ _ | _ | _.A=The first eight digits .B=The next (last four) digits.next W MM.MMM = current west coordinate - ((A/B)*0.001 rounded up to thousandths)-0.607next N MM.MMM = current north coordinate + (((Square root of B)/6.473) rounded down to thousandths)
Oh poo. Someone removed the metal plate. So this one is a freebee: The tag read "Michigan Big Tree Castanea Dentata Chestnut. Michigan Botanical Club." So mbtcd.mbc = 13 2 20 3 4 3 . 13 2 3 So A=13,220,343 and B=1,323
2. Another on the side of the road.Road name = CAddress on near by mailbox = Enext N MM.MMM= current north coordinate - ((C*0.1)+0.057)next W MM.MMM= current west coordinate + (B/674.65579)
3. And yet another. Finding a theme?Road name = FThe value of the first letter of each word on the wooden sign on the tree = GA long way.next N MM.MMM=current north coordinate - (((G-1.6)/F)/F)next W MM.MMM=current west coordinate -((C*2)-2.352)
4. Hum, they are missing here.Year grove was planted = Hnext N MM.MMM= current north coordinate + (((G/2)/1000)+0.078)next W MM.MMM=current west coordinate - ((square root of A)/(F^3))-0.4467
5. A leaning version.Tree is in front of house with an address of = Inext N MM.MMM= current north coordinate + ((I*0.001) + 0.023)next W MM.MMM=current west coordinate - (((H+B)-I)+(C*C)-2)*0.001
6. Cadillac Shores.next N MM.MMM= is DD.CCC (14.C, C, C)next W MM.MMM=current west coordinate - ((G/2)+12)/1,000
7. Who is responsible for much of this?Plaque at the base of a tree gives a year of birth and death.Birth = LDeath=Pnext N MM.MMM= current north coordinate +(H-P)-1.827next W MM.MMM =current west coordinate - (difference between current north coordinate and next north coordinate you just figured out - 0.01)
8. Two of them here, near a center of communication.Q=Address of the communication buildingFor the next N DD MM.MMM' write the first digit of B, last digit of Q, F, second digit of H, and P: N 44 BQ.FHP'For the next W DD MM.MMM write the first digit of I (use twice), second digit of G (use twice), and B: W 85 IG.BGI'
9. Finally.It is a micro cache. Blue lid, plastic container, about 4 by 4 inches. If these interest you, you want to see more, or learn more, ask at the Wexford County Soil Conservation District.(A big thank you to ABXGuy for troubleshooting all this. He really deserves the first finder's dance for this one.)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Vg vf bar uhaqerq sbegl srrg sebz gur tnmrob, ornevat orgjrra svsgl frira gb fvkgl qrterrf. Rznvy zr vs lbh arrq uryc trggvat gb gur ynfg fgntr.