The Middle Ages

English description


This multi-cache consists of three stages. It furthermore requires a preparatory phase to determine the coordinates of the first stage. At the first stage you only need to collect some information while at the last two stages cache containers (a film canister and a plastic box, respectively) are to be found.

Important information: (Please read this part before starting your hunt!)

• The starting coordinates given for this cache are fictive ones and are only meant as rather rough indication of the area in which the cache hunt takes places.
• Part of the challenge of this cache is to choose your route. The more direct your route will be, the more difficult it will be and the more experienced you should be. Be careful if the conditions are bad (wet ground, snow etc).
• The hiding places are rather classical ones and should not be too hard to find. Part of the difficulty rating accounts for the effort which is required for obtaining the initial coordinates.
• As there exist many different possible ways to reach Stages 2 and 3 of this cache, the terrain rating only reflects the difficulty of one of the easier routes, but takes into account the fact that finding the right path might not always be easy.
• A map and hiking boots are highly recommended. The calculations have been designed in a way that they can easily be worked out in one's head. If you do not like to do so, take a pocket calculator with you.
• It is not recommendable to do this cache when it is dark.
• If you take children with you, be careful around Stages 2 and 3.
• Stage 1 is easily reachable by car and also by public transportation.

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Stage 0: At a place of your choice

To obtain the coordinates of Stage 1, you first need to deal with the following questions and tasks.

Task 1: (A tribute to the first geocache in Styria)

Question 1: Which cache was the first one being placed in Styria and listed at www.geocaching.com?

Question 2: The day on which this cache has been placed is a very important day which is celebrated each year in a certain European country.

• a: The number of letters of the name of this country's capital.
• b: The number associated with the month in which Styria's first cache has been placed.

Some calculations:

• c = b-a.
• d = (b+1)*a*(c^2).

Task 2: (A residence in royal possession)

Stage 1 of this cache is close to a large building (let us call it C) which is in possession of a royal family. It is your task to find out which building is meant by making use of the following information.

• The bearing from the point at which building C is located towards the point where Styria's first cache has been hidden is approximately equal to d degrees. (Hint: You can restrict your search to a circle with radius a*c kilometers around Styria's first cache.)
• e: The last digit of the number which is associated with the first letter of the name of the village in which building C is located (use the code A=1, B=2, .... Z=26).
• g: The number of letters of the last name of the (current) owner family of building C.
• h: The integral part of the minutes (i.e. the part before the comma) of the longitude of the coordinates of building C decreased by one.
• y: The integral part (i.e. the part before the comma) of the distance between building C and Styria's first cache measured in kilometers.

Task 3: (An Austrian Nobel Laureate)

Building C is the birth place of an Austrian Nobel Laureate. Let us call him Mr X. Unlike another Austrian who received the Nobel prize in the same field some years earlier, his name is unfortunately rather unknown to the general public. (The greater popularity of his colleague is due to something totally unrelated to scientific achievements.)

• i: The last two digits of the year in which the Nobel prize been awarded to Mr X.
• j: The age at which Mr X died.
• k: The number which results from j by inserting c between the first and the second digit of the number j.

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Stage 1: Close to the royal residence

Task 4: If you enter the village in which building C is located via the street coming from the East, you will pass a building on the right side of the street before reaching the building C on the left side. Search for two year dates on that building (the numbers are pretty large - so there is no problem even for people with a weak vision).

• p: The sum of the digits of the number which is obtained by subtracting the smaller year from the larger year.

Another calculation:

• m = (a^2)*i+p-a.

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Stage 2: N 47° g.k', E 015° h.m'.

It is strongly recommended to have a look at the map before starting to approach Stage 2. Depending on the way you choose, the GPS reception might be very bad at some parts of your hike. Do not worry too much, however. The reception will be much better near Stages 2 and 3 (provided the weather is reasonable).

Once arrived at Stage 2, enjoy first the view. Then search for a film canister (look very carefully at the typical hiding places - the canister might be covered with mud). In case you really fail to find the film canister, you might want to search for the second film canister which happens to be at a more challenging place due to some accident (see the additional hint).

The film canister contains a formula which assigns to every number x its associated function value f(x) as well as the two numbers A and B.

Please put the sheet containing the formula and the two numbers back into the film canister and hide the canister well again.

Some final calculations:

• q = k+B/e.
• r = p+2*c.
• s = f(r).
• t = (c^3)+s+A*y.

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Stage 3: N 47° g.q', E 015° h.t'.


You have now arrived at the final stage which by the way is not far from Stage 2. (Originally I had intended to hide the micro cache at Stage 2 somewhere below its current location, but there either the GPS reception was too bad or there were too many potential hiding places such that searching for a film canister would be too frustrating even for freaks.)

Now you have to decide whether you first would like to explore the surroundings of Stage 3, or start searching for the cache right away. The cache container, a tupper-ware like box (round, diameter approx 10 cm) is hidden in a cleft between two stones and is covered with foliage and small pieces of wood.

Please note the following:

• When taking out the cache and when putting it back, be careful that you are not watched by non-geocachers. The area around Stages 2 and 3 is in general not a crowded one. I did not meet a single person there on a very sunny Saturday afternoon, but sometimes local people are around. As the area might be more crowded in Summer time, please report any problems that arise due to too many potential observers, in your log. I will then consider moving the cache location to a nearby place (at a bigger distance to the paths at the expense of most likely worsening the GPS reception).
• When logging the cache in the internet, please avoid spoilers in your log entry which tell too much about the location.
• If you do not mind the extra effort of sending me an e-mail via geocaching.com, I'd very much like to learn where you started your hunt for Stages 2 and 3 and which route you took.

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