Diabolical Revelation

One year ago, I unleashed upon Carson a journey unlike any that I had seen in geocaching before. It had taken years to make it from my head to physical form.

Combining ideas that really impressed me and fresh ideas that I believed were new. It took awhile to complete, each stage growing and evolving as time went on. Finally, the last piece was in place and my Diabolical cache came to be.

For the cache itself, see Now *This* is Diabolical

But, evil is fleeting. It's been one year and time has come to lay this demon to rest. So, dear Reader, since I believe that geocaching can only grow through cachers talking and sharing those caches that truly stand out, allow me to share what has become my masterpiece.

First though, my sincerest thanks to everyone who came out and braved the dark. My heartfelt gratitude cannot be expressed in mere words.

Stage one:
From the parking coordinates (those listed upon the cache page), the cacher would stand in a dirt clearing where two roads cross. By shining their flashlight around, they soon would spot a square reflective marker off in the sage brush. The reflective tape is on the face of a thin post wired to a piece of rebar and supported by rocks. The curious cacher will always try moving the rocks or pulling the post up - neither of which gets you anywhere. Once they've exhausted the usual methods, the cacher will eventually remember the point about the UV Light. Shining the light upon the post reveals the coordinates to the next stage a quarter mile away.

Stage two:
While not intended, the easiest route to the coordinates causes the vehicles headlights to shine upon the reflective marker. The cacher investigates the post using UV to reveal the message "Feeling at the end of your rope?" Looking closer, a 35mm attached to the rebar is discovered. Opening the container shows a string wound around a spool with a black disk at the end. Eventually, the cacher will realize that they need to walk out to the end of the string ad begin walking in a circle until the next step is found. A PVC pipe is tied into a nearby bush and removing the cap, the cacher can see another 35mm at the bottom. If the cacher hasn't wrapped the string back up, and if they aren't equipped with an extendable magnet, the black disk (magnet) can be lowered into the tube and the 35mm removed. Inside is a black piece of paper that UV light will show the next coordinates.

Stage three:
After parking, the cacher discovers the reflector further up the hill than expected. Once there, the UV light reveals two columns of numbers. Every possible idea is tried, from UTM to spelling to adding to anything until it becomes clear the number is a phone number written top to bottom left to right. So row one was 87, row two 76, row three 87, row four 74, row five 70 (don't try calling, I'm cancelling the number shortly after this publishes). That number was bought through http://www.onebox.com/ and costs just under $10 per month. I had my friend SKWERL record the message that provided the coordinates and cachers were welcome to leave a voicemail. I got some really entertaining messages from that stage!!

Stage four:
Parking provides a spectacular view of Carson City at night. The reflector lies downhill a bit and has the UV message 340, 89'. This is an offset stage, cachers can either use the GPS Project Waypoint function or manually figure it out. The location is a pile of rock that was there with an ammo can inside. The final location is on a hill with a clear and unobstructed view of the city. At night, one can see all the city lights and if the moon is full, the surrounding mountains. But it is dark enough to enjoy the stars above.

So there you have it. My pride and joy. Feel free to borrow any ideas that may help you create a truly wicked cache. I want to thank Team Alamogul, westycrew, and Team GeoDragon for inspiration and help on this one.

My second journey is still out there is you dare:

A Diabolical Journey