How to GeoStash

How to GeoStash

We’ve made a few changes to how the contest is played in previous years. This year, both the north and west coordinates are hidden in the magazine, but each is split up, so there are four parts to find. You’ll need to find both of the minutes and seconds portions as well as both degree portions. Once you have all four parts of the coordinates, you’ll need to correctly assemble them to find the location of the GeoStash marker. For example, if the coordinates you find include 77°, 38°, 04.763W, and 89.124N, then you would need to figure out which degree portion goes with which minute and second portion to find the marker’s location. If you were to correctly assemble the coordinate portions listed above to read 38° 89.124N and 77° 04.763W, then you’d come up with a location in Washington, D.C. Assembled incorrectly, the coordinates reveal a location in the Arctic Ocean just east of Svalbard, which is an archipelago north of mainland Europe, about midway between Norway and the North Pole. Obviously, the marker would not be stashed in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, and in most cases, you’ll be able to easily assemble the coordinate portions to reveal one definitive location where the marker is hidden.

Remember, the GPS coordinates can be hidden just about anywhere in the magazine’s text or ghost-imaged somewhere on a photograph, but the coordinates will not be hidden in or on any advertising.