This topic contains 12 replies, has 8 voices, and was last updated by 
huffinpuffin2 15 years ago.
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Hey all. I don’t think this is the exact forum I should post this, but I don’t see a better category.
I’m trying to track down the codes for the Skeleton Keys cache (GC13MRG) that’s on the Wisconsin River, but it seems a few of the bugs that were carrying the codes have gone missing. Is there anyone out there that could get the codes to me, or help me locate them?
The codes that I’m currently missing are:
2, 3, 4, 6, 10 and 11
Help!
@hanlons wrote:
Hey all. I don’t think this is the exact forum I should post this, but I don’t see a better category.
I’m trying to track down the codes for the Skeleton Keys cache (GC13MRG) that’s on the Wisconsin River, but it seems a few of the bugs that were carrying the codes have gone missing. Is there anyone out there that could get the codes to me, or help me locate them?
The codes that I’m currently missing are:
2, 3, 4, 6, 10 and 11
Help!
Probably the best thing to do is to contact the cache owner, the Bandits.
I had most of the codes at one time, but did not save them.
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You could contact huffinpuffin2. They should have the info as they just found it on the 19th. They frequent these forums and should be pretty easy to get a hold of.
My recommendation would be to follow the “spirit of the intent” and attempt to contact the last known holders of the “slugs”. I started this process a few months ago and got a 50% hit rate with the last known possessors of the slugs. Then I went back 1 more person with the failed ones. That got me another 50%. For the remaining ones I got info from the CO, but only asked for that after I went the other route. I also explained my process and that I had attempted to obtain the keys in the spirit of the puzzle.
This is how I’ve come up with some of the codes so far, and figured throwing out the request on these forums would still fit the spirit of the challenge. I suppose I’ll start walking the list of the TB handlers to see if I can start getting some more hits.
PM sent, 1 am this morning…..let us know if you did not get it. Or did get it.
I would suggest tracking down and retrieving or discovering as many of the existing slugs you can, as there are still several out in the wild.
That certainly was a key part of the original intent. It’s not easy, which is most likely why it is awarded a level 5 difficulty.
@huffinpuffin2 wrote:
PM sent, 1 am this morning…..let us know if you did not get it. Or did get it.
Yep, I did get it.
I’ll probably be tracking this down, but for the bugs like Achy Breaky I don’t know what I can do. That one was picked up in 2008 and hasn’t been reported since. The cacher to snagged it was only active for a couple of months, so I’m guessing the bug is gone.
@hanlons wrote:
@huffinpuffin2 wrote:
PM sent, 1 am this morning…..let us know if you did not get it. Or did get it.
Yep, I did get it.
I’ll probably be tracking this down, but for the bugs like Achy Breaky I don’t know what I can do. That one was picked up in 2008 and hasn’t been reported since. The cacher to snagged it was only active for a couple of months, so I’m guessing the bug is gone.
Best course of action then is to go to the CO or the Bug Owner (the same perhaps? I didn’t check) and explain you have x, y, z but are stuck on a, b, c because of …. Most CO’s are very helpful when you can explain the situation and show a level of effort. I know I’ve gotten a number of these from past holders and a few from the CO explaining my situation. Not complete yet, but still chipping away at it. And it’s one of those puzzles that gets harder as the bugs age.
Having just completed this series and having been intent to get the FTF when it first came out, so long ago, I can attest to the difficulty and intent of the cache. The first few weeks of tracking down the Keys in various caches around the state and then trying to haggle to get numbers by swapping with other holders had more than a few cachers scrambin to come up with cords. Seriously, it was almost like playing Survivor, trying to strategize with members on your side of the state to get enough numbers to make the find.
As far as getting ALL of the slugs, I don’t know if anyone ever did that. Physically put their hands on each and every one. That’s just not how it played out. And believe me, it did play out.
After the FTF was gone, I let it sit for a long time. Then it hit the LCG list and I tried to get the series by swimming out there, only I didn’t have my GPS along so the field puzzle wouldn’t have done me any good, even if I had taken the time to solve them. Fortunately I didn’t find them, nor did anyone else for a year, which led to an impromptu LCG trip with 2 of my favorite cachers , bone fidé puzzle solves in the field and some great double point scores.
It is a fantastic series and I do hope that the Bandits manage to revamp the slugs so they are all available again. I know how hard it is to keep trackables alive and kicking. They should know that those who’ve completed these caches would probably step in to keep it alive, I know I will.
We managed to physically find 6 of the slugs, and that involved some planned travel and the like. Sometimes I’d find one had moved by the time I got there, which is also part of the game. Some had already gone missing by that time, and a couple, I contacted the holders, who did find them and get them back out after sharing the codes. The missing ones I managed to haggle with others who had found them before they went missing.
I know bandits’ intent in placing this series was indeed to see how well the caching community could work together to gather what’s needed to find the first one in this series. It’s a fun and creative series all the way around, and I know we’re glad that when they archived a lot of their things a couple years ago, this didn’t fall in the process. The current interest shows it’s a well done series.
I ran across a couple of the slugs a few years ago and attempted to get info on others from previous finders but got no response…haven’t seen any since and have abandoned any further attempts. Too bad…liked the challenge concept 😀
Oconto...the birthplace of western civilization:)
@bartrod wrote:
. . . and attempted to get info on others from previous finders but got no response . . . have abandoned any further attempts . . .
Yeah, you’ll get a lot of that, even from those you ‘know’, for whatever reason.
I commend you for actually getting your hands on some of the slugs!
And I urge you to give it another go with both finders of the cache, and of the slugs . . . you may now get responses where you didn’t before, and you’ll likely find some new friends along the way; plus, based on your appetite for tough caches in the wild, you’ll love it!
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