Holden's Pot of Gold NIGHT CACHE Mystery Cache
Holden's Pot of Gold NIGHT CACHE
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This is a Night Only cache!
Welcome to our stomping grounds. This cache will take you on a 5-mile romp through the forest in the dead of night. Oops, did I say "dead?" Mea culpa.
To seek this cache, you are going to need a few things:
- Bright flashlight
- UV light
- Laser pointer - the brighter the better!
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- If you have a green laser pointer... lookout! Awesome!
- Long pants
- Mosquito repellent
- Your track files turned ON!
- A decent supply of water
- Lots of energy
- A hankering for some spooky fun
- A copy of the cache write-up would probably be a good idea
- A BARE MINIMUM of
2 make that 3 hours, based on those who have gone before. And that's if you run through the whole thing like a pro
The adventure you are considering embarking on consists of 5 stages, each different from the last. It is up to you to figure out what is different and what you need to do. Provided you have paid attention to the supplies list, you will have everything you need to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Directions
To get here from the Spokane area, follow Hwy 395 N to Loon Lake. Turn Right (East) on Garden Spot Road. Then turn Left (North) on E. Deer Lake Road, followed by a quick and not-very-well marked Right (NorthEast) on Buck Creek Road (look for the long row of mailboxes). Then, follow the obvious main road til the parking coords. Note: sometimes auto-routing wants to go on West Deer Lake Rd. - this will not work! West Deer Lake Rd. is gated (and you won't find this out for a number of miles). Be sure you take EAST Deer Lake Rd. from Garden Spot!
Stage 1
Find the start of the trail to begin your journey. The eyes have it.
Stage 2
Continue on the trail, but mind yourself - all is not as it seems... The eyes still have it. But can you see it? At the start, remember to keep moving forward.
Stage 3
The right road should be obvious, but look for the orange or brown reflective markers to verify your path at intersections. Once you have arrived, the reel work begins. Your flashlight is no good here... There has been a slight change to this stage due to time and the changing nature of the forest. Keep looking for the eyes.
Stage 4
Back to the road. Make sure to stay to the left on the way. When then needle gets down to around the last 75 feet, remember that you don't need to bushwhack - look for the lighted path. Then follow the directions to find the rainbow. Ish. Rainbowish. All the way across the sky.
Stage 5
Follow your GPSr to the pot of gold. Look for the correct intersection with the reflectors... you will have to look closely! At .22 miles from the coords, keep an eye out for your exit. And, as always, follow your geocaching instinct. Maybe your track files can help you here?
Bonus
When you have completed your journey, don't forget your bonus. As in Holden's BONUS CACHE. Boo ya
Should you find yourself lacking any of the needed supplies, we would be happy to go along with you and provide these things (and a little guidance, if necessary). We crafted this cache with the intent of having a cache we would be proud to take visitors on, and we sincerely hope we succeeded!
Please note that you are in the Kaniksu National Forest. Recreation is allowed here as long as you obey the rules about motorized vehicles, as in don't use them! Also note that stage 4 will take you along the boundary of the Kaniksu Ranch, but will never require you to cross over said boundary. The property line is very well marked - please observe these signs! The Ranch itself is over a third of a mile away, but let's not trespass anyway!
While you're out here, we invite you to put out your lights and look straight up. Can you count the stars? Do you hear the breeze in the treetops? How's that air smelling?
This cache is for Teri ;) And CHRISNSCOTT. And HockeymomZ. And Trevor and Kate and KKlndike Explorers and Kear Bear and River Dwellers and all those who enjoy tromping 5 miles through the woods after dark to put their name on a slip of paper. We hope you enjoy finding this cache half as much as we enjoyed developing it!
Special thanks to Tiffany for the beta testing. You rock!
Cache Lottery
We will be holding our Cache Lottery with this cache - the first 5 teams to find this cache will be entered in a drawing. The winner will receive a Geocoin. Good luck!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[Stage 1:] Nlr, ohg juvpu frg?
[Stage 2:] Frevbhfyl, juvpu barf ner jr ybbxvat sbe?
[Stage 3:] Rlrf ba gur cevmr.
[Stage 4:] Qba'g zvff gur boivbhf. Gura, nvz sbe gur fgevxr mbar. Sbyybj gur envaobjvfu gb svaq gur gernfher.
[Stage 5:] Lbhe erjneq vf n qverpg ersyrpgvba bs lbhe rssbeg. Cyhf ybbxvat va gur Yrcerpunha gerrf.
[Overall:] Lrf, jr ernyyl qvq zrna 5 zvyrf!