Update 2018-01-20 : Congratulations to Puzzling.Stackexchange user Gareth McCaughan for solving Challenge 19 in less than a day. He gets one point on the Leaderboard. I will post the solution soon.
Here’s Challenge #19 for January 20, 2018. It’s another Google Earth Treasure Hunt!
While exploring a cave near my house, I found a small safe. Aside from some rust, it doesn’t appear to be that old. I have reason to believe there’s something valuable inside, but I don’t know the combination. There’s a poem engraved on the side that may be the key. Can you help me solve it?
This Google Earth Treasure Hunt is a little different from the past two. Instead of hopping from location to location, you’ll need to find one specific place on Google Earth. And you do need to use Google Earth. I can’t guarantee the results if you use Google Maps Satellite View or other map software. Also, keep in mind the real place may have changed since the satellite image was taken, so go by Google Earth.
Once you pinpoint it, use the additional hints in the poem to work out the seven digits of my combination lock. I’m hoping for riches!
Here’s the poem:
This lock will open for those who
can brave the turns of English yew
The shortest route* to tower find
inside the longest of its kind
When paths diverge, record a score
where left is 1 and right is 4
And when four paths present to thee
the inside ones, mark 2 and 3
To open safe and riches win
the 7 numbers, enter in
* There may be multiple solutions, but only one is the shortest route in distance.
With CodeAWeek.com, I hope to release one cipher, puzzle, or mystery each week. Anyone can attempt to solve. The winner is the first person to send a correct solution and a description of the solve method to codemaster@codeaweek.com. Once a correct solution is e-mailed, I will publish a follow-up post, congratulating the winner and revealing the secrets of the code.
You may post questions or theories in the comments, but DO NOT POST SOLUTIONS. E-mail them to codemaster@codeaweek.com.
Code a Week 