Secret Instructions

Day 90: Codes and ciphers have always intrigued me, but as a geocacher, they took on a whole new level of meaning when they were employed to create "puzzle caches" which must be solved in order to ascertain the true coordinates necessary to locate a hidden container. Although I am now retired from the sport, caching friends often seek my help in solving puzzles which can range from a simple linear rotation of the alphabet which shifts one letter to another (ROT-13, for example) to more complex encryptions such as those requiring a code wheel or an Enigma machine to decrypt. Sometimes the creator of a puzzle will employ one or more red herrings to distract the solver, leading them down a false avenue and perhaps even to a wrong solution which can only be discerned by testing the coordinates on a map. Sometimes, secret instructions are provided within encrypted text. Mysterious messages! Secret ciphers! A little exercise is good for the brain as well as the body.