Help with a puzzle cache

[+michaelrdyer]

So I hope it's not a no no to ask for help on a puzzle cache but I've been trying to figure this one out for about a month and I've asked a couple people that I know if they could figure it out and no one has had any luck. It's really starting to get on my nerves I can't figure it out and wanted to see if anyone had some hints or could lead me in the right direction haha. The cache is GC177E2.

Thanks

[+Ambient_Skater]

Don't worry. It's not a no no to ask for help on a puzzle cache in the forums. A lot of people like to call it bad form though. In fact, the actual no no is the act of failing to describe the act of asking for help on a puzzle in the forums as bad form. Fortunately, it doesn't really make a difference to me.

 

Unfortunately, I've never been good at solving puzzle caches. One sure way to get help is from the cache owner. You can email them by clicking here.

[+LewisClan77]

If you take the advice of AS you should be good to go. Lee is his name and he is really good about giving help.

[+niraD]

According to section 4 of the geocaching.com terms of use, "You agree not to: [...] (m) Publish, on any Groundspeak owned web property, the solutions, hints, spoilers, or any hidden coordinates for any geocache without consent from the cache owner." However, here are some general puzzle tips (based in part on a puzzle-solving class event presented by The Rat a while ago):

 

Identify the theme. Check the cache title, the hint, the HTML source, the graphics (including names/URLs), any links (including URLs), whatever is at the posted coordinates, etc. If you can figure out the theme, then you should look for numbering systems that are associated with that theme (zip codes, athletes’ jersey numbers, episode numbers, product codes, etc.).

 

Around here, coordinates will have 15 digits, and will look like "N 37° xx.xxx W 122° xx.xxx". So when I'm solving a nearby puzzle, I look for a group of 15 things, and then I look for ways to get the digits 37xxxxx122xxxxx from them. In general, I look for ways to get the number 37 (or the digits 3 and 7) from something near the beginning of the puzzle, and the number 122 (or the digits 1, 2, and 2) from something near the middle of the puzzle. (Of course, you'll need to adjust this for the coordinates near you.)

 

Other useful resources include:

Puzzle Solving 101 Series (bookmark list)

Puzzle Shortcuts Series (bookmark list)

Solving Puzzle Caches (online article)

How Do I Solve All These $@! Puzzle Caches? (tutorial-style puzzle cache)

Puzzle FUNdamentals (archived event cache) and the Puzzle FUNdamentals resources on the GeocacheAlaska! education page

The GBA's Puzzle Cache FAQ (for puzzle designers, but useful for understanding how puzzle caches work)

[+Ginirover]

Why don't you contact the person who made the puzzle, asking for a hint ?

I have made several mysteries myself and always already indicate in the mystery that anybody getting stuck can contact me for an extra hint.

Quite a few people use that option and I'm always more than happy to help them out.

 

And it also works the other way around, when I'm stuck I don't hesitate to contact the organizer and so far always got extra clues that (at least partially) helped me out